How to write a quote for a job, with an example

To write a quote for a job, give it a title the customer recognises, list each part of the work on its own line with its price, say what is not included, show one total with any tax and deposit, add the date the price is valid until, and end with exactly how to accept. Then send it while the customer is still thinking about the job.

That is the whole method. The rest of this guide goes through each part, with a worked example and a template you can copy.

Quote, estimate or invoice?

The three are easy to mix up, and customers mix them up too. Knowing which one you are sending tells you how firm the price must be.

If you are not sure which to give, our guide to quotes and estimates explains when each is right.

What to include in a quote

A customer should be able to read your quote once and know what they are getting, what it costs and what to do next. That takes these parts:

• Your details: business name, phone, email, and any tax or registration numbers your country requires.
• Their details: the customer’s name and the address or place of the job.
• A quote number and date, so you can both refer to it.
• A title that describes the job in plain words.
• Each part of the job on its own line: what it is, the quantity, the price for one and the line total.
• Optional extras, clearly marked as optional.
• Subtotal, tax and total, with the total easy to find.
• The deposit, if you take one, and when the rest is due.
• What is not included.
• A valid-until date.
• Short terms and how to accept.

How to write a quote, step by step

1. Get the facts before you price

Ask the questions that change the price: size, access, materials, deadlines, anything unusual. Photos from the customer save a visit for many jobs. A quote built on a guess about the job is really an estimate.

2. Give it a title in the customer’s words

“Deep clean before you move in” or “New lawn and borders” tells the customer you understood. “Job 214” tells them nothing. Under the title, a sentence or two about the job proves you listened: the rooms, the date, the detail they mentioned.

3. Break the job into lines

One line per service or stage, each with a short description where the name is not enough. Where there is a quantity, show it: three rooms at £35 each reads better than a bare £105. Customers compare quotes line by line, and the one that is easiest to follow tends to be the one they trust.

4. Price each line properly

Each price should cover your time, materials, travel and a margin for the business. Price by the unit that suits the work: per hour, per day, per room, per square metre, per guest or a fixed price. If you keep a price list, quoting becomes picking lines rather than doing sums.

5. Offer extras instead of cutting your price

If a customer might want more, list it as an optional extra they can add. It lets them shape the job without asking you to lower the main price. Our guide to good, better, best pricing covers this in detail.

6. Say what is not included

Waste removal, parking, materials the customer supplies, a second coat. One line here saves an argument on the day.

7. Make the total, tax and deposit obvious

Subtotal, then tax if you charge it, then the total in the largest type on the page. If you take a deposit, show the amount, not just the percentage.

8. Add a valid-until date and short terms

A date protects you if your costs change, and gives the customer a reason to decide rather than drift. Keep the terms to a few plain sentences: when payment is due, what happens if plans change, how long the price holds.

9. Make accepting one step

End with one action: a button to accept, or “reply yes to go ahead”. Every extra step between reading and accepting loses you jobs.

A worked example

Here is a quote for a deep clean before a family moves into a three-bedroom house. The prices are an example, and the tax line depends on where you are and whether you are registered.

Free quote template

Here is the whole quote laid out, with the brackets to fill in. Download it for Word or Google Docs, or copy it as text into an email. Delete any line that does not apply.

Short terms you can adapt

Terms are read when they are short. These cover the questions that most often cause trouble later:

Common mistakes

• One lump sum. A single figure invites haggling, because the customer cannot see what they are paying for.
• No end date. The customer comes back in six months expecting the old price.
• Hidden extras. Anything you might charge for later belongs on the quote now.
• Jargon. Write for the customer, not for another tradesperson.
• No next step. If accepting means a phone call, many customers will put it off.
• Sending it days later. By then, someone else has said yes.
• Never following up. A short, polite message wins jobs that were simply forgotten. See how to follow up on a quote.

The easy way: quotes on your phone

Everything above can be done on paper, but it is quicker on your phone. In Gugab your prices are ready, so writing a quote means tapping the items in, adding the customer and pressing Send. The customer gets a link that opens on any device, ticks any extras, accepts by typing their name and pays the deposit by card. You see when they open it.