Free Work Order Template and Generator

Write up a job for your technician or crew, get the customer's sign-off when it is done, and turn it into an invoice.

What a work order is

A work order is a written instruction to do a specific job: what needs to be done, where, by whom and by when. It travels with the technician or crew, and when the job is finished it records the labor and parts used and the customer’s sign-off.

Businesses that use work orders every day include:

• Field service: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, appliance repair, pest control.
• Repair shops: auto, small engine, electronics and equipment repair.
• Maintenance teams: facilities and grounds crews handling scheduled and on-call jobs.
• Property managers: sending a handyman or vendor to a unit after a tenant reports a problem.

Work order vs estimate vs invoice

These three documents follow the life of a job:

1. Estimate: before the job, it tells the customer the likely price. Make one with the estimate generator.
2. Work order: once the customer agrees, it tells your team what to do and records what was done.
3. Invoice: after the job, it asks the customer to pay. Make one with the invoice generator.

Not every job needs all three. A quick repair may go straight from a work order to an invoice. But keeping the work order separate gives you a record of who did the work and when, which helps with warranty questions and repeat visits.

How to create a work order

1. Enter your business details and upload your logo. Click “Save as template” to reuse them.
2. Add the customer: name, phone and email.
3. Check the WO number and date. Numbers fill in as WO-0001, WO-0002 and so on.
4. Set the scheduled date for the visit.
5. Fill in “Assigned to” with the technician or crew name.
6. Enter the job location if it differs from the customer’s address, for example a rental unit.
7. List the work: labor lines (hours × rate), parts (quantity × price) and any fees such as a trip charge.
8. Write work instructions in the notes: the problem reported, access details, gate codes, pets on site, safety notes.
9. Add tax and any discount if you show prices. The discount is applied before tax, and tax applies once to lines marked taxable.
10. Download the PDF or print it for the technician.

When the job is done, the customer signs and dates the “Work completed and accepted” line.

What to include on a work order

• Work order number and date.
• Customer name and contact details.
• Job location.
• Scheduled date and, if useful, a time window.
• Assigned technician or crew.
• Description of the problem or the requested work.
• Labor, parts and fees, with quantities and prices if you show them.
• Work instructions and notes.
• Sign-off: customer signature and date confirming the work was completed and accepted.

Worked example: rental unit repair

A property manager calls a maintenance company about a tenant with no hot water. The work order looks like this after the visit:

• Labor, diagnose and replace element: 2.5 hours × $85.00 = $212.50 (not taxable in this example)
• Water heater element: 1 × $38.00 = $38.00 (taxable)
• Water heater thermostat: 1 × $27.50 = $27.50 (taxable)
• Trip fee: 1 × $45.00 = $45.00 (not taxable in this example)
• Subtotal: $323.00
• Tax (example rate of 6% on the $65.50 of parts): $3.93
• Total: $326.93

The notes say “Unit 4B, tenant reports no hot water since Monday, call tenant 30 minutes before arrival.” The property manager signs off when the technician confirms hot water is back. Whether labor or parts are taxable depends on your state and locality, so check with your state revenue agency or a tax professional.

From work order to invoice

Once the work order is signed, create the invoice:

1. Open the invoice generator.
2. Copy the final labor, parts and fees from the signed work order.
3. Reference the work order number in the invoice notes, for example “Per WO-0012”.
4. Set the due date and payment terms, and send it.

Keep the signed work order with the invoice. If the customer later questions a charge, you have their signature on the completed work.

Tips

• Write the problem in the customer’s words and the fix in yours. It helps on repeat calls.
• Update the work order on site if the scope changes, and get the customer to agree before doing extra work.
• Photograph the signed copy if the original stays with the customer.
• Use the Compact design for short jobs that fit on one page.

The generator runs in your browser and nothing is sent to a server. Drafts and the WO counter are saved in local storage, so clearing browser data removes them. Save each PDF you issue. Choose Letter or A4 and one of three designs: Classic, Modern or Compact. For auto shops, the auto repair invoice template shows how to bill labor and parts after the job. For how your data is handled, see the privacy page.

Written by Legit50 Editorial Team· Updated Oct 19, 20260

Legit50 provides free document tools for general business use. They are not legal, tax or accounting advice, and you are responsible for the accuracy of the documents you create. Sales tax rules vary by state and locality. Learn more.