Send your crew or maintenance team clear job instructions: the location, each task, materials, who is assigned, the priority and the completion date, with a line for sign-off. Fill it in online and download PDF, Word or Excel. Free, no sign-up.
CustomerElm Court Apartments4400 Elm Ct, Austin, TX 78745(512) 555-0120
Job site4400 Elm Ct, Unit 12, Austin, TX 78745Job ref: Tenant request #881
DatesIssued: Oct 5, 2026Complete by: Oct 7, 2026
Labor
TaskHoursRateAmount
Diagnose leak under kitchen sink0.575.0037.50
Replace P-trap and supply lines175.0075.00
Replace water-damaged cabinet floor1.575.00112.50
Materials
ItemQtyUnitAmount
P-trap kit and braided supply lines1 lot38.0038.00
3/4 in plywood, cut to fit1 sheet52.0052.00
Notes & termsAssigned to: Carlos Mendez
Priority: High
Tenant home after 9 am. Call 15 minutes before arrival. Photo the cabinet before and after.Work will be carried out as described above. Any change to the scope must be approved before the extra work starts.
Labor$225.00
Materials$90.00
Work order total$315.00
Customer signature: ____________________
Sample maintenance work order. Yours will show your business and job.
What is a work order?
A work order is a written instruction to carry out a specific job. It says what needs doing and where, which tasks and materials are involved, who is assigned, how urgent it is, when it must be finished and roughly what it will cost. Contractors use work orders to hand jobs to their crews and to get the customer's go-ahead before work starts; property managers and maintenance teams use them to log and track repair requests. Once the job is done, the work order becomes the record of what was carried out, and many businesses turn it straight into the invoice.
The customer or requester, and the job location (address, unit or equipment)
The request or ticket number, if there is one
Each task with estimated hours, and the parts and materials needed
Who the job is assigned to, and its priority
The date it must be completed by
Estimated cost, special instructions and an authorization signature
How to create a work order
Open the estimate maker and tick Work order. The title changes to "Work order", the second date becomes Complete by, and fields appear for who is assigned and the priority.
Number it. Use a work order series such as WO-2210, so each job is easy to find in your records.
Add the customer and the job location. Who asked for the work and exactly where it is: address, unit, room or equipment.
Describe the tasks. One line per task with estimated hours, then the parts and materials needed. Add the customer's request or ticket number as the job reference.
Assign it and set the priority. Name the technician or crew and choose Low, Normal, High or Urgent. Set the date it must be done by.
Get it authorized and send it. Have the customer or manager sign off, then send the PDF to the crew. When the job is done, convert it to an invoice in one click.
Work order example
The sample above is a maintenance work order for a leaking sink: assigned to Carlos Mendez, priority High, to be completed by Oct 7, 2026.
Task or material
Qty × rate
Estimate
Diagnose leak under kitchen sink
0.5 hrs × $75.00
$37.50
Replace P-trap and supply lines
1 hrs × $75.00
$75.00
Replace water-damaged cabinet floor
1.5 hrs × $75.00
$112.50
P-trap kit and braided supply lines
1 lot × $38.00
$38.00
3/4 in plywood, cut to fit
1 sheet × $52.00
$52.00
Work order total
$315.00
Maintenance work orders
For property and facilities maintenance, raise one work order per request. Put the tenant or staff ticket number in the job reference, the unit or equipment in the job site, and set the priority so urgent jobs (no heat, active leaks, safety issues) go first. Keep the signed work order with the unit's records: it shows what was fixed, when and by whom.
A work order is a document that describes a job to be done: what the work is, where, who will do it, by when, and the labor and materials expected. It authorizes the work and tells the crew or technician exactly what to do.
What should a work order include?+
A work order number, the date, the customer or requester, the job location, a description of each task, the materials needed, who it is assigned to, the priority, the completion date, estimated costs and an authorization signature.
What is the difference between a work order and an invoice?+
A work order is written before the job, to authorize and plan it. An invoice is sent after the job, to ask for payment. Many contractors turn the finished work order into the invoice, which you can do here in one click.
What is the difference between a work order and a purchase order?+
A work order is about labor and a job to be done. A purchase order is a buyer's order for goods or services from a supplier, setting out what they will buy and at what price.
What is a maintenance work order?+
A work order for a repair or upkeep job, usually raised from a tenant or staff request, such as a leak, a broken appliance or scheduled servicing. It records the problem, the location, who is assigned and the priority.
Can I download a blank work order?+
Yes. Open the work order maker, clear the sample lines or leave them empty, and download the Word or Excel version to print or reuse as a blank work order form.
Ready to send a work order?
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