Change Orders Overview

Change orders are financial documents that modify the scope and pricing of a job after an estimate has been accepted.

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What Are Change Orders?

Change orders are financial documents that modify the scope and pricing of a job after an estimate has been accepted. They handle changes discovered during work, customer requests for additional services, scope reductions, and price adjustments.

Key Concept: Change orders allow you to modify approved work without creating confusion or disputes. They provide a clear paper trail of what changed, why it changed, and customer agreement to the changes.

Relationship to Estimates: Change orders work almost identically to estimates—they have line items, pricing, taxes, and customer approval workflows. The main difference is that change orders must be tied to an existing job, while estimates can exist independently.

Why Use Change Orders?

Change orders provide:

  • Scope Flexibility - Add or reduce work as needed
  • Price Adjustments - Increase charges or issue credits
  • Customer Protection - Clear documentation of changes and approvals
  • Pro Protection - Signed records of scope/price modifications
  • Billing Accuracy - Invoices reflect actual work performed
  • Dispute Prevention - No surprises about final costs
  • Professional Operations - Handle changes systematically

How Change Orders Work

The Change Order Lifecycle

Creation:

  1. Discover Need - Find additional work, customer requests change, or scope reduces
  2. Create from Job - Change orders created from job view (UI or agent)
  3. Add Line Items - Build change order like an estimate (business items, custom items)
  4. Set Pricing - Additions (positive) or credits (negative with checkbox)

Approval: 5. Submit to Customer - Send for digital signature approval 6. Customer Reviews - Customer sees proposed changes and pricing 7. Accept or Reject - Customer approves or declines changes 8. Revise if Needed - Edit rejected change orders and resubmit

Billing: 9. Include in Invoices - Invoice can automatically include change order line items 10. Track Financial Status - Job financial view shows estimate + change orders vs invoiced

Creating Change Orders

Prerequisites

Job Required:

  • Change orders MUST be tied to a job (cannot exist independently)
  • If no job exists, create job first, then create change order
  • This ensures change orders modify existing approved work

Creation Methods

From Job View (UI):

  1. Navigate to job detail view
  2. Click "Create Change Order" button
  3. Change order created in draft status
  4. Add line items and pricing
  5. Submit when ready

Via Agent:

  • "Create change order for Smith Kitchen job"
  • Agent confirms job association
  • Creates empty change order
  • Agent can help add line items: "Add $500 for electrical work"

Multiple Change Orders:

  • Jobs can have unlimited change orders
  • Each tracks separate scope/price modification
  • All combine for total job value

Naming Change Orders

Change orders can be named like estimates or invoices:

  • Auto-numbered: "Change Order #1", "Change Order #2"
  • Descriptive: "Additional Electrical Work"
  • Custom: "Foundation Repair - Smith Kitchen"

Change Order Structure

Line Items

Business Items as Templates:

  • Use business items as templates (same as estimates)
  • Drag and drop from business item library
  • Pre-populated pricing and descriptions
  • Modify as needed for specific change

Custom Line Items:

  • Create items not based on business items
  • Freeform description
  • Custom pricing
  • Useful for one-off charges

Tax Handling:

  • Line items can be taxable or non-taxable
  • Tax items apply to change orders
  • Tax rates calculated automatically
  • Credits respect tax calculations (see below)

Pricing Types

Additional Charges (Positive):

  • Most common change order type
  • Add work discovered or requested
  • Positive dollar amounts
  • Increase job total

Credits (Negative):

  • Reduce scope or issue refunds
  • Check "Credit" checkbox on line item
  • Amount becomes negative
  • Decreases job total
  • Tax credits calculated automatically

Example - Additional Work:

Line Items:
  Additional electrical outlet    $250.00
  Upgraded light fixture          $175.00
  Labor (2 hours)                 $200.00
                        Subtotal: $625.00
                             Tax: $ 50.00
                           Total: $675.00

Example - Scope Reduction (Credit):

Line Items:
  [✓ Credit] Reduced labor hours  -$500.00
  [✓ Credit] Material credit      -$100.00
                        Subtotal: -$600.00
                             Tax: -$ 48.00
                           Total: -$648.00

Credit Checkbox Behavior

When you check "Credit" on a line item:

  • Amount entered as positive number
  • System treats it as negative
  • Reduces change order total
  • Tax calculated as credit (negative)
  • Displayed with minus sign

Example:

  • Enter: $500.00, check "Credit"
  • Displays: -$500.00
  • Taxable item: Tax credit -$40.00 (assuming 8%)

Change Order Scenarios

Scenario 1: Discovered Conditions

Situation: During kitchen demolition, find outdated wiring requiring replacement.

Original Estimate: $5,000 kitchen remodel Discovery: Knob-and-tube wiring behind wall (safety hazard) Solution: Create change order

Change Order - Electrical Upgrade:

Line Items:
  Rewire kitchen circuits       $1,200.00
  New electrical panel          $  800.00
  Electrician labor             $  500.00
  Building permit               $  150.00
                      Subtotal: $2,650.00
                           Tax: $  212.00
                         Total: $2,862.00

New Job Total: $7,862.00 (original $5,000 + change order $2,862)

Scenario 2: Customer Addition

Situation: Customer wants to add work not in original estimate.

Original Estimate: Bathroom remodel $8,000 Customer Request: "Can you also replace the vanity?" Solution: Create change order

Change Order - Vanity Replacement:

Line Items:
  Remove old vanity              $150.00
  New vanity (premium upgrade)   $850.00
  Plumbing modifications         $300.00
  Installation labor             $200.00
                      Subtotal: $1,500.00
                           Tax: $   68.00 (vanity only taxable)
                         Total: $1,568.00

New Job Total: $9,568.00

Scenario 3: Scope Reduction

Situation: Customer decides to remove part of original work.

Original Estimate: Full deck construction $12,000 Customer Decision: "Let's skip the railing for now" Solution: Create credit change order

Change Order - Remove Railing:

Line Items:
  [✓ Credit] Deck railing materials  -$1,200.00
  [✓ Credit] Railing installation    -$  800.00
                         Subtotal:   -$2,000.00
                              Tax:   -$   96.00
                            Total:   -$2,096.00

New Job Total: $9,904.00 (original $12,000 - credit $2,096)

Scenario 4: Material Cost Increase

Situation: Lumber costs increase 20% between estimate and job start.

Original Estimate: Fence installation $4,000 Price Change: Lumber supplier raises prices Solution: Create change order for price adjustment

Change Order - Material Cost Adjustment:

Line Items:
  Lumber cost increase (20%)     $600.00
                      Subtotal:  $600.00
                           Tax:  $ 48.00
                         Total:  $648.00

New Job Total: $4,648.00

Scenario 5: Multiple Changes

Situation: Several modifications throughout project.

Original Estimate: Home office renovation $6,000

Change Order #1 - Additional Outlets:

  3 additional outlets           $450.00
                         Total:  $450.00

Change Order #2 - Upgrade Flooring:

  Flooring upgrade (hardwood)  $1,200.00
  Remove carpet credit          -$300.00
                         Total:   $900.00

Change Order #3 - Remove Built-ins:

  [✓ Credit] Cancel built-ins  -$800.00
                         Total:  -$800.00

Final Job Total: $6,550.00

  • Original estimate: $6,000
  • CO #1: +$450
  • CO #2: +$900
  • CO #3: -$800

Customer Approval Workflow

Submission Process

Identical to Estimates:

  • Change orders use same approval workflow as estimates
  • Pro submits for customer review
  • Customer receives notification
  • Digital signature required
  • Accept or reject decision

Submission:

  1. Pro creates change order with line items
  2. Pro clicks "Submit to Customer"
  3. System sends notification to customer
  4. Customer reviews proposed changes
  5. Customer accepts or rejects

Customer Approval

Acceptance:

  • Customer reviews change order
  • Signs digitally to approve
  • Change order marked "Accepted"
  • Work can proceed
  • Lines up for invoicing

Rejection:

  • Customer declines changes
  • Change order marked "Rejected"
  • Pro can edit and resubmit same change order
  • Or create new change order with different approach

Pro Can Accept on Behalf:

  • Pro can mark accepted without customer signature
  • Useful for verbal approvals or trusted relationships
  • Risk: No signature record if dispute arises
  • Recommendation: Always get customer signature for protection

Approval Best Practices

When to Wait for Approval:

  • Large dollar amounts
  • Significant scope changes
  • New customer relationships
  • Anything customer might question

When Pros Might Proceed Without:

  • Emergency repairs (safety issues)
  • Small amounts with trusted customers
  • Verbal approval already obtained
  • Time-critical situations

Recommendation: Always wait for approval for your protection. Signed change orders prevent disputes and show customer agreed to additional costs.

Change Order Statuses

Change orders follow the same status workflow as estimates:

Draft:

  • Initial creation
  • Can be edited freely
  • Not yet submitted to customer
  • Not visible to customer

Submitted:

  • Sent to customer for approval
  • Locked for editing (can't change)
  • Waiting for customer response
  • Can be withdrawn by pro if needed

Accepted:

  • Customer approved changes
  • Locked for editing
  • Ready for work and invoicing
  • Permanent record

Rejected:

  • Customer declined changes
  • Can be edited and resubmitted
  • Or abandoned if customer won't approve

Withdrawn:

  • Pro cancelled before customer response
  • Can be deleted or archived

Invoice Integration

Including Change Orders in Invoices

Automatic Inclusion: When creating invoice from job, system prompts:

  • "Include estimate and change order line items?"
  • If yes: ALL accepted estimates and change orders included
  • If no: Start with blank invoice

Current Limitation:

  • All-or-nothing inclusion (all change orders or none)
  • Cannot selectively include specific change orders
  • Cannot cherry-pick line items from change orders
  • Enhancement Planned: Selective inclusion (a future update)

Multiple Change Orders:

  • Invoice can include unlimited change orders
  • Plus original estimate
  • All line items combined
  • Total represents complete approved work

Invoice Creation Scenarios

Scenario 1: Invoice Everything:

Job Financial Summary:
  Accepted Estimate:           $5,000
  Change Order #1 (accepted):  $  500
  Change Order #2 (accepted):  $1,200
  Total Approved Work:         $6,700

Create Invoice:
  Include all estimates/change orders? → Yes
  Invoice total: $6,700 (all line items included)

Scenario 2: Partial Billing:

Job Status:
  Estimate: $5,000 (accepted, not yet invoiced)
  CO #1: $500 (accepted)
  CO #2: $1,200 (submitted, not accepted yet)

Create Invoice:
  Include estimates/change orders? → Yes
  Invoice includes: Estimate + CO #1 = $5,500
  CO #2 not included (not accepted yet)

Scenario 3: Credit Change Order:

Original Estimate: $10,000
Change Order #1: -$1,500 (credit for reduced scope)

Create Invoice:
  Include all? → Yes
  Line items from estimate: $10,000
  Line items from CO #1: -$1,500
  Invoice total: $8,500

Smart Invoice Tracking

System Tracks:

  • Which line items already invoiced
  • Prevents double-billing
  • Shows "Remaining to invoice" amounts
  • Links invoice items to source documents (estimate/change order)

Draft vs Submitted Invoices:

  • Draft invoice: Can update if estimate/change order changes
  • Submitted invoice: Locked, create new invoice for additional items
  • Paid invoice: Permanent record

Financial Tracking

Job Financial Summary

Change orders appear in job financial view:

Job: Smith Kitchen Remodel

Revenue:
  Accepted Estimate:              $5,000.00
  Change Order #1 (accepted):     $  500.00
  Change Order #2 (accepted):     $1,200.00
  Change Order #3 (pending):      $  750.00 (not counted)
  ─────────────────────────────────────────
  Total Approved Revenue:         $6,700.00

Invoiced:
  Invoice #001 (paid):            $3,000.00
  Invoice #002 (submitted):       $3,700.00
  ─────────────────────────────────────────
  Total Invoiced:                 $6,700.00

Outstanding Balance:              $3,700.00
Fully Invoiced:                   Yes
Paid in Full:                     No

Key Points:

  • Only accepted change orders count toward revenue
  • Pending/rejected change orders excluded
  • Invoiced amounts tracked against approved work
  • Outstanding balance calculated automatically

Change Order Impact Tracking

Original vs Current:

Original Estimate:                $5,000
Current Approved Total:           $6,700
Change Orders Impact:             +$1,700 (+34%)

Breakdown:
  CO #1: +$500 (additional work)
  CO #2: +$1,200 (customer addition)
  CO #3: Pending (not counted yet)

Planned Enhancement: Warning when change order exceeds estimate (a future update)

Agent Capabilities

The Change Order Agent supports comprehensive natural language interactions:

Create Operations

Examples:

  • "Create change order for Smith Kitchen job"
  • "New change order for the bathroom remodel"
  • "Add change order to Jones deck project"

Agent Workflow:

  • Confirms job association (required)
  • If multiple jobs match, helps select correct one
  • Creates empty change order in draft status
  • Guides through adding line items if requested

Add Line Items

Examples:

  • "Add $500 for additional electrical work"
  • "Add line item for upgraded fixtures, $850"
  • "Add custom line item: emergency plumbing repair, $300"

Agent Actions:

  • Creates line item on current change order
  • Parses description and amount from natural language
  • Can use business items as templates
  • Supports custom line items

Search and Find

Examples:

  • "Find change orders for Smith job"
  • "Show me pending change orders"
  • "Which change orders are waiting for approval?"
  • "Find accepted change orders this month"

Agent Behavior:

  • Searches across jobs, customers, status
  • Returns matching change orders
  • Can filter by status, date, customer
  • Offers to show more details

Submit and Approve

Examples:

  • "Submit change order to customer"
  • "Send change order for approval"
  • "Customer approved the change order"
  • "Accept change order on behalf of customer"

Agent Actions:

  • Submits change order for digital signature
  • Or marks as accepted (pro approval)
  • Prompts for confirmation before submission
  • Confirms status change

Update Operations

Examples:

  • "Update change order description"
  • "Change the name to 'Electrical Upgrade'"
  • "Edit line item amount to $450"

Agent Behavior:

  • Only works on draft or rejected change orders
  • Cannot edit submitted or accepted
  • Makes requested modifications
  • Confirms changes

Rejection Handling

Examples:

  • "Customer rejected the change order"
  • "Mark change order as rejected"

Agent Actions:

  • Updates status to rejected
  • Change order can now be edited
  • Can revise and resubmit same change order

Reports and Analysis

Dashboard Integration:

  • "What change orders are pending approval?"
  • "Show me accepted change orders this week"
  • "How much additional revenue from change orders this month?"

Agent Provides:

  • Summary of change order pipeline
  • Status breakdown
  • Financial summaries
  • Insights into scope changes

Best Practices

When to Create Change Orders

Always Create Change Order For:

  • Work not in original estimate
  • Scope reductions customer requests
  • Discovered conditions requiring extra work
  • Customer additions or upgrades
  • Material cost changes affecting price
  • Any deviation from accepted estimate

Why It Matters:

  • Protects you legally (signed approval)
  • Prevents billing disputes
  • Maintains clear record
  • Shows professionalism
  • Customer knows what they're approving

Timing Considerations

Create Before Starting Work:

  • Discover issue → Create change order → Get approval → Proceed
  • Protects you if customer questions charges
  • Clear communication upfront

Emergency Situations:

  • Safety issues may require immediate work
  • Create change order ASAP even if work started
  • Get customer signature as soon as possible
  • Document why work was urgent

Customer Communication

Explain Why Changes Needed:

  • Use customer-facing description
  • Be clear and detailed
  • Include photos if helpful (future enhancement)
  • Explain benefit to customer

Examples of Good Descriptions:

Good: "During demolition, we discovered outdated knob-and-tube
wiring that poses a fire hazard. Building code requires we replace
this with modern wiring. This will make your home safer and bring
electrical system up to current code."

Poor: "Need to rewire stuff"

Price Transparency:

  • Break down costs clearly
  • Show labor, materials, permits separately
  • Explain why price is what it is
  • Be prepared to justify charges

Documentation

Internal Notes (Planned a future update):

  • Document why change order was necessary
  • Note customer conversations
  • Track team coordination
  • Learn from patterns

Customer-Facing:

  • Clear descriptions
  • Professional language
  • Benefit to customer emphasized
  • Price breakdown

Job Association (Planned a future update):

  • Quick navigation to parent job
  • See full job context
  • Review related documents
  • Better workflow

Credit Change Orders

When to Use Credits:

  • Customer removes work from scope
  • Issue refund for overpayment
  • Correct billing error
  • Material costs decreased

How to Structure:

  • Check "Credit" checkbox on line items
  • Enter positive amounts (system makes negative)
  • Include tax credits automatically
  • Clear description of what's being credited

Multiple Change Orders

When to Create Multiple:

  • Each distinct scope change
  • Different approval timing
  • Separate decision points
  • Track changes independently

When to Combine:

  • Related changes discovered together
  • Same approval conversation
  • Easier for customer to review
  • Single signature for related work

Common Questions

Q: Can change orders be created without a job? A: No. Change orders must be tied to a job because they modify existing approved work. If you need a change order, create a job first (or ensure job already exists).

Q: What's the difference between a change order and a new estimate? A: Change orders modify existing job scope and must be tied to a job. Estimates can exist independently and create new opportunities. For additional work on existing jobs, use change orders. For new projects, use estimates.

Q: Can I create a change order before the job starts? A: Yes. Change orders can be created anytime after a job exists—before work starts, during work, or even after completion (though you'd need a new job for post-completion changes).

Q: How many change orders can a job have? A: Unlimited. Jobs can have as many change orders as needed. Each tracks a separate modification.

Q: How do I issue a credit to a customer? A: Create a change order with line items marked "Credit" using the checkbox. Enter amounts as positive numbers—the system treats them as negative and reduces the job total.

Q: When I check "Credit" on a line item, how do I enter the amount? A: Enter the amount as a positive number (e.g., $500.00). The system automatically treats it as negative when calculating totals. It will display as -$500.00.

Q: Do credit change orders affect taxes? A: Yes. If you credit a taxable item, the tax is also credited (becomes negative). The system calculates this automatically.

Q: Can I edit a change order after submitting it? A: No. Once submitted, change orders are locked. If the customer rejects it, you can then edit and resubmit the same change order.

Q: What happens if a customer rejects a change order? A: The change order status changes to "Rejected" and becomes editable again. You can revise and resubmit the same change order, or abandon it.

Q: Can I accept a change order on behalf of the customer? A: Yes. You can mark a change order as accepted without customer digital signature. However, this is not recommended—you lose the protection of a signed approval record.

Q: Should I wait for change order approval before starting the work? A: Recommended: Yes. Waiting for approval protects you legally and ensures the customer agrees to the cost. However, emergency situations (safety issues) may require immediate work. In those cases, create the change order ASAP and get signature as soon as possible.

Q: How do change orders appear in invoices? A: When creating an invoice from a job, the system can automatically include all accepted change orders plus the estimate. All line items are combined into one invoice.

Q: Can I invoice some change orders but not others? A: Currently it's all-or-nothing (include all accepted change orders or none). Selective inclusion is planned (a future update).

Q: If I have 3 change orders, can I invoice just 2 of them? A: Not currently with automatic inclusion. You'd need to manually create invoice with specific line items, or wait for selective inclusion feature (a future update).

Q: What if a change order isn't accepted yet—does it get invoiced? A: No. Only accepted change orders are included when you use automatic invoice inclusion. Pending or rejected change orders are excluded.

Q: Can I create an invoice that includes the estimate and some change orders but not others? A: Not with automatic inclusion (currently). Selective inclusion is planned (a future update). Workaround: Manually build invoice with desired line items.

Q: What statuses do change orders have? A: Same as estimates: Draft, Submitted, Accepted, Rejected, Withdrawn.

Q: Can I delete a change order? A: Only draft change orders can be deleted. Once submitted or accepted, they cannot be deleted (permanent record).

Q: What if my change order is bigger than the original estimate? A: This is possible and sometimes legitimate (major discoveries). A warning system is planned (a future update) to alert you when change orders exceed estimate value, but it won't prevent you from proceeding.

Q: Can I copy line items from the estimate to a change order? A: Not currently. You must add line items from scratch using business items or custom entries. This may be enhanced in the future.

Q: Can I attach photos to change orders? A: Not currently. Photos are attached to leads and jobs. This could be a future enhancement to show why changes are needed.

Q: Can I add internal notes to change orders (not visible to customer)? A: Not currently, but this is planned (a future update). This will allow you to document internal reasoning and team coordination.

Q: Can I navigate from a change order to its job easily? A: Not currently prominent, but this is planned (a future update). Enhancement will add job link in change order view.

Q: If I find a change order through search, can I quickly see the related job? A: Job link enhancement is planned (a future update) to make this easier.

Q: Can change orders be created for completed jobs? A: You'd need a new job for post-completion work. Change orders modify active job scope. For additional work after completion, create a new job.

Q: Can the agent help me create change orders? A: Yes. The agent can create change orders, add line items, submit for approval, search, and update change orders via natural language.

Q: Can I say "create change order for Smith" if there are multiple Smith jobs? A: Yes. The agent will help you select the correct job if there are multiple matches.

Q: Can the agent add line items with natural language? A: Yes. "Add $500 for electrical work" will create a line item with that description and amount.

Q: How do I search for pending change orders? A: Ask the agent: "Show me pending change orders" or "Find change orders waiting for approval."

Q: Can I see all change orders for a specific job? A: Yes. View the job detail, or ask the agent: "Show me change orders for Smith Kitchen job."

Q: What's the financial impact of all my change orders? A: View the job financial summary to see estimate + accepted change orders totaling approved revenue.

Q: Do change orders affect the original estimate? A: No. The original estimate remains unchanged. Change orders are separate documents that add to or subtract from the estimate total. The job financial summary shows the combined picture.

Q: Can I create a $0 change order (scope change but no price change)? A: Yes. This is possible and might be useful for documenting scope modifications without financial impact.

Q: Is there a limit to how large a change order can be? A: No hard limit. However, warning system is planned (a future update) to alert you if change order significantly exceeds estimate value.

Q: Can I create a change order that's double the original estimate? A: Yes, though a warning is planned (a future update). This might be legitimate (major discovery) but warrants review to catch errors.

Q: What if I need to revise a change order after the customer sees it? A: If submitted but not yet approved, you can withdraw it, edit, and resubmit. If rejected, you can edit and resubmit. If accepted, you cannot edit—create a new change order for additional modifications.

Q: Can I use business items as templates for change order line items? A: Yes. Change orders work exactly like estimates for line items—use business items as templates or create custom items.

Q: Do change order line items respect tax settings? A: Yes. Line items can be taxable or non-taxable, and tax items apply the same way as estimates.

Q: What's required to create a change order? A: Only job association is required. Everything else (name, line items, pricing) can be added before or after creation.

Q: Can I have internal-only notes on a change order? A: Not currently, but this is planned (a future update) to allow documentation that customers never see.

Tips for Success

Professional Change Order Management

Document Everything:

  • Create change order for every modification
  • Don't rely on verbal agreements
  • Get signatures for protection
  • Maintain clear paper trail

Communicate Clearly:

  • Explain why change is needed
  • Use customer-friendly language
  • Break down costs transparently
  • Set expectations upfront

Timing Matters:

  • Create change order before starting work
  • Don't surprise customers with charges
  • Get approval in advance
  • Emergency exceptions: document ASAP

Avoid Common Mistakes

Don't:

  • Skip change orders for "small" changes (they add up)
  • Start work before approval (you may not get paid)
  • Surprise customers with charges at invoice time
  • Use vague descriptions
  • Forget to submit for signature

Do:

  • Create change order for every modification
  • Wait for approval before starting (protect yourself)
  • Communicate changes as discovered
  • Use detailed descriptions
  • Always get customer signature

Credit Change Orders Best Practices

Clear Communication:

  • Explain what's being removed or refunded
  • Show original price and credit amount
  • Customer appreciates transparency

Proper Structure:

  • Use "Credit" checkbox (don't enter negative numbers)
  • Include tax credits automatically
  • Break down by line item
  • Clear descriptions

Multiple Change Orders Strategy

When Scope Changes Multiple Times:

  • Create separate change order for each distinct change
  • Easier to track individual modifications
  • Customer can approve some, reject others
  • Better historical record

Combine When Appropriate:

  • Related changes discovered together
  • Customer makes several requests at once
  • Single approval conversation
  • Simpler for customer to review

Financial Tracking

Monitor Job Total:

  • Watch cumulative impact of change orders
  • Original $5k job → Now $8k with change orders
  • Keep customer aware of growing total
  • Warning system coming (a future update)

Invoice Strategically:

  • Include all accepted change orders in invoices
  • Don't wait months to bill for change orders
  • Progress billing: Invoice completed change orders
  • Faster invoicing = faster payment

Jobs:

  • Change orders must be tied to jobs
  • Jobs show all change orders
  • Financial summary combines estimate + change orders
  • See: Jobs Overview

Estimates:

  • Change orders work like estimates
  • Same line item structure
  • Same approval workflow
  • Change orders modify estimate scope
  • See: Estimates Overview

Invoices:

  • Invoices can automatically include change orders
  • All accepted change orders combine with estimate
  • Creates complete billing picture
  • See: Invoices Overview

Line Items:

  • Change orders use line items like estimates
  • Business items as templates
  • Custom line items supported
  • Tax handling identical
  • See: Line Items Overview

Business Items:

  • Templates for change order line items
  • Pre-defined pricing and descriptions
  • Drag and drop to change orders
  • See: Business Items Overview

Customers:

  • Change orders associated via job → customer
  • Customer receives change order for approval
  • Digital signature required
  • See: Customers Overview

Enhancement Roadmap

Planned Improvements:

  1. Selective Invoice Inclusion (#177)

    • Choose which change orders to include in invoice
    • Select specific line items
    • Better progress billing support

  2. Internal & Customer Notes (#178)

    • Pro-only internal notes
    • Enhanced customer-facing notes
    • Reason tracking

  3. Job Navigation Link (#179)

    • Quick link to parent job from change order
    • Job context visible in change order view
    • Better workflow

  4. Change Order Warnings (#180)

    • Alert when change order exceeds estimate
    • Show percentage impact
    • Catch data entry errors

Summary

Change orders are essential for professional service businesses:

  • Modify job scope after estimate acceptance
  • Add work discovered during project
  • Issue credits for reduced scope or refunds
  • Customer approval required for protection
  • Invoice integration for complete billing
  • Agent support for natural language management

Key Takeaway: Always create change orders for any deviation from the original estimate. This protects you legally, prevents disputes, and shows professionalism. Get customer signatures before starting additional work whenever possible.

Last Updated: 2025-10-28 Related Documentation: Jobs | Estimates | Invoices | Line Items

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