Add change orders to a project
Last updated: Aug 31, 2026
When the scope changes after the customer signed — extra work, upgraded materials, a new price — you don't edit the signed contract. You raise a change order: a separate document that states the amendment and its price, which the customer signs on its own. On the project it threads under the contract it amends, with the running total right there.
Raise it from the project (or the contract)
- Open the project's Contracts tab and click New change order — or open the contract itself and click Change order in its header.
- The form opens with the chain filled in: the job, the customer, the project and the tax rate come from the contract and the documents behind it.
- Price the change as line items, describe it, and Send — by email or text. You countersign first through the link emailed to you; the customer signs on their page, and that signature IS the approval.
The full walkthrough — versions, signing, your own PDF form — is in change orders.
What the project does when it's approved
- A milestone for the change amount is appended to the payment schedule (when the project has one), titled after the change order — you bill it whenever you choose; nothing auto-sends.
- The project's Contract value is raised by the approved amount, so the schedule-matches check stays honest, and the Contract tile notes how much of the value came from approved change orders.
- The Contracts tab threads every change order under its contract with a status pill and the amount — versions collapse to the one that matters.
The original contract stays intact
The signed contract on the project's Contracts tab is untouched by a change order — both documents stand on their own, each with its own signatures and certificate. If the amendment is so large the original no longer describes the work at all, Void the old contract and send a new one instead.
Troubleshooting
- No milestone appeared after approval — the project has no payment schedule yet (milestones are never seeded by a change order on an unscheduled project). The contract value still went up; add the milestone by hand when you build the schedule.
- You sent the wrong change order — raise a new version from the strip on its page; the customer's old link points them at the newest one, and approving one version closes the rest.
FAQ
Why can't I just edit the signed contract?
A signed contract is final — editing it would rewrite what the customer agreed to. A change order is a separate signed document, threaded under the contract it amends.
Does a change order update my project's contract value or milestones?
Yes — automatically, when the customer approves. On a project with a payment schedule a milestone is added for the change amount and the contract value is raised; you bill that milestone when you choose. Nothing is ever sent or billed by itself.
How does the customer approve it?
By signing — the full signature ceremony, like the original contract. You countersign first through the link emailed to you; the customer then signs on the change-order page.