Work order template, free and as a PDF

A work order example, part by part

This is the document the tool above generates. Tap any of the four parts to see where it goes on the page.

There's no required format, but these four parts are what separate a work order from a sheet of paper with a to-do list.

This is the PDF you download.

An A4 page with your details and the customer's, the vehicle or equipment, who's responsible, the labor and parts, and the total if you added prices. It opens on any phone and prints without adjusting anything.

What a work order is

It's the document you use to get a job done: what needs doing, on which equipment or vehicle, who's responsible for it and by when. It works in two directions at once, and that's where its value lies: internally it's the instruction that stops two people from each assuming the other has the task, and externally it's the record of what was agreed, which the customer signs on delivery.

Don't confuse it with a purchase order. A purchase order goes to a supplier and is for buying something; a work order goes to whoever does the job and is for getting something done. They often live side by side on the same job: one buys the materials and the other sends the crew to install them.

When the work is billed, the order also carries the amounts, so labor and parts end up on the same page the customer signs when they pick up.

Work orders for auto repair shops

It's the most common use of this document, and the most demanding. In a shop the order starts when the vehicle comes in: make, model, license plate and mileage are written down, and that alone identifies the job without anyone having to ask whose white van it was. The tool above asks for those details in the equipment block, so the document goes out with the vehicle written on it and not in the mechanic's memory.

The difference from a to-do list shows up at billing time: labor and parts go line by line on the same order, with their quantities, and the total is worked out right there. The customer sees why they're paying what they pay, which is half the arguments at pickup. If you'd rather estimate before starting work, the quote comes first and the order after, with what the customer approved.

At close-out come the due date, the parts warranty and the sign-off line. That last line is what turns the order into a record: once signed, there aren't two versions of what was authorized and what was done.

Quote, purchase order and work order

They're three documents from the same deal, at three different moments. The quote proposes, the purchase order confirms what's being bought and the work order gets it done. Each one has its own free tool here.

• QuoteThe proposal you send the customer, with prices and terms, before they decide.
• Purchase orderThe firm order you place with your supplier, with delivery and payment terms.

Need more than a PDF?

In cotizaciónweb the work order isn't a standalone module: it comes from the quote your customer accepted and sits alongside the purchase order for the materials. All three documents speak the same language.

• It starts from the accepted quote

  The work order isn't written from scratch: it comes from the document your customer already approved, with the same items and no retyping.

• Where every job stands, without asking

  The status of every order in real time, so you know what's pending and what's been delivered without calling the shop.

• Your data, protected

  Security and privacy best practices on every document and every customer.

FAQ