Change Orders

When the scope of a job changes after your client has already approved the estimate, send a change order instead of redoing the whole estimate. Your client approves just the change — the original estimate stays exactly as they agreed to it.

What a Change Order Is

A change order is a separate document that records what changed after an estimate was approved — extra work you were asked to add, or work that was dropped. It is its own document with its own total, and your client approves or refuses it on its own.

The Original Estimate Is Never Touched

Creating a change order does not modify or delete the estimate it came from. The estimate stays frozen at the pricing your client agreed to, and the change order is linked back to it.

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Only the Change

The change order starts empty and lists only the added or removed work, never the whole job again.

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Approved on Its Own

Your client accepts or declines the change order without re-approving the original estimate.

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Linked to the Estimate

Each change order is linked back to the estimate — or to the previous change order.

Subscription: Change orders are available on the Essential plan and up.

Step-by-Step

Open the Approved Estimate

Navigate to the estimate the change applies to. You can find it in your Estimates list or from the client's profile.
Open the More Menu

Click More at the top of the estimate and choose Create Change Order.
The Estimate Is Frozen

GetCost freezes the source estimate first, so the pricing your client agreed to cannot move underneath the change order.
Add Only What Changed

The change order opens empty, because it records only the difference. Add a line for each piece of work being added, and a line with a negative quantity for anything being removed. See Adding and Removing Work below.
Send It to Your Client

Send the change order the same way you send an estimate. Your client reviews and approves just this document.

Note: You can create a change order from an estimate, or from an existing change order when the scope changes more than once. Each one links back to the one before it.

Adding and Removing Work

A change order can go in both directions. Added work is entered as a normal line item. Work that is being removed is entered with a negative quantity, so it credits back against the job.

Negative Amounts Are Allowed Here Only

Change orders are the only document type where you can enter a negative quantity or price. On an ordinary estimate or invoice those fields still refuse negative values, so you cannot create a credit line by accident.

What Changed	How to Enter It
Client asked for extra work	Add the item with a normal positive quantity
Work was dropped from the scope	Add the item with a negative quantity
A material was swapped for a costlier one	One negative line for the old material, one positive line for the new one

Tip: A change order total can be negative. If the client removed more work than they added, the change order simply credits money back.

The change order total is the difference, not the new job total. A $10,000 job with a $500 change order shows $500 on the change order. When you invoice, the estimate and every accepted change order are added together.

Sending and Approval

A change order follows the same lifecycle as an estimate. It is sent, viewed, and then accepted or declined by your client — all independently of the original estimate.

Status	Meaning
Draft	You are still editing it. The client has not seen it.
Sent	It has been emailed or shared with the client.
Viewed	The client opened it.
Accepted	The client approved the change.
Declined	The client refused the change. The original estimate still stands.

Note: Because the change order is its own document, declining it has no effect on the estimate your client already approved.

Tips

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Keep It Short

A change order reads best when it contains only the lines that actually changed. Delete everything that is carrying over unchanged from the estimate.

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Describe the Reason

Use the description to explain why the scope changed. It saves questions later and gives you a written record.

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One per Change

Create a separate change order each time the scope moves, rather than editing an approved one. Each links back to the previous.

Tip: Get the change order approved before the extra work starts. An approved change order is your written record that the client agreed to the additional cost.