What it's for
The walkthrough at the end of a job turns up what's still wrong: a cabinet door that won't close flush, grout missing at a tub. This punch list template gives each item a row, with its location, the trade that owns it, a due date and a status, until someone has checked the fix.
It's for the super or project manager running closeout: start it on the walkthrough, send it on your own letterhead, and update it as items close. Something new the owner asks for on the walkthrough is a change, and it goes on a change order form.
A contract can tie final payment, or the release of retainage, to closing the punch list. Yours decides whether it does; the file only tracks items. See retainage in construction and retainage laws by state. Closeout submittals, such as O&M manuals, warranties and as-built drawings, are tracked on the submittal log template, not as punch list items. The closeout checklist tracks closeout items by status, and the QC checklist records inspections during the work.
What's inside
Three sheets, all protected with no password.
Punch list carries your letterhead: a spot marked YOUR LOGO, yellow lines for your company and contact details, and PROJECT, WALK DATE and PREPARED BY. A key reads "Pale yellow cells are yours to fill in" and "All other cells are locked".
It starts blank. Its table has 60 yellow rows under NO., LOCATION, ITEM, TRADE OR ASSIGNED TO, PRIORITY, PHOTO REF, DATE FOUND, DUE, STATUS, VERIFIED BY, DATE VERIFIED and NOTES, with filter buttons on the header row. PRIORITY is a drop-down of High, Medium and Low. PHOTO REF takes a photo number or file name; the file holds no pictures itself. VERIFIED BY and DATE VERIFIED record who checked a fix and when, so a Verified item has a name and a date behind it. STATUS is a drop-down of Open, In progress, Done and Verified, and the whole row changes with it:
- Done: pale green.
- Verified: pale green and bold.
- Open or In progress, with a DUE earlier than today's date: pale orange. A blank DUE is never flagged.
Below the table, STATUS SUMMARY counts each status, and % verified divides the Verified count by the number of items: the rows with something under ITEM. Those five cells are the only ones that calculate, though % verified sits on a bright yellow band.
The sheet prints landscape on Letter paper, one page wide, with the column headings repeated on every page and page numbers in the footer.
Example is the same sheet filled in: a twelve-item walkthrough of a home remodel, in every status and priority, so you can see the colors and the counts before you start your own.
About this template holds three steps, a note on the Example tab, the version (v2, 2026-09-24) and links to this page, all our templates and three related ones.
How to fill it in
- Fill in the letterhead, PROJECT, WALK DATE and PREPARED BY on the Punch list tab. It starts blank, so nothing from the example is counted in yours.
- Put one item on each row, and number it under NO. yourself. "Touch up paint, reset outlet cover" is two rows: two trades close them at different times.
- Write the LOCATION so someone who wasn't on the walkthrough can walk straight to it: "Second floor, primary bath, tub wall", not "bathroom".
- Under TRADE OR ASSIGNED TO, name the one sub or person who owns the fix.
- Pick a PRIORITY: High for anything that affects safety, a system that has to work, or the owner moving in; Low for cosmetic touch-ups. Sort by it to see what to chase first.
- Take a photo of each item on the walkthrough and put its number or file name under PHOTO REF, so the trade sees exactly what was found.
- Give every item a DUE date: a row without one is never flagged, however long it sits.
- Pick each STATUS from the drop-down; the file refuses anything else. Start every item at Open, so the four counts add up to your items.
- Mark an item In progress when work starts, Done when the trade says it's finished, and Verified once someone other than the trade has checked it. Enter that person under VERIFIED BY and the day under DATE VERIFIED.
- The list is closed when every item reads Verified.
The worked example
The Example tab is a walkthrough of a home remodel, twelve items across seven rooms and areas. Every ITEM starts "Example:". The table below leaves out four of its columns to fit the page: on the tab, every item also has a DATE FOUND of 9/12/2026, ten have a PHOTO REF, each Verified item has a DATE VERIFIED, and eight have a line of NOTES.
| NO. | LOCATION | ITEM | TRADE OR ASSIGNED TO | PRIORITY | DUE | STATUS | VERIFIED BY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kitchen | Example: cabinet door misaligned | Carpentry sub | Low | 9/19/2026 | Verified | Owner's rep |
| 2 | Kitchen | Example: chipped countertop edge | Countertop sub | Medium | 9/26/2026 | Done | |
| 3 | Primary bath | Example: missing grout at tub | Tile sub | Medium | 9/19/2026 | Open | |
| 4 | Primary bath | Example: bath outlet will not reset | Electrical sub | High | 9/15/2026 | Verified | Superintendent |
| 5 | Hall bath | Example: toilet rocks on the floor | Plumbing sub | Medium | 9/19/2026 | In progress | |
| 6 | Living room | Example: paint touch-up at window trim | Painter | Low | 9/26/2026 | Done | |
| 7 | Bedroom 2 | Example: closet door rubs the carpet | Carpentry sub | Low | 9/19/2026 | Verified | Superintendent |
| 8 | Bedroom 2 | Example: missing outlet cover | Electrical sub | Low | 9/19/2026 | Done | |
| 9 | Exterior | Example: downspout not connected | Gutter sub | High | 9/16/2026 | In progress | |
| 10 | Exterior | Example: gap in siding at corner trim | Siding sub | Medium | 9/26/2026 | Open | |
| 11 | Garage | Example: torn weatherstrip at overhead door | Door sub | Low | Open | ||
| 12 | Mechanical | Example: condensate line has no trap | HVAC sub | High | 9/15/2026 | Verified | Superintendent |
The four Verified rows are pale green and bold, each with who checked it and when. The three Done rows are pale green: the trade says they're finished, and nobody has checked them yet. Rows 3, 5, 9 and 10 are Open or In progress, and their due dates have passed, so they show pale orange whenever you open the file. Row 11 is Open too, but it has no due date, so it is never flagged: the reason every item should get one.
The status summary computes:
| STATUS SUMMARY | Figure |
|---|---|
| Open | 3 |
| In progress | 2 |
| Done | 3 |
| Verified | 4 |
| % verified | 33.33% |
Four of twelve items are verified. The job isn't closed until all twelve are.
Frequently asked questions
Does the file calculate anything?
Yes. The four status counts are COUNTIF formulas, and % verified is the Verified count over the number of items. The colors are conditional formatting, and they update as soon as you change a status or a date.
Does it work in Google Sheets or Numbers?
It works in Excel and Google Sheets, and it has no macros. Its formulas and color rules use only COUNTIF, IF, ROUND, ROWS, AND, OR and TODAY. We don't promise Numbers for the color cues, and some file previewers don't draw them.
Can I sort the list or add rows?
Yes, with the sheet still protected. Sort and filter from the header row's buttons. Rows inserted between two rows of the table get the counts, the drop-down and the colors; rows added below it aren't counted. % verified follows the table as it grows or shrinks.
Where do the photos go?
In your phone or your project folder. PHOTO REF holds the photo's number or file name, such as IMG_0421, so anyone with the list can find the picture. The file itself holds no pictures, which keeps it small enough to email.
Can I put my logo on it?
Yes. Insert it where the sheet says YOUR LOGO. That row is 36 points tall, so there's room for a logo without dragging the row taller. To remove the YOUR LOGO text, choose Review > Unprotect Sheet (there is no password). When you protect the sheet again, tick Sort, Use AutoFilter, Insert rows and Delete rows so those keep working. Our credit sits below the status summary and in the printed footer.