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FREE FREELANCE CHANGE ORDER TEMPLATE
From SoloStack — solostack.madethis.app
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A Change Order is a mini Scope of Work for any work requested
beyond the original agreement. Never do extra work without one.
Fill in all [BRACKETS] and get Client signature before starting.

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CHANGE ORDER #[NUMBER]
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Date: [MM/DD/YYYY]
Change Order #: CO-[YEAR]-[NUMBER] (e.g., CO-2026-001)
Project: [Original Project Name]

Prepared by: [Your Name / Business Name]
Prepared for: [Client Name]

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ORIGINAL SOW REFERENCE
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This Change Order supplements the Scope of Work dated
[ORIGINAL SOW DATE] and Contract dated [CONTRACT DATE] between
[Your Business Name] ("Freelancer") and [Client Name] ("Client")
for the project titled: [Original Project Name].

The original scope covered: [Brief 1–2 sentence description of
what the original SOW included, e.g., "design and development of
a 5-page WordPress restaurant website"].

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DESCRIPTION OF NEW WORK
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Client has requested the following addition(s) to the original
scope, which are not covered under the original agreement:

[Describe the new work in specific detail — be as precise as
the original Deliverables section. Examples below:]

Option A (single addition):
"Design and development of an online reservation system using
OpenTable integration on the Contact page, including: embed
of the OpenTable widget, styling to match the existing site
design, and testing across desktop and mobile."

Option B (multiple additions):
1. [Addition 1 — specific description]
2. [Addition 2 — specific description]
3. [Addition 3 — specific description]

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ADDITIONAL COST
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Cost for new work described above: $[AMOUNT]

Breakdown (if applicable):
• [Addition 1]: $[AMOUNT]
• [Addition 2]: $[AMOUNT]
• [Addition 3]: $[AMOUNT]

Total additional cost: $[TOTAL]

Payment Terms:
[ ] 50% upon signing this Change Order ($[AMOUNT])
    50% upon delivery ($[AMOUNT])

[ ] Full payment upon signing this Change Order ($[AMOUNT])

[ ] Added to final invoice — due upon project completion

Payment Method: [Same as original contract / specify if different]

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TIMELINE IMPACT
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Impact on Original Timeline:
[ ] No impact — this work can be completed within the current
    timeline without affecting the original delivery date.

[ ] Original final delivery date of [DATE] will be extended by
    [NUMBER] business days to [NEW DATE].

[ ] A revised timeline will be provided upon signing, pending
    workload assessment.

Reason for timeline change: [Explain if applicable — e.g.,
"OpenTable integration requires 3 additional development days
and QA testing."]

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REVISION POLICY FOR NEW WORK
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[N] rounds of revisions are included for the new work described
in this Change Order. Revision terms follow the same policy as
the original Scope of Work.

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ASSUMPTIONS
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This Change Order assumes:
• [Any client-provided assets or information needed for new work]
• [Any access requirements — e.g., "Client will provide OpenTable
  account credentials before integration begins"]

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APPROVAL & SIGN-OFF
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This Change Order is an amendment to the original Scope of Work
and Contract referenced above. All other terms of the original
agreement remain in effect.

Work on the items described in this Change Order will NOT begin
until this document is signed by both parties and the applicable
payment (if required before start) has been received.

Freelancer:
Name: _________________________________
Signature: _____________________________
Date: _____________

Client:
Name: _________________________________
Title: _________________________________
Signature: _____________________________
Date: _____________

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TIPS FOR USING THIS CHANGE ORDER
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1. Issue a Change Order for EVERY out-of-scope request, even
   small ones. The habit protects you more than any single CO.

2. Send it promptly. Don't start work "while the client thinks
   about it." Get the signature first, always.

3. "Can you just quickly..." is the most expensive sentence
   a client says. Always respond: "Sure — let me get you a
   quick Change Order for that."

4. Keep a numbered log of all Change Orders per project.
   CO-2026-001, CO-2026-002, etc. Easy to reference later.

5. Email is sufficient for approval if you phrase it right:
   "Reply to this email with 'Approved' to confirm you'd like
   to proceed." A written "Approved" in email is binding.

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Download more free freelance templates at:
solostack.madethis.app/resources
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