Change Order Total

Excel Formulas › Construction & Trades

All versions

A change order adjusts a contract for added or removed work. Total the labor, material, and equipment cost of the change, apply markup, and add it to the contract for the revised price.

Quick formula: change order price with markup:
=(labor + material + equipment) * (1 + markup)
Sum the change's direct costs, apply overhead and profit markup, then add to the original contract.

The example

$3,000 cost + 15% markup.

AB
1ItemValue
2Direct cost3000
3× 1.15→ $3,450

The formula

The formula:

=(B2) * (1 + markup) // direct cost × (1 + markup)

How it works

How it works:

  1. Sum the change’s direct costs: added labor, material, and equipment (subtract for deletions).
  2. Apply the contract’s markup for overhead and profit on the change.
  3. Add the result to the original contract for the revised total.
  4. Track each change with a number and running total so the contract value is always current.

Keep a change-order log. A table with columns for CO number, description, cost, markup, and a running =SUM($amount$2:amount) gives the revised contract value at a glance — and a clear audit trail. Deductive changes (credits) are negative amounts, so the same running total handles adds and credits together.

Try it: interactive demo

Live demo

Direct cost and markup %.

Change order:

Variations

Revised contract

Add to original:

=original_contract + change_order_total

Running CO total

All changes:

=SUM($amount$2:amount)

Deductive change

A credit:

=-(removed_cost) * (1 + markup)

Pitfalls & errors

Markup on the change. Apply the agreed O&P rate to the change’s cost.

Credits are negative. Deductive changes lower the contract — enter them as negatives.

Number every CO. Track changes individually for a clean audit trail.

Practice workbook

📊
Download the free Change Order Total practice workbook
A change-order sheet with the revised-contract, running-total, and deductive variants, plus 4 challenges with answers. No sign-up required.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate a change order total in Excel?
Total the direct costs and apply markup: =(labor + material + equipment) * (1 + markup), then add to the original contract.
How do I track multiple change orders?
Keep a log and use a running total =SUM($amount$2:amount) for the revised contract value.
How do I handle a deductive change (credit)?
Enter it as a negative amount: =-(removed_cost) * (1 + markup), so the running total nets it out.

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