Template · Change order

Change order template — charge for scope changes without the fight

A change order is a one-page mini-agreement you send when requested work falls outside the contracted scope: what was agreed, what's now requested, the price and timeline impact, and a line for written approval. It reframes scope creep from an awkward confrontation into routine paperwork — the mechanic quoting the extra gasket, not a vendor begging to be paid. Roughly half of all projects experience scope creep (PMI, 2018), so the mechanism isn't pessimism; it's process.

How to use it

  1. Spot the drift: compare the request against the contract's deliverables list.
  2. Fill the template: original scope, requested change, price, timeline impact.
  3. Send it with a warm, neutral note — the tone of 'here's what that takes,' not 'gotcha.'
  4. Start the new work only after written approval.
  5. File the approved order with the contract; it amends the scope.

The change order

The change order
CHANGE ORDER #[N] — [PROJECT NAME]
Date: [DATE] · Relates to agreement dated: [DATE]

ORIGINAL SCOPE (relevant part)
[The deliverable(s) as written in the agreement.]

REQUESTED CHANGE
[What the client asked for, in plain language, with the date it was requested.]

WHAT IT TAKES
Price: $[AMOUNT]
Timeline: [+X days / new delivery date]
[Anything the change displaces or depends on.]

APPROVAL
Work on this change begins on written approval (a reply saying "approved" is enough).
All other terms of the original agreement stay as they are.

Approved by: ________________  Date: ________

The note that goes with it

The note that goes with it
Hi [NAME],

Happy to add [the requested change] — it's a good call. It sits outside our current scope, so I've written it up as a quick change order: $[AMOUNT] and [timeline impact]. If you'd like to go ahead, just reply "approved" and I'll fold it into the plan.

If you'd rather keep the original scope, that's completely fine too — everything stays as agreed.

[YOU]

Why this works when 'pushing back' doesn't

The change order never argues about whether the request is reasonable — it prices it. The client keeps full control (yes, no, or later), you get paid for yes, and the original agreement stays intact for no. The freelancers who lose margin to scope creep aren't the ones without spines; they're the ones without a mechanism.

Common questions

When does a request need a change order?
When it adds deliverables, adds rounds beyond the contracted revisions, or changes the brief after approval. The test is the contract's scope list — if the request isn't on it, it's a change order, however small it sounds at 5pm on a Friday.
Won't clients be annoyed by change orders?
The opposite, in practice — clients are calmer when changes have a visible process and a price, because it means nothing is silently resented or padded. The annoyance freelancers fear usually belongs to the absent conversation, not the mechanism.
What if the client says the change should be included?
Point warmly at the scope section you both signed, and offer the choice: add it via the change order, or swap it for something of similar size in the current scope. Both answers respect the agreement; 'we'll just squeeze it in' respects neither of you.

Go deeper: read the full guide on the blog.