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How to price a change order
A change-order price should be boring and visible: hours, rate, materials, and any rush fee, added up in a way the client can check.
Underpricing a change trains the client to keep asking. Overpricing without showing your work invites a “that seems high” reply you then have to defend. Show the math.
Labor
Estimate real hours, not hopeful ones. Include a short revision pass if the extra deliverable will go back and forth. Multiply by the same hourly rate you used in the original proposal, unless you and the client already agreed a different change-order rate.
ChangeOrder’s default estimate is hours × rate, or hours × rate × 1.5 when you mark the work as rush. The default hours value in the form is 4 — replace it with your own estimate. The total is rounded to the nearest cent.
Materials and markup
List materials separately: stock photography, a plug-in license, hardware, travel. If you apply a markup (many contractors use around 10%), say so on the line rather than burying it in labor. A pricing sheet with a materials column keeps this honest and repeatable.
Rush
Rush is for a compressed calendar, not for work you simply dislike. If you have to reorder other jobs or work a weekend, the surcharge should be visible on the change order. If the original deadline does not move, you may not need it.
A small example
4 hours × $95/hr = $380 in labor. Materials of $40 with a 10% markup add $44. The change-order total is $424. If the client also needs it on a rush timeline, apply the surcharge to labor (and say that you did).
Try the labor and rush math in ChangeOrder, then copy the draft reply and edit the hours if needed. For a reusable Pricing Sheet with hours × rate, materials, markup, and a grand total, plus a form and a log, see the $9 Contractor Change Order Template Pack (PDF + Excel). These are practical tools, not legal advice.
Try the free tool — paste your signed scope and the new request. Free tier: 3 change orders a month. Drafts are suggestions, not legal advice.
Open ChangeOrder $9 template pack (PDF + Excel)