Before you call a client request an “extra,” compare it with the signed proposal, specifications, review rounds and acceptance criteria. The label does not decide the fee; the agreement and actual work do.
A practical decision table
Already included → Finish it under the agreed scope. Example: the approved quote promised a mobile layout, and the mobile version is missing.
Correction to promised work → Fix the defect under your agreed correction process. Example: a form you built does not send submissions as specified.
Ambiguous → Clarify in writing before pricing or building. Example: “make it more modern” without a reference, acceptance test or agreed revision boundary.
New deliverable or changed requirement → Prepare a separate change order. Example: the client adds a sixth page after approving a five-page site. Name the page, copy/assets needed, exclusions, fee, review round, schedule effect and start condition.
A reply you can adapt
“Thanks for the new request. I’ll compare it with our approved scope and send a short written summary. If it is already included, I’ll handle it under the original agreement. If it adds a deliverable, I’ll quote the added work and any date change for your approval before starting that part.”
Keep the original brief, request and decision together. Do not treat a draft change order as approval or a promised payment as a completed payment. Follow the change and approval rules in your own client agreement. This is a workflow example, not legal advice.
ScopeSnap helps independent web designers turn a confirmed extra into a priced PDF draft and a separate approval-email draft. It runs locally in a desktop browser; you review and send both yourself. The Etsy download also includes a printable intake and pricing worksheet. All examples here are fictional and self-initiated.