Change orders and variation orders for small jobs

Updated October 31, 2026

How to record extra work and get a clear yes before you do it, even on a small job. Includes wording to copy, a worked example and what counts as a good approval.

A change order is a short written record that the work on a job has changed, what it will cost, how it affects the finish date, and that the customer agreed before you did it. In the UK and Australia the same thing is usually called a variation order. The name doesn't matter. Getting a yes in writing before you pick up the tools does.

On a small job, it doesn't need to be a form. Stop, tell the customer what you found, send the price, and get a written yes. A text can be enough if it says what, how much and how long. The aim is to avoid the worst moment in small business: handing over an invoice that's $700 more than the customer expected, and arguing about a conversation in a hallway three weeks ago.

What goes in a change order

The FTC describes a change order as a written authorization to make a change or addition to the work in the original contract, which could affect cost and schedule. Keep yours to these seven things:

1. A number and the job it belongs to. VO-01, 14 Elm Street bathroom.
2. What you found or what was asked for. One or two plain sentences.
3. The extra work. What you'll do, and what you won't.
4. The price. Labour and materials, plus any tax. If work is being removed, show it as a credit.
5. The effect on time. Even if it's "no change".
6. The new contract total. The number people lose track of.
7. Who approved it and when. A name, a date and how they did it.

The steps on site

1. Stop before the extra work. Finish what's safe, but don't start what wasn't priced.
2. Take a photo. Open wall, rotten joist, cracked pipe. A picture makes the conversation about the problem and not about you.
3. Tell them first by voice if you can. A price by text with no warning feels like an ambush.
4. Send the price the same hour. If you need to check material costs, give a range and confirm it shortly after.
5. Wait for a yes. Do something else on the job if you can.
6. Keep the record with the job. The FTC tells homeowners to keep change orders with the contract, so you should too.
7. Put it on the invoice. As its own line, with its number, so nothing is a surprise.

A worked example

A bathroom renovation has a contract price of $9,600. When the old floor comes up, the subfloor by the shower is soft. Replacing it takes 6 hours at $85 and $190 of materials, which comes to $700, and adds two days. Later, the customer decides to keep the old towel rail, which saves the $240 you had priced for a new one.

Yes, record the credit too. It shows you're being straight, and a customer who has seen a credit from you is far easier to talk to when the next price goes up. The final invoice shows the $9,600 and both changes, then the $10,060 total, less what's been paid.

Wording to copy

By text, on site:

Hi Sarah, we found soft subfloor by the shower when the old floor came up (photo attached). It needs replacing before the new tiles can go down. That's $700 extra, $510 labour and $190 materials, and adds 2 days, so we'd finish Friday the 13th rather than Wednesday the 11th. New total $10,300. Reply YES and we'll carry on. We won't touch it until we hear from you.

A written change order for anything larger:

Change order VO-01, 14 Elm Street bathroom. Reason: soft subfloor found by the shower after floor removal, not visible when the job was quoted. Work: cut out and replace approximately 20 sq ft of subfloor. Not included: any joist repair, which we'd price separately if needed. Cost: $700. Time: 2 more days. Original price $9,600, new price $10,300. All other terms of the contract stay the same. Approved by: ________ Date: ________

When the customer asks for something on the spot:

Happy to do that. It's outside what we priced, so I'll send you a quick note with the cost and you can say yes or no before we start. Give me 10 minutes.

For a small job thrown in free. Record this too, so it doesn't become a habit or an expectation:

I've moved that socket while I was there. No charge this time, as it was a five-minute job. Anything further will be priced separately.

For an urgent problem that can't wait:

The pipe behind the wall has split and I've had to isolate the water. I tried calling you. I'm stopping the leak now as an emergency repair and will keep it to the minimum. I'll send the cost as soon as it's done, and nothing else will go ahead without your OK.

And if the customer goes quiet:

Hi Sarah, I haven't heard back on the subfloor. I can't lay tiles on it, so that part of the job is on hold from today, and each day's delay moves the finish date. Please call me when you can.

How approval compares

What the law expects

This isn't legal advice, and contract and licensing rules differ by state and country. Check what applies to your trade.

• Some places require it. California's licensing board says a change to the price or scope of a home improvement contract needs a written change order signed by the customer and contractor before the change, and that the signed change order becomes part of the contract.
• Electronic can count. In the US, the E-SIGN Act says a signature or contract in interstate commerce can't be denied effect solely because it's electronic. In the UK, electronic signatures are admissible in evidence. Neither settles whether a given text meets a specific rule, so where a law asks for a signed change order, get a proper signature. More in electronic signatures for small business.
• Agreed changes matter in the UK too. For consumer service contracts, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats what you told the customer as part of the deal, and changes to certain pre-contract information need express agreement.

For a good standard of record, borrow from another trade. California's auto repair rules say oral or electronic approval of extra work should note the date, the time, the name of the person approving and the phone number or email used. Write those four things down and you'll have a better record than most.

Common mistakes

• "I'll sort it out at the end." The longer the gap, the less anyone remembers agreeing to it.
• Vague "extras" lines. Each change needs its own reference and its own price.
• Forgetting time. A price gets agreed but the extra days aren't, and then you're late.
• Getting a yes from the wrong person. A tenant or a site manager may not be able to approve spending.
• No small print in the quote. Your quote should say that hidden problems get priced separately. That way the first change order isn't a shock.
• Doing the work while waiting. Once it's in the wall, you've lost your chance to say no, and so have they.

The variation order template in Programmable Page is built for this exact moment. You describe what you found, the customer gets a page on their phone with the reason, the cost and the new completion date, and they type their name and approve it, or tap to ask a question first. You can also ask for a deposit on the extra work if your Stripe account is connected. You get a PDF for the file.

Questions

What's the difference between a change order and a variation order?

Nothing practical. Change order is the usual term in the US, and variation order is common in the UK and Australia. Both record a change to the agreed work, its cost and its effect on time.

Is a text message enough to approve a change order?

Often it works as evidence of agreement, if the same message shows the work and the price. But some rules, like California's for home improvement, ask for a signed change order, so check what applies to you.

What if I did extra work without a change order?

Send the customer a written note of what was done, why and what it cost, and ask them to confirm. You may still be able to get paid, but with no written yes it's harder to prove.

Do I need a change order when work is removed?

Yes, it's worth doing. A credit change order keeps the contract total right and stops an argument over the final bill.