Work order template: free printable job sheet with a filled example

A work order template is a one-page job sheet that tells whoever shows up at the job where to go, what was approved, which parts to bring and what to record before leaving. Fill in the free template below, then print it for a handwritten sign-off or download it as a PDF.

The most useful line on a work order is the one that says what did not get done. A sheet where every box is ticked tells you nothing on a callback. A sheet that says "shutoff valve seized, customer to decide on replacement" saves the next visit and the next argument.

What is a work order?

A work order is the instruction for doing a job that a customer has already approved. It sits between the quote and the invoice: it carries the agreed scope to the person on site and brings back a record of the time, parts and outcome.

In a one-truck business the person writing the work order and the person doing the job are often the same. It still earns its place. It is the record you check when a customer calls three weeks later, and the source you copy from when you write the invoice.

If you are still at the pricing stage, the quote template and the estimate template come first. The work order picks up once the customer says yes.

Free work order template: fill, print or download

The template below runs in your browser. Pick a trade preset, replace the sample details with the approved job, then download the PDF or print it for handwritten signatures. Your entries stay in the browser tab and are not saved, so download before you close it.

It covers the fields a small crew actually uses: business and customer details, job address, document reference and date, access notes, two checkable task rows plus a notes field for longer task lists, parts used, arrival and departure times, hours on site, technician and customer sign-off, and follow-up work and exceptions. Optional line items, tax and deposit fields are there if you want the sheet to double as a job summary.

What to include in a work order

Every field below exists to stop one specific phone call. If a field never prevents a call or a dispute in your business, drop it.

Keep sensitive details off a sheet that rides around in a truck. Share a lockbox or gate code through a channel you control, not printed on paper that a helper might leave on the dash.

How to write a work order

The short version: copy the approved scope, add what the tech needs to get in and get it done, then leave room for what really happened.

Work order example: a 50-gallon water heater swap

Here is a filled example for a common residential job. The names, times and parts are illustrative, not a benchmark for how long the job should take.

Notice what the exceptions line does. The water heater is done and working, but a second, smaller job is now open. Without that line the valve becomes "you never told me" on the next call. With it, the valve is a quote you can send the same afternoon with the estimate template or price from your handyman price list.

The hours line is your feedback loop. If you quoted two hours and the sheets keep coming back at 2.75, your labor number is off, not your crew. Run the real hours through the labor cost calculator before you quote the next one.

One-person crew or small team: what changes

The template is the same. What you fill in differs with who carries the sheet.

Recurring work makes the checklist do more of the job. A cleaning crew that runs the same 2,000 sq ft house every two weeks can reuse one task list per home, and the house cleaning price calculator shows how that visit is priced in the first place.

Mistakes that make a work order useless

• Ticking everything at the end of the day. A box ticked from memory at 6 pm is a guess. Tick it on site or leave it blank.
• No exclusions. If the sheet does not say "paint not included", the customer will assume it is.
• Writing "done" in the notes. Write what was done and what was not. "Done" hides the seized valve.
• Copying the whole quote, prices included, for a helper. The helper needs tasks and parts, not your margin.
• Throwing it away after the invoice. It is your record of what was agreed and done if a customer disputes the job later.

Sign-off and how long to keep work orders

The sign-off fields on this template are plain text fields, not a verified electronic signature service. Print the sheet if you want a handwritten signature. Under the federal E-SIGN Act, a signature or record cannot be denied legal effect solely because it is electronic, but that does not make every typed name proof of agreement. If a job needs stronger evidence of acceptance, use a proper signing process.

Keep work orders with the quote, photos and invoice for the same job. The IRS says to keep business records that support your tax return for at least 3 years in most cases, and longer in some situations, such as 4 years for employment tax records. Rules for contracts and warranties vary by state, so check yours.

Paper, PDF or app

The free template does the whole job for one visit. Fill it, print it or save the PDF, and you have a clean record. That works well for a handful of jobs a week.

The wall shows up when the numbers grow. You type the approved scope into the quote, again into the work order, and a third time into the invoice at the kitchen table at night. Every retype is a chance to drop the exclusion or the extra part.

Driveway Desk keeps the customer, the quote from your own price book, the schedule and the invoice in one place on your phone, so the job you priced is the job you bill. You review it and tap send, and payments go into your own account. If you are weighing bigger platforms, the Jobber vs Housecall Pro comparison lays out what each plan includes for a small crew.

Price it once, then start your first quote from the driveway next time.

Write the work order before the truck leaves

Copy the approved scope, add access and exclusions, list the parts, then let the tech record what really happened, including what did not. That last line is what makes the sheet worth keeping.

Starting out? The cleaning business startup guide and the lawn care startup guide cover the paperwork you need in the first month.

Start your first quote with the scope and prices you have reviewed.