General maintenance work order template

A work order says what job is to be done, where, by whom and at what cost. Below is one for a routine service with an extra repair, then four plain questions.

Worked example: a quarterly air-conditioning service

These are example amounts, not market rates. The "$" stands for your own currency, and tax is left out. The site, unit and number are made up.

Work order WO-0147. Requested by the office manager. Site: Unit 4, 12 Example Street. Asset: rooftop air-conditioning unit RTU-1. Scheduled: Monday, 9:00 am.

Tasks: replace the filters, clean the coil, check the refrigerant pressure, test the thermostat.

• Labour: 2.5 hours × $95.00 = $237.50.
• Filters: $42.00.
• Coil cleaner and sundries: $18.50.
• Planned total: $237.50 + $42.00 + $18.50 = $298.00.

On the visit, the technician finds a failed fan contactor. The office manager agrees to the repair, and the technician writes the approval on the work order.

• Extra part, fan contactor: $64.00.
• Extra labour: 1 hour × $95.00 = $95.00.
• Extra repair: $64.00 + $95.00 = $159.00.

Final total: $298.00 + $159.00 = $457.00. Check it another way. Labour is 3.5 hours × $95.00 = $332.50. Parts are $42.00 + $18.50 + $64.00 = $124.50. Then $332.50 + $124.50 = $457.00. Add tax as your country requires, and the same figures carry onto the invoice.

Make your own work order

Make a work order with your own site, asset, tasks and rates. After the job, send the client an invoice or estimate from the same details.

Four plain questions

What is the difference between a work order and an invoice?

A work order is the instruction for the job. An invoice asks for payment once the job is done. That is how most businesses use them, and it is practice, not a rule.

On tax, the ATO says "If a customer asks for a tax invoice, you must provide one within 28 days." The tax office pages we read for Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Canada and Singapore on 8 October 2026 do not mention work orders. That is a finding from silent pages, not a rule.

New York law says "the tax shall be stated, charged and shown separately on the first of such documents given to him." That may reach a work order that shows prices. Check your local tax office.

Who should sign a work order, and when?

This is practice. The person who asks for the work, or who can approve it, signs before the work starts. The technician signs when it is done. Add a second signature for any extra repair, as in the example.

How do I record an extra repair found on the day?

Add it as its own lines on the same work order. Give the part, the labour and the new total, and note who approved it and how. In the example, the $159.00 repair sits under the planned $298.00.

Should one work order cover several visits?

For a recurring job, many businesses open one work order for each visit and link them by the unit or asset number. Then each visit has its own tasks, sign-off and total. This is practice.

Checked 8 October 2026 against the Australian Taxation Office page on tax invoices and New York Tax Law section 1132, both linked below.

Sources

• ATO: Tax invoices, read 8 October 2026
• NY Senate: Tax Law s1132, read 8 October 2026
• IRD (NZ): How taxable supply information works, read 8 October 2026
• GOV.UK: VAT Notice 700/21, read 8 October 2026
• Revenue (IE): What is a VAT invoice, read 8 October 2026
• CRA (CA): RC4022, read 8 October 2026
• IRAS (SG): Record Keeping Guide, read 8 October 2026

About this page: written by Papertern from the official sources linked on this page, and checked against them. Rules checked 8 October 2026.

Work order labels by country

The work order maker uses the same tax name and business ID field as each country's invoice maker.

Other work order presets

• Auto repair work order template