PracticalKit Tools · Freelance commercial planning

Price the whole change, not only the extra hours.

A client request can add delivery time, meetings, purchases, rescheduling and uncertainty. A useful change order makes those costs visible before the extra work begins.

A practical change-order formula

Use direct costs for change-specific expenses such as a contractor, licensed asset or software purchase. Use schedule impact only when the change genuinely displaces paid capacity or delays another commitment; otherwise leave it at zero.

Example

Suppose an extra request needs 8 delivery hours and 2 admin hours at $120/hour, adds $150 of direct costs and pushes the schedule by 2 working days worth $100/day. Before uncertainty, the change costs $1,550. With a 20% risk buffer, the calculated amount is $1,860; PracticalKit rounds the client-facing recommendation to the next $25 increment.

Get approval before starting

A clear change order should name what changed, the additional fee and the schedule impact. PracticalKit also generates a copy-ready client message so the commercial boundary is explicit before delivery begins. This is business-planning guidance, not legal advice; contract language and enforceability depend on your agreement and jurisdiction.