By Jeff Burt, founder of Invoice Goat. Published October 16, 2026.
Our take: write the job down once, on site. Fill this in on your phone before you start, and whoever's doing the work has the tasks, the gate code and the parts on one page. When the job's done, the same lines become the invoice. That's how the paperwork stops piling up at night.
What to Put on a Work Order
- A work order number and the date, so you can find it later.
- Who's doing the job and when it's scheduled.
- The customer's name, the job address and a phone number.
- Site notes: the gate code, the dog, where the panel or the shutoff is.
- The work to do, one task a line, with a box to check off on site.
- Parts and labor with their prices, so the work order already shows what the job will cost.
- The customer's OK before you start, and their signature when the work is done.
Quote, Work Order, Invoice: What Each One Does
A quote is the price your customer agrees to before you start. A work order is the job itself: the instructions for whoever's on site, and the record of what got used. An invoice is the bill.
On a quoted job, the signed quote is the customer's OK, and the work order tells your crew what to do. On a service call with no quote, like the one in the example, the OK-to-start line on the work order is the only thing your customer signs before you open the panel.
How the Example Adds Up
The example is a kitchen service call for Reyes Electric: replace a breaker that keeps tripping and put GFCI outlets at three counter spots. Each line is the quantity times the price, so 2.5 hours of labor at $95 comes to $237.50. Add the $89 service call and $105 of parts, and the subtotal is $431.50.
Sales tax only goes on lines with Tax checked, at one rate for the whole work order. Here the parts are taxed and the labor and service call aren't. Your state may tax labor too: in Washington, the taxable amount on construction includes labor. The contractor invoice template goes through the tax rules in more detail.
It's an estimated total because it isn't the bill yet. If the job grows on site, add the line before your customer signs off, not after.
Turn the Work Order Into an Invoice
Invoice Goat doesn't do work orders. It does the next part. When the job's done, tap the button above, Invoice This Job in Invoice Goat, and a new invoice opens with your business, the customer, every line and the tax rate already filled in.
Add anything that changed, attach before and after photos, and send the invoice as a link your customer can pay by card from their phone. As of September 2026, 31% of invoices sent through Invoice Goat were paid within 24 hours.
Pricing a job before you start? Use the free quote and estimate maker and get it signed first. For the whole process, from the signed quote to a late payment, read how to invoice as a contractor.
Questions
Is this work order template free?
Yes. Make as many work orders as you like. The PDF is made in your browser and we don't keep a copy.
Can I get it as a Word or Excel file?
No, only a PDF. The form doesn't save what you type, so download the PDF before you close the page. To change a work order later, fill the form in again.
Can my customer sign it on their phone?
No. The PDF has lines to print and sign on paper. In Invoice Goat, customers sign quotes on their own phone.