Work Order Format

What is a Work Order?

A work order is a written instruction from a business to a contractor or vendor to carry out specific work — a repair, an installation, a fit-out or a maintenance job — at a named site, between set dates, at agreed rates and on stated terms, with a line for the contractor to sign. It fixes what was agreed before work starts. Without one, the scope stretches, extra charges appear on the bill, the finish date slips, and there is nothing in writing to check the invoice against. Fill in the form on this page and adapt the examples below.

Businesses, factories, hospitals, schools, housing societies and property managers issue work orders when they hire someone to do a job rather than to supply goods: electrical rewiring, painting, plumbing, civil repairs, air-conditioning maintenance, cleaning or the installation of equipment. The work order usually follows the contractor’s quotation and your internal approval, and the contractor signs a copy to accept it. The accounts team later matches the contractor’s bill against it before paying. In the US the same document may be called a service order or job order, and maintenance teams also use work orders internally to assign jobs to their own staff.

Practice differs by country, sector and the size of the job. In India, whether the contractor charges GST, and at what rate, depends on the kind of work and the contractor’s registration, and the payer may have to deduct tax at source on contractor payments under income-tax law, so check both with your accountant. Government departments and public sector bodies issue work orders under their own procurement and tender rules. In the US, sales tax on labour and materials and contractor licensing are set by each state, and you may need a Form W-9 from the contractor for tax reporting; check with your state’s tax and licensing agencies or your accountant.

A work order is not a purchase order, which buys goods at a price for delivery, and it is not the contractor’s quotation or invoice, which come before and after it. For a simple job, an accepted work order may be all the paperwork you need; for large or risky works, such as construction, use a full contract that covers insurance, defects, delays, retention and disputes, and take advice. A work order does not replace permits, safety rules or licences, and any change to it should be agreed in writing — in the US, often as a change order.

What to put in a Work Order

These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.

How to write a work order

1. Number, date and address the order

   Put your business name and address at the top, then give the work order a number from your own series, such as WO-2026-041, and the date you issue it. The number lets everyone refer to the job and lets your accounts team match the contractor’s invoice to it. Under ‘Issued to’, give the contractor’s or vendor’s registered name and address, and in India their GSTIN if they are registered.

2. Pin down the site and the dates

   Give the exact work location — building, floor, area and address — so the contractor’s team goes to the right place, and name a site contact in the terms if access needs arranging. Set the start date and the date by which the work must be completed. Make the completion date realistic for the scope, and agree beforehand what happens if it slips, such as a deduction or the right to bring in someone else.

3. Describe the scope point by point

   List the work one point per line, in terms someone can check on completion: ‘replace the distribution board and label every circuit’ rather than ‘electrical work as required’. Refer to drawings, specifications or the quotation if there are any, and attach them. Say who supplies the materials, what standard the work must meet and what is excluded. Finish with testing and handover, so the job has a clear end.

4. List items, quantities and rates

   Enter each item on its own line as item, quantity and rate; the form multiplies them, adds a subtotal and, if you enter a tax rate, the tax and the total. A lump-sum job can be a single line with a quantity of 1. Use the GST rate that applies to the work in India, or your state’s sales tax rate in the US if the work is taxable, and leave the rate blank if no tax applies.

5. Add the terms and get it accepted

   Use the terms for what matters on this job: the payment schedule, working hours, safety and site rules, clearing debris, a warranty on the work, and proof of insurance if you need it. Have an authorised signatory sign for your business with their name and designation. Then ask the contractor to sign the acceptance line with their name and the date, and keep a signed copy each. Record any later change in writing, signed by both.

Work order examples

Two sample work orders, one from India with GST and one from the US with no tax line. Replace the parties, scope, rates and terms with your own, and check the tax that applies to your job.

Common mistakes

• Describing the scope as ‘electrical work as required’ instead of listing each task, which leaves room for extra charges and arguments about whether the job is finished.
• Leaving out a completion date, so the job drags on and there is no agreed date to hold the contractor to.
• Letting work start without the contractor’s signed acceptance, so you cannot show they agreed to the rates, dates and terms when the invoice arrives.
• Agreeing extra work or changes by phone, so the final bill does not match the work order and nobody can prove what was approved.
• Adding a tax rate without checking which rate applies to the work, or whether the contractor is registered to charge it, so the invoice and the work order do not match.

Frequently asked questions

This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.

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