The quote got the job agreed at the start. The sign-off closes it: the customer looks at the work, agrees it matches what was quoted, and agrees what is still to do. It takes two minutes at the door, and it is much easier to get then than three weeks later over an invoice.
The short answer
- Use the quote as the checklist. Copy its lines onto the sign-off in the same words.
- List any agreed changes, each with its own reference and price.
- List what is still to do, who does it and by when. If nothing, write “None”.
- State the price: as quoted, plus agreed changes, and the total, saying whether each includes VAT.
- Get it signed and dated before you leave, and keep a copy each.
Why a sign-off at the end is worth two minutes
Most end-of-job disagreements are not about whether the work happened. They are about whether it was finished, whether a small fault was there before, and whether the final figure is the one that was agreed. Each of those is easier to settle while you are both standing in front of the work.
- Finished or not. A signed list of what was done, in the quote’s own words, answers “you never did the hallway”.
- Snags with an end. A short list with a date turns “it’s still not right” into two items you can finish and tick off.
- No surprise on the invoice. The total on the sign-off is the figure on the invoice, and the customer has already seen it.
What to put on a completion sign-off
- Your business details and the quote or job reference, so it is tied to one job.
- The customer’s name and the site address.
- The date the work was finished.
- The work completed, line by line, copied from the quote, with a tick for each.
- Agreed changes: every variation, with its reference and its price. If each one was signed before it was done, as our guide to getting a quote signed suggests, list the reference.
- Still to do: each item, who does it and by when, or “None”.
- The price: as quoted, the agreed changes, and the total, each saying whether it includes VAT.
- What the customer confirms, as short sentences they tick: the work listed is complete; the price is as quoted, plus the agreed changes; the items still to do are everything left.
- Names, signatures and the date, for the customer and for you.
The free template
We have put every box above on one A4 page. Download the job completion sign-off template (PDF, one page). It names nobody and carries no figures. Print it and take it to the job, or change it to suit your business, fill it in and save it as a PDF to send for signature.
A worked example
This uses the made-up job from the real sealed sample we publish: quotation QU-2026-0188, from Example Electrical Ltd to Example Property Services Ltd. Both companies are fictional. The quote had five lines, £3,368.00 plus VAT at 20%, £4,041.60 in total. A sign-off for it, with one snag invented for the example, would read like this.
| On the sign-off | Filled in |
|---|---|
| Work completed | New 12-way consumer unit; 18 LED panels; 6 sockets on a new ring, first floor office; 4 emergency bulkheads replaced and tested; condition report on completion. All five ticked |
| Agreed changes | None |
| Still to do | Replace one cracked panel trim, Example Electrical Ltd, by Friday |
| Price | As quoted £4,041.60 including VAT; agreed changes £0; total £4,041.60 including VAT |
| The customer confirms | All three boxes ticked |
| Signed | For the customer, by the facilities manager, with the date; for the business, by whoever finished the job |
When the trim is replaced, a one-line note signed the same way closes the last item.
Three ways to get it signed
| How | What it costs you | What you are left holding |
|---|---|---|
| The paper template, signed at the door | A printout and a pen | A signed sheet, and a photo of it if you take one. The customer has no copy unless you leave one |
| Your job app’s own sign-off | Nothing extra, if your app has it | Whatever the app keeps. Check you can download it as a file |
| A signing link to the customer’s phone | A minute to send | The exact file, signed and sealed, with who signed it and when, and a copy for the customer |
Many job-management apps built for UK trades already have a job sheet the customer signs on your tablet or phone. If yours does, use it. The same three questions from the quote guide apply: can you download the signed sheet as a file you keep, does it record when the customer signed, and could somebody else check later that the file has not been changed?
Signing it on the customer’s phone
This is where Pixasign fits. The homepage shows it as a Thursday: the customer confirms the work is done and the price is as quoted, at the door.
- Fill in the template, or your own sheet, and save it as a PDF.
- From a computer, upload it, put a signature box and a date box on the customer’s lines, and add tick boxes with your own words, such as “The work listed above is complete”. A tick box set as required has to be ticked before they can sign.
- Type the customer’s name and email address and send it. The office can do this while you are still on site.
- The customer opens the email on their phone, reads the sheet, ticks the boxes and signs with a finger or taps to adopt their typed name. No app, no account.
- The whole file is sealed, with a timestamp from DigiCert, and you both get the signed PDF and an evidence certificate: who signed, when, from what device and the approximate location.
Each sign-off counts as one document, however many boxes it has. Anyone, including the customer, can check the sealed file free at pixasign.co.uk/check. For what that check can and cannot tell you, see how to tell if a signed PDF was changed after signing.
What a sign-off does not do
- It does not get you paid. It records what was agreed. Payment terms belong in the quote, and money in the bank is a separate matter.
- It does not fix a vague quote. If the quote said “rewire as required”, the sign-off can only agree to that.
- It does not replace anything your trade or scheme asks you to issue. It is a record between you and the customer, nothing more.
- It does not prove who signed. A sealed sign-off identifies the customer by the email address the link was sent to. If that matters, send it to an address you already hold for them.
For the wider picture, from the law to the pricing, see the guide to electronic signatures for UK small businesses, and for the trade side, our page on e-signatures for tradespeople and builders.
What it costs
The template is free. Pixasign is free for 1 user and 3 documents a month, with no card. Paid plans are one flat monthly price with no charge per user: £19 a month inc VAT for 50 documents, £59 inc VAT for 200 and £99 inc VAT for 500. Your customers never pay and never need an account.
Send your next sign-off this way
Free for 3 documents a month, no card. Fill in the template, save it as a PDF and send it to the customer for signature.
Start free UK company. Documents stored in the EEA.Questions
- What should a job completion sign-off include?
- The quote or job reference, the customer and site address, the date the work was finished, the work done copied from the quote, any agreed changes with their prices, anything still to do with who does it and by when, the price as quoted plus changes and the total, and the customer’s signature and date.
- Is there a free job completion sign-off template?
- Yes. Pixasign publishes a blank one-page PDF with a box for each of those items, free to download, print or change. It names nobody and carries no figures.
- How do I get a customer to sign off work on their phone?
- Save the sign-off as a PDF and send it with a signing link to the customer’s email. They open it on their phone, tick the boxes, and sign with a finger, with no app and no account. If your job app already has a signed job sheet, that may be all you need.
- Does a signed sign-off mean the customer has to pay?
- It is a record of what the customer agreed: that the work listed is done, what is left, and the price. It does not collect the money. Payment terms belong in the quote, and for anything about your rights, ask your trade body or a solicitor.