This work order template is built for trades jobs, not building maintenance. It holds the job and how to get in, the equipment, the time on site, the techs and hours, the parts used, a checklist for your trade, the cause and the fix, and two signatures. When the job is done, press Convert to invoice and the labor and parts carry over to our invoice generator.
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How to Fill Out a Work Order
- Write up the job. Customer, service address, what they asked for and the access window. Add entry instructions: gate code, pets, where to park, who will be home.
- Set the type and priority. Repair, install, maintenance, inspection or emergency, and how urgent it is. Add a PO or reference number if the client gave you one.
- Record the equipment. Make, model, serial number and where it is. This is what saves the next tech a trip to the attic with a flashlight.
- Fill in the visit. Arrival and departure times, who worked and for how long, the parts used, and the checklist ticked off as you go.
- Close it out. Write the cause you found and the work you performed, note any photos, and get the customer to sign next to the tech.
Choose HVAC, plumbing or electrical in the Trade menu and the checklist changes to match the work.
What a Work Order Includes
Job and Access Details
The work requested in plain words, the service address and how to get in. A work order with the gate code on it saves a phone call from the driveway.
Equipment Info
Make, model, serial and location. For HVAC add the tonnage and SEER2, for plumbing the fixture, for electrical the panel. Serial numbers matter for warranty claims with the manufacturer.
Time on Site
Arrival and departure times, plus hours per tech. Even if you bill a flat rate, the hours tell you whether the job was priced right.
Parts Used
What went into the job and how many. Prices stay hidden by default, so the customer sees the parts, not your cost. If you convert the work order to an invoice, the parts come across ready for pricing.
Signatures
The tech signs to say the work was done. The customer signs to say they saw it and the area was left clean. A signed work order settles most “nobody came” or “it was like that before” arguments.
Types of Work Orders
The template covers the five types trades businesses use most. Pick one in Work order details and it prints in the header.
- Repair: something is broken and the customer wants it working again.
- Install: new equipment or fixtures, often after an estimate was signed.
- Maintenance: scheduled service such as a seasonal tune-up or a filter change, often under a service plan.
- Inspection: a check without a repair, for a sale, an insurer or a permit.
- Emergency: a no-heat, a burst pipe or a dead panel. Usually high priority and often at an after-hours rate.
Work Order vs Invoice vs Estimate
Three documents, three moments in the job:
| Document | When | Who prepares it | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | Before the job | Owner or estimator | The price the client agrees to |
| Work order | During the job | Office, then the tech | What to do and what was done |
| Invoice | After the job | Office or owner | What the client owes and when |
Start with our estimate template to win the job, use the work order to run it, and finish with the free invoice generator to get paid. The Convert to invoice button links the last two.
Work Order Templates for HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical
Each trade preset swaps the checklist and the job fields:
- HVAC: filter replaced, static pressure and temperature split recorded, refrigerant charge checked, condensate drain flushed, thermostat tested. Fields for equipment, SEER2, refrigerant added and maintenance plan.
- Plumbing: no leaks at new connections, water pressure checked, shutoff valves tested, work area dried. Fields for the fixture and water pressure.
- Electrical: terminals torqued to spec, GFCI and AFCI tested, panel directory labeled, power restored and verified. Fields for panel amps, circuits and inspection.
Every checklist item can be edited, and you can add your own. The list stays saved on your device for the next job.
Work Order Form: Print or Digital?
Both work, and the template does both.
- Print if your techs prefer a clipboard. Fill in the job at the office, print at US Letter size, and the tech writes in the rest.
- PDF to fill in on a tablet or send to the customer after the visit.
- Word to adapt the layout or add your own terms.
- Excel to keep a log of jobs, hours and parts in one sheet.
Paper gets lost and is hard to search a year later. Once you dispatch more than a couple of techs, field service software keeps every work order, photo and signature on the job record and turns it into an invoice without retyping. ServiceM8 has a free plan for small job counts, which makes it an easy first step.
Questions people ask
What is a work order request?
A work order request is the client's ask for a job: what is wrong, where, and when you can get in. It becomes a work order once you accept it, assign a tech and set a time. In this template, the request goes in the Work requested and Description fields, and the access window and entry instructions sit right below.
Who prepares a work order?
In a small trades business, usually the owner or the office: whoever takes the call writes up the job and assigns it. The tech then completes it on site with the time, parts, checklist and findings, and the customer signs it at the end. In a one-person business you do all three.
What is an example of a work order?
A homeowner calls with no heat upstairs. The work order lists the customer and address, the gate code, a 'no heat' repair at normal priority, the furnace make, model and serial, the tech's arrival and departure times, the igniter replaced as a part used, the HVAC checklist ticked, the cause found and the fix, and both signatures. Pick HVAC in the Trade menu to see it laid out.
What is another name for a work order?
You will also hear job ticket, service ticket, job sheet, service order, job card or work ticket. They mean the same thing: the document that tells a tech what to do on a job and records what was done.
What is not included on a work order?
Usually the prices. A work order is an instruction and a record of the job, so most leave out rates and totals, and the bill goes on a separate invoice. Payment terms, late fees and tax are also invoice items. If you do want prices on the work order, turn on Show prices above the form.
Is there a free printable work order form?
Yes, this one. Fill in what you know at the office, press Print, and the tech completes the rest on paper. Or download the PDF to fill in on a tablet. Untouched lines simply do not print, so the page stays clean.