ServiceM8 form
ServiceM8 work order template for subcontractors
This ServiceM8 Form is the work order you send a subcontractor: scope, dates, site access, the agreed price or rate, and a list of documents they must return before payment, such as a tax invoice with their ABN, insurance certificates, a SWMS and compliance certificates. Send it through a ServiceM8 Network Request so those documents become required tasks.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
Free form
Subcontractor work order form for building and construction trades
A work order PDF to send the subcontractor with a Network Request, plus a paperwork tick list that you turn into required job requirements.
The form: 27 questions
| Section | Question | Type | Req. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subcontractor | Subcontractor business name | Text | Yes | |
| Subcontractor | ABN | Text | Yes | Check it on ABN Lookup. No ABN on a payment over 75 dollars excluding GST generally means withholding at the top rate. |
| Subcontractor | Business address | Text | Yes | Needed for your TPAR along with the ABN. |
| Subcontractor | Licence class and number | Text | Yes | The licence the work needs, for example electrical contractor or QBCC trade licence. |
| Subcontractor | Contact name and mobile | Text | Yes | |
| Scope | Scope of work | Text | Yes | Use Text (Multi-line). What to do, to what standard, with drawing or spec references. |
| Scope | Included | Text | Yes | Use Text (Multi-line). |
| Scope | Excluded | Text | Yes | Use Text (Multi-line). Spell out what is not in the price. |
| Scope | Drawings or specifications attached | Choice Yes, sent with the work order / No | Yes | |
| Scope | Start date | Date | Yes | |
| Scope | Complete by | Date | Yes | |
| Site access | Site contact name and phone | Text | Yes | |
| Site access | Access instructions | Text | Yes | Keys, lockbox location, parking, which entrance. Give codes by phone, not in the PDF. |
| Site access | Permitted work hours | Text | Yes | |
| Site access | Site status | Choice Occupied home / Vacant / Occupied business / Construction site | Yes | |
| Site access | Site induction required | Choice Yes, before starting / No | Yes | |
| Rate | Pricing basis | Choice Fixed price / Hourly rate / Schedule of rates | Yes | |
| Rate | Agreed price or rate, dollars excluding GST | Number | Yes | |
| Rate | Materials supplied by | Choice Us / Subcontractor, included in price / Subcontractor, charged at cost plus agreed margin | Yes | |
| Rate | Extra work | Choice Only with our written approval before starting | Yes | Any variation needs a signed variation from us first. |
| Rate | Payment terms | Choice 7 days from invoice / 14 days from invoice / 30 days from invoice / End of month following | Yes | |
| Paperwork back | Documents required before payment | Multiple choice Tax invoice showing ABN / Public liability certificate of currency / Workers compensation certificate / Licence copy / SWMS for high risk construction work / Compliance certificate for the work / Test results / Warranty documents | Yes | Each ticked item becomes a Document job requirement on the Network Request. |
| Paperwork back | Photos required | Multiple choice Before / During, concealed work / After / Serial numbers and labels | Yes | Each becomes a Photo job requirement. |
| Paperwork back | Our forms to complete | Text | Name any of your own ServiceM8 forms, such as a test sheet. Each becomes a Form job requirement. | |
| Issue | Issued by | Text | Yes | |
| Issue | Date issued | Date | Yes | |
| Issue | Issuer signature | Signature | Yes |
Set it up in ServiceM8
- In ServiceM8 open Settings > Forms > Add Form and name it Subcontractor work order.
- Add the questions above in order. Choice means Multiple Choice, Multiple choice means Multiple Choice (Multi-answer). Use Text (Multi-line) where the notes say so. Tick Mandatory where required is true.
- Click Download Sample Template, lay it out as a one page work order with your logo, ABN and billing details, and upload it as the form template.
- Complete the form on the job in the office. It saves as a PDF in the job diary.
- Email the work order PDF to the subcontractor from the job diary, then from the job card click Share, enter the same email address and choose Work Order.
- Click Add Job Requirement for each ticked document (Document), each photo (Photo) and each of your forms (Form), then send.
- Save the request as a Network Request Template for this trade so the next one starts filled in.
- Run it once with a friendly subbie before using it on a live job.
The subbie side of the job
Most ServiceM8 templates face the customer. This one faces the other way: it is what you hand a subcontractor so they know exactly what to do, where, for how much, and what they owe you on paper before they get paid. Getting that last part in writing up front is what stops the familiar end of job chase for a certificate of currency or a compliance certificate while the customer waits for their invoice.
The form below covers four blocks. Scope and dates, with inclusions and exclusions spelled out. Site access: who to call, how to get in, when they may work, whether an induction is needed. The rate: fixed price, hourly or schedule of rates, excluding GST, who supplies materials, and a line saying no extra work without your written approval, which ties into your variation process. Then the paperwork: a tick list of what must come back before you pay.
Paperwork to collect before payment, and why
The ABN. If a supplier does not give you an ABN and the payment is more than $75 excluding GST, the ATO says you generally must withhold tax at the top rate and pay it to the ATO. Get the ABN on the work order, not on the invoice after the fact.
The contractor's details for your TPAR. Businesses that provide building and construction services and pay contractors for them may need to lodge a Taxable payments annual report, due by 28 August each year. For each contractor the ATO wants the name, address, ABN and the amount paid including GST, so collecting those details at the work order stage saves a scramble in August.
A SWMS for high risk construction work. Under the model WHS laws, a business that carries out high risk construction work must prepare, keep, comply with and review a safe work method statement. Ask for it before the subbie starts, not after.
Everything else the job needs: a certificate of currency for public liability, workers compensation cover if they employ, a copy of the relevant licence, the compliance certificate or test results for the work, and before and after photos.
Why send it as a Network Request
A work order PDF can be ignored. A ServiceM8 Network Request cannot be marked complete until every job requirement on it is done. From the job card, click Share, enter the subcontractor's email, choose Work Order from the drop down, and add a job requirement for each item ticked in the paperwork block: a Document requirement for the invoice, insurance certificate and licence, Photo requirements for the before and after shots, and a Form requirement for any of your own forms (for example a test sheet). ServiceM8 generates a reference number that becomes the PO on the subbie's side.
A subcontractor who uses ServiceM8 gets the request in their inbox and can turn it into a job. One who does not gets a link that opens in a browser. Either way, the checklist on your job updates as they complete each requirement, and the job cannot close with the paperwork missing. Save the whole thing as a Network Request Template so the next work order to the same kind of trade takes a minute.
What this form will not do
- The form does not enforce anything on its own. The Network Request's job requirements are what stop the job being completed without the paperwork.
- The form records the ABN. It does not check it against the ABN register or tell you when to withhold.
- The form collects the contractor details a TPAR needs. It does not lodge the report: the ATO suggests checking whether your business software can prepare and lodge it.
- Document requirements confirm a file was uploaded. Someone still has to open the certificate of currency and check the dates and cover.
- Whether a SWMS, a workers compensation certificate or a particular licence is needed depends on the work and your state. The tick list is a prompt, not legal advice.
Sources
- A ServiceM8 Network Request is created from the job card's Share button; the sender chooses Work Order or Quote and adds job requirements of four types (To Do, Photo, Document and Form), and ServiceM8 generates a reference that becomes the job PO in the subcontractor's account. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- A subcontractor cannot mark a Network Request job as complete until all job requirements are completed. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- ServiceM8 recommends detailed job requirements, agreeing invoicing arrangements with subcontractors up front, and reusable Network Request Templates. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- If a supplier does not provide an ABN and the total payment is more than $75 excluding GST, you generally withhold the top rate of tax from the payment and pay it to the ATO. Australian Taxation Office, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Businesses providing building and construction services that pay contractors for those services may need to lodge a Taxable payments annual report, due by 28 August each year. Australian Taxation Office, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Before lodging a TPAR, keep records of each contractor's name, address, ABN and the amount paid including GST. Australian Taxation Office, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- A PCBU who carries out high risk construction work must prepare, keep, comply with and review a safe work method statement (SWMS). Safe Work Australia, checked 25 Sep 2026.