Free work order and job sheet maker

How to make a work order in five steps

1. Fill in who, where and when. Add your business details, the customer's name and phone, the job site address, a short job title, the crew, the issue date and the scheduled date. Leave out anything you do not need.
2. Describe the job and pick a trade. Write what needs doing in plain words, then choose a trade to load a checklist of typical steps. Switch off steps that do not apply and add your own tasks.
3. Add materials and labour. Add a line for each material or block of labour with a description, quantity and unit. Prices are optional and only print if you tick Show prices on the printed sheet.
4. Choose print language and paper. Pick English, Spanish or side by side, and US Letter or A4. Labels and checklist steps print in the language you chose. What you typed prints exactly as typed.
5. Download the PDF. Press Download PDF, print it and hand it to the crew. The sign-off lines at the bottom are ready for whoever finished the job and the customer.

What a work order is, and what it is not

A work order is the sheet that tells a crew what to do, where and when. It is written for the people holding the tools: the address, the tasks in order, the material going to site, and room for a signature when the work is done.

It sits between two papers people often mix up with it. An estimate says what a job will cost before anyone agrees to it. An invoice asks for payment after the work. A work order is the instruction that turns an accepted job into a day of work, and it is what you check when someone later asks what was supposed to happen at that address.

This page makes a plain blank-form work order. It adds no terms or wording about responsibility, payment or warranty. If a job needs written terms, get them from someone qualified, attach them yourself and check your local rules.

What to write in each field

No field is required, but a sheet that is half empty is not much help on site. Here is what each group is for.

Writing a job description a crew can follow

A technician who missed the first visit only has this page, so write the description for them.

• Say what is being done and where in the building. Replace the kitchen faucet and the shut-off valves under the sink is better than Fix kitchen plumbing.
• Name the finish line. Strip, prime and paint two coats on the north living room wall tells the painter when the job is done.
• Put measurements, model numbers and colour codes in the text instead of in your head, and say if a part has to be ordered.
• Say what is not included when someone could assume it is. Gutters not included avoids an argument at the door.

Using the trade checklist

Choose roofing, plumbing, HVAC, landscaping, painting or cleaning and the page loads about eight to ten typical steps for that trade, in English and Spanish. The roofing list, for example, follows a real day: protect the property, remove old material, check the deck, install, clean up.

Every step has a switch. Turn off the ones that do not apply and they stay off the printed sheet. If a step is missing, add a custom task. A custom task prints as you typed it, in one language, so write it in the language your crew reads most easily, or put both in the same line.

On paper, each step has a box the technician ticks as the day goes on. A half-ticked sheet shows at a glance where the job stands if someone else has to take over.

Materials and labour lines

Add one line per material or piece of labour: a description, a quantity, a unit and an optional price.

Prices are for you. They only print if you tick Show prices on the printed sheet. Leave it off for the crew's copy, and tick it when the sheet doubles as a record for the office or the customer.

Printing in English, Spanish or both, and the blank form

Many crews work in two languages. Choose English, Spanish or side by side. With side by side, every label and every preset checklist step prints in both languages, so the lead and the technician read the same page.

The page does not translate what you type. A description, a note, a custom task or a material name prints exactly as typed. If the crew reads Spanish and you write in English, repeat the important lines in the other language or explain them in person.

Blank form prints the same layout with empty boxes and ruled lines to fill in by hand. It keeps your business details and the trade checklist you chose and leaves the rest empty. Keep a few in the truck.

When the scope changes on site

Sooner or later the roof deck is rotten, the pipe behind the wall is the wrong size or the customer points at a second room.

• Write the change on the sheet when it happens, with the date and the name of the person who agreed to it.
• Take photos before and after and keep them with the job.
• Call the office before starting extra work, then add it as a custom task with a line for any extra material.
• Have the customer sign off on what was done, not only what was planned. The sign-off lines are for completed by, customer signature and date.
• If the change is large, make a new work order rather than crowding the first one.

A signature shows that someone saw the work. It does not replace a written agreement about price or terms, and this page does not provide one.

Numbers, copies, invoices and your data

Each sheet gets a number like WO-2026-0001: prefix, year and a running count. The counter is only kept in your browser if you tick Remember on this device. Without that, you can still type a number yourself.

By default nothing is saved except a draft held for this browser tab, which disappears when the tab closes. Remember on this device keeps the form and the counter on this device only. The Clear button deletes everything saved. There is no account and nothing is ever uploaded.

When a job is done, press Turn into invoice. The customer, address, lines and work order number go to the Forge Tools invoice generator in the same browser tab. The temporary copy is deleted the moment the invoice page picks it up, and you review and edit the invoice before using it. Digital Works Forge, a small studio in San Antonio, made both tools.

Save each PDF with the job, named with its work order number. How long to keep records depends on your trade and where you work, so check your local rules.

Frequently asked questions