--- title: "Create a change order" slug: "create-a-change-order" updated: 2026-10-26T17:09:39Z published: 2026-10-26T17:09:39Z canonical: "help.servicetitan.com/create-a-change-order" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.servicetitan.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Create a change order ## Overview Create a change order if you need to make modifications to your project and contract. The change order can adjust the contract value and forecasted expenses for the project. To create a change order, add a new estimate on the project to capture the changes. Use a change order project label and category so the updates are reflected accurately in the project. --- ### #### Who uses this feature - Accountants and office employees - Account configuration is required. Please contact [Technical Support](https://go.servicetitan.com/#/ask) for details. - Permission is required to use this feature. Please contact the account administrator on your team. - Primarily for Residential Construction, Commercial Service and Replacement, and Commercial Construction business types. ## Things to know - Change orders apply at the project level. - Projects can have multiple change orders. - An original Sold estimate is required to create a change order. ## Use case The original contract value on your project is $100,000. During the project, there are changes that were not foreseen which increases the cost of completing the project by $15,000. To account for this increase in cost, you can create a change order in the amount of $16,500 to recover the increase in cost with a 10% margin. ## Best practices - Don't update the original sold estimate for the project. Instead, create a change order. - Change orders allow you to retain the information in the original sold estimate and to identify and track changes to the original sold estimate. ## Create a change order When project scope changes, you can create change orders to reflect this: > [!NOTE] > **Note:** Before you create a change order, make sure you have a change order project label. This allows you to track change orders in the Budget vs Actuals reporting. For more on project labels, see [Create project labels](/construction/docs/create-project-labels). 1. [Open the project](/construction/docs/use-search-in-servicetitan) you want to set up a change order for. 2. Click the **Actions** dropdown and select **Build Estimate**.![A cursor clicking Build Estimate from the dropdown list.](https://cdn.document360.io/961862ab-d0f2-4d91-bb62-a62ee8184eff/Images/Documentation/create-a-change-order-image-c02nkak1.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-31T00%3A41%3A43Z&se=2026-10-31T01%3A41%3A43Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=xc3ltEB43skJfeivTNDdxuOV0yhEekZ06tUlUYrY%2FX4%3D)The *Build Estimate* window opens. 3. Click the **Create New Opportunity** tab. 4. Click the **Business Unit** dropdown and select the business unit (BU) for which you want to create an estimate. 5. When you're finished, click **+ Build Estimate**. > [!NOTE] > **Note:** You can also select a template and click **Done** to create an estimate from an existing template. ![Image showing Build Estimates screen.](https://cdn.document360.io/961862ab-d0f2-4d91-bb62-a62ee8184eff/Images/Documentation/create-a-change-order-image-dkl96ec5.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-31T00%3A41%3A43Z&se=2026-10-31T01%3A41%3A43Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=xc3ltEB43skJfeivTNDdxuOV0yhEekZ06tUlUYrY%2FX4%3D)*Create Estimate* opens. 6. [Build the new estimate](/construction/docs/add-an-estimate-to-an-opportunity). 7. If you're adding the change order to an Application for Payment, follow these best practices: 1. Add a project label to all the items in the change order. For more on project labels, see [Create project labels](/construction/docs/create-project-labels). 2. When initiating an Application for Payment, your change order is grouped as one scheduled value named after the *Name* of the estimate. 1. This is different from the logic of how the other scheduled values are updated based on project labels assigned. 2. When an invoice is generated for the change order, service items are added using the same logic as the initial estimate. 3. Actual Billing is reported on the Budget vs Actual table based on project labels assigned using the same logic as service items from the initial estimate. 3. When the change order estimate status is updated to *sold*, turn the **Change Order** toggle on on the *Estimate* screen.![A cursor turning the Change Order toggle on on the Estimate screen.](https://cdn.document360.io/961862ab-d0f2-4d91-bb62-a62ee8184eff/Images/Documentation/create-a-change-order-image-1usurzha.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-31T00%3A41%3A43Z&se=2026-10-31T01%3A41%3A43Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=xc3ltEB43skJfeivTNDdxuOV0yhEekZ06tUlUYrY%2FX4%3D)This ensures that the change order is accounted for in the *Application for Payment* summary. You can find change order details in the *Net change by Change Orders* and *Change Order Summary* sections.![Image showing the the Net change by Change Orders and Change Order Summary sections.](https://cdn.document360.io/961862ab-d0f2-4d91-bb62-a62ee8184eff/Images/Documentation/create-a-change-order-image-y4u7hglp.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-31T00%3A41%3A43Z&se=2026-10-31T01%3A41%3A43Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=xc3ltEB43skJfeivTNDdxuOV0yhEekZ06tUlUYrY%2FX4%3D) ## Want to learn more? - Visit the Academy and enroll in [Progress Billing with Application for Payment](https://servicetitan.docebosaas.com/academy/learn/courses/304/Progress-Billing-with-Application-for-Payment) - See [Complete Application for Payment and Continuation Sheet](/construction/docs/complete-application-for-payment-and-continuation-sheet) - See [Add an estimate to an opportunity](/construction/docs/add-an-estimate-to-an-opportunity) A sales tech sells an estimate. -or- A service, maintenance, or install tech sells an estimate. -or- A CSR sells an estimate over the phone. Let's say the estimate total is below the sold threshold (the customer wants to schedule the work, but hasn't fully decided). [Learn more โ†’](https://help.servicetitan.com/docs/understanding-estimates-vocab) ยท [See the full glossary โ†’](https://help.servicetitan.com/docs/glossary-overview) Invoicing customers in stages as specific milestones of a large project are completed rather than in one lump sum at the end. **What it does:** Improves cash flow on large or multi-day roofing and commercial jobs by collecting partial payments throughout the project. **Also called:** Milestone billing, Staged invoicing **Tags:** Roofing / Exteriors [See the full glossary โ†’](https://help.servicetitan.com/docs/glossary-overview)