Template · Variations
Extra work authorisation form (sign it before smoko)
For the small extras — the extra power point, the second coat, the tap they added while you were under the sink. One page, thirty seconds, approved before the work starts. Because the extra you didn't get approved is the extra you don't get paid for.
Last updated 2026-07-11 · Reviewed by the TradieCue team
An extra work authorisation is a one-page, sign-before-you-start record for small extras: job and customer reference, date, what the extra work is, the agreed price and its GST treatment (or a date the price will be confirmed by), any effect on timing, and the customer's approval — a signature on the day, or a reply text you keep. The full form is below; copy it as is.
This is the lighter cousin of the building variation template. That one is the fuller contract-change document — was/now scope, cost breakdown, revised contract total, dual signatures. This one is for the on-the-spot moment: a small extra, agreed at the wall, authorised before you pick the tools back up.
The form
EXTRA WORK AUTHORISATION
Extra work requested
[Plain description of the extra work — what, where, and roughly how. E.g. "Supply and install one additional double power point on the kitchen island, fed from the existing circuit."]
Price
Agreed price: $[amount] [plus GST / inc. GST]
— or — Price to be confirmed by [DD/MM/YYYY]. The work described above is approved in scope; the price will be confirmed in writing before it is invoiced.
Effect on timing
This extra work [adds approximately [X] day(s) to the job / does not change the expected finish].
Customer approval
Customer name & signature: ______________________ Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]
— or — Approved by [Customer name] by reply text / email on [DD/MM/YYYY]. (Keep the reply — screenshot it and attach it to the job.)
Tradie
Name & signature: ______________________ Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]
What each field is doing
- Job / customer reference. Ties the extra to one job and one agreement. Without it, the customer can later argue the extra was "part of the quote" — the reference is what makes it visibly on top of the quote.
- Date. Proves the sequence: approved on the 14th, done on the 14th, invoiced on the 30th. Sequence is most of your protection.
- Description. Plain words, specific enough that a stranger could tell whether the work was done. "Extra electrical work" protects nobody; "one additional double power point on the kitchen island" does.
- Price and GST treatment. Say which side of GST the number sits on — "$240 plus GST" and "$240 inc. GST" are two different amounts, and the gap is exactly the kind of thing that sours an invoice conversation. No number yet? Use the "price to be confirmed by" line rather than skipping the form: the scope approval is locked in, and you've given yourself a written deadline to send the number.
- Effect on timing. Even "adds half a day" matters if you've told them a finish date. Writing "no change" is also worth the ink — it kills the later claim that the extras are why the job ran over.
- Approval, both flavours. A signature if they're standing next to you; a kept reply text if they're not. Either way, someone other than you has said yes in a form you can show.
Reply text or signature?
A reply text or email is fine when the extra is small, the customer is someone you're already working for, the work is a single clear item, and — this is the part people miss — your message states the price and the GST treatment, so their "yes" is a yes to a number, not just to an idea. Something like: "Confirming you'd like the extra double power point on the island, $240 plus GST — reply YES and I'll get it done today."
Get an actual signature when the money is bigger than you'd shrug off, when the extra shifts the finish date, when the job runs under a written contract with a variation clause (use the full variation template and follow the contract's process), or when anything about the customer or the conversation makes you want the stronger record. If it feels like it needs a signature, it does.
The classic mistake: doing the work first. Approval after the work is a request; approval before the work is a debt. The moment the extra is done, your negotiating position is gone — the customer has the power point, and you have a story. Thirty seconds of paperwork before you start is what keeps the price conversation short.
General information, not legal advice. Building and consumer rules differ by state, and written contracts often set their own requirements for how extras and variations must be documented and approved. This form is a solid paper trail for small extras on small jobs; for contract work, registered-builder domestic work or serious money, check your contract's variation clause and your state building authority.
The form nobody fills in on a ladder
The reason extras go unbilled isn't that tradies don't own a form — it's that the moment happens mid-job, hands full, and the paperwork is "for tonight". TradieCue closes that gap: say the extra out loud and Timmy drafts it as a variation on the right job while the agreement is still warm.
“Patel kitchen — while I'm here they want an extra double power point on the island, fed off the existing circuit. $240 plus GST, no change to the finish date.”
Variation — Patel kitchen: additional island power point
Sample note for illustration. Your draft stays fully editable, and it isn't sent to anyone until you share it.
You said $240, the draft says $240 — Prices come from the user and stay editable. Timmy structures the work and wording; it does not invent amounts. If you don't have a number yet, say the extra anyway: Timmy holds the scope with the price open and asks you for it rather than inventing one. Nothing is sent automatically. Every quote, variation and follow-up is a draft the user reviews, edits and shares themselves. Share it as a message or a link the customer can say yes to, and the reply is your approval — kept on the job, not in a drawer.
New templates, straight to your inbox
Occasional emails when we publish a new free template or guide. No spam, no daily newsletter, unsubscribe any time. See the privacy policy.
Common questions
Is a reply text legally binding approval for extra work?
Written agreement by text or email can carry real weight, but whether it binds depends on your contract and your state's rules — and this page isn't legal advice. The practical point stands regardless: a kept reply that says yes to a described scope and a stated price beats a verbal yes every time.
The customer's keen and I'm mid-job — do I really stop to do this?
You don't have to stop for long. Send one text — the work, the price, the GST treatment — and wait for the reply before you start. Thirty seconds. The extras that get disputed are almost never the ones with a written yes attached.
When should I use the full building variation template instead?
When the change alters a written contract, when the money is serious, when the finish date moves on a job with penalties, or when you're a registered builder on domestic work with state variation rules. The building variation template has the was/now scope, cost breakdown and revised contract total that those situations need.
Do I need this for a five-minute favour?
No. The threshold is money you'd be annoyed to eat. A favour is free by choice; the trap is the $200–$800 extra that was never a favour but never got written down either.
Can TradieCue produce this for me on site?
Effectively, yes — say the extra out loud and Timmy drafts a variation on the right job with your price and correct GST maths. You review and edit the draft, then share it yourself; nothing is sent automatically.
Try it on your next job
TradieCue is free to download on the App Store. Say a rough note about a real job and review the draft Timmy produces — nothing is sent until you share it yourself.
Free to download and try. TradieCue Pro is a subscription through Apple: A$24.99/month or A$239.99/year with a 30-day free trial. Apple confirms before any charge.