Plumbing Change Order Template: Scope, Cost and Approval

Start with the original reference

A change order only makes sense when it points to something. Include the original estimate or agreement number, its revision, and the job reference. Do not use a new free-standing estimate that leaves the relationship unclear.

Distinguish a customer-requested addition from a newly discovered condition or a correction to the original document. That reason helps explain the change without assigning blame. Document observed facts rather than assumptions about what someone should have known.

The form below is an operational record. It is not a jurisdiction-specific legal document, and it does not establish which changes are enforceable. Have the authorization and contract terms appropriate to your business reviewed locally.

Copy the change-order form

PLUMBING CHANGE ORDER
Change order number: [CO-001]
Original estimate / revision: [reference]
Job and service property: [reference, address]
Prepared by / date: [name, date]

Original approved scope affected: [specific item]
Reason for change: [customer request / observed condition / correction]
Added work: [description]
Removed work: [description]
Unchanged work: [confirm relevant boundary]
Supporting record: [photo, note, specification, correspondence]

Added amount: [amount]
Credit for removed work: [amount]
Net change before applicable tax: [amount]
Applicable tax adjustment: [verified amount]
Previous approved total: [amount]
New approved total: [amount]
Schedule or access effect: [specific change]
Payment milestone effect: [agreed change or none]

Authorization contact: [person with authority]
Decision: [approved / declined / needs revision]
Approved version / date / method: [record]

Calculate the change, not the entire job twice

Suppose a fictional job was approved at $1,200. Additional work costs $280, and a removed item creates an $80 credit. The net change is $200, giving a revised pre-tax total of $1,400. These are example figures, not recommended prices.

Do not add the entire $1,400 again to the original $1,200. Keep separate fields for the previous total, adjustment, and revised total. When tax applies, show the verified tax adjustment without assuming every changed item has the same treatment.

A payment already collected belongs in the payment record. It does not reduce the value of the approved scope; it reduces what remains payable against that value.

Decide what stops while approval is pending

The field team needs a clear boundary for unapproved work. Record which task is paused, who must decide, and whether any unaffected work can continue safely and within the existing authorization.

An unanswered call, a message marked read, or a discussion with someone lacking approval authority should not be recorded as acceptance. Where urgent circumstances arise, follow your established professional and contractual procedures rather than improvising from a generic template.

Keep the customer message short

Subject: Approval needed for change to job [reference]

During [assessment/work stage], we identified [factual condition].
The proposed change is [scope]. It changes the agreed price by
[amount] and affects the schedule as follows: [effect].

Please review change order [number/version] and confirm your decision.
We will not treat the proposed addition as approved without the
required authorization.

Reconcile the change before invoicing

At closeout, compare the original approved scope, all approved changes, and actual completed work. Leave declined or superseded changes out of the amount billed.

Save the approval evidence with the job record and carry the change-order reference into the invoice description where helpful. The customer should be able to trace an added charge to the decision that authorized it, without needing a separate explanation from everyone involved.