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Estimate Template

An estimate is your best guess at what a job will cost, written down before the work starts so the client can approve it. Unlike a quote, it can change, which is why a good estimate spends as much space on what could move the price as on the price itself. Use this template when the job has real unknowns: a repair where you cannot see the damage yet, an event where the headcount is not final, a project whose size depends on what you find. The download is an editable HTML file laid out as an estimate, not an invoice: your business and the client, an estimate number and date, the scope, exclusions and assumptions, a line table (description, quantity, rate, amount), subtotal, tax, total and a valid-until date, and an acceptance block. Fill it in your browser, then print it or save it as PDF. If you can price the job firmly, use the quote template instead.

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Download the HTML file to edit its fields, then print or save as PDF. Totals are entered manually.

What This Template Includes

  • Estimate number
  • Issue date
  • Job or project description and site address
  • Scope included
  • Exclusions
  • Assumptions the price depends on
  • Contingencies: named risks with their price
  • How much the final price may vary, and when you will ask before exceeding it
  • Deposit required on acceptance, if any
  • Payment terms for the final invoice
  • Acceptance: name, signature and date

How to Create Your Estimate

  1. 01

    Describe your work

    Type a plain English description of the services you provided, the client, and the amount.

  2. 02

    AI generates your invoice

    InvoiceQuickly's AI drafts the client, line items, dates, and totals for you to review before saving.

  3. 03

    Review, download, and send

    Check every detail, download the PDF, or use Pro to email the PDF directly to your client.

Recommended Payment Terms

An estimate is not a request for payment, so it has no due date. It needs two other dates: when it was issued and how long the prices hold, for example "valid for 30 days". After that, materials or availability may have changed and you can re-estimate. Say on the estimate how you will bill once it is accepted: a deposit on acceptance, staged payments for a longer job, or one invoice on completion, and the payment terms for that invoice (for example net 14). If you take a deposit, state the amount or percentage and that it will be deducted from the final invoice.

Need help writing payment terms? Read our guide to invoice payment terms for best practices and templates.

Tax Information

Estimate tax the same way you will charge it on the invoice: if the work or goods are taxable where you operate, show the tax rate and amount so the client sees the full expected cost, and label the total as an estimated total including tax. Tax on an estimate is only an estimate too; the invoice is the tax document, and the rate that applies is the one in force when you invoice or supply. If some items are taxable and others are not, say which on the estimate. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage to the whole estimate and copies saved tax IDs to new document PDFs. This is general information, not tax advice.

Industry context (2026)

What an estimate commits you to depends on the jurisdiction, the trade and the wording, so the safest estimate says plainly what it is. UK consumer guidance from Citizens Advice describes a quote as "a promise to do work at an agreed price" and an estimate as "the trader's best guess", and says a trader cannot charge more than a quote unless there is a good reason such as agreed extra work. New Zealand's Consumer Protection guidance says an estimate "is not a fixed price" and that the final price should generally be within 10 to 15 percent of it. Invest Northern Ireland's nibusinessinfo.co.uk recommends putting quotes and estimates in writing with a detailed breakdown, stating clearly which one the document is, setting an expiry date and, for estimates, considering several figures for different circumstances, including the worst case. All three pages were accessed 27 October 2026. Some trades, such as vehicle repair in some places, have their own written-estimate rules, so check with your local consumer protection body if your work falls under one.

Worked example

Illustrative figures. A caterer estimates a buffet for a company summer party on 12 June 2027, estimate EST-0042, issued 10 March 2027, valid for 30 days. Line 1: "Buffet menu B per guest, estimated 80 guests", 80 x $32.00 = $2,560.00. Line 2: "Service staff, 3 servers for 5 hours", 15 x $35.00 = $525.00. Line 3: "Tableware, linen and serving equipment hire", 1 x $340.00 = $340.00. Subtotal $3,425.00. Tax at an illustrative 7% = $239.75. Estimated total $3,664.75. Assumptions: "Final guest numbers confirmed 7 days before the event; each guest above or below 80 changes the total by $32.00 plus tax. Venue has a kitchen and power on site." Exclusions: "Rain tent hire (available at $450.00 plus tax if needed). Bar service." Deposit: "25% on acceptance, $916.19, deducted from the final invoice." The client accepts and pays the deposit. Seven days before, they confirm 86 guests. The final invoice keeps the same three lines with line 1 at 86 x $32.00 = $2,752.00, so the subtotal is $2,752.00 + $525.00 + $340.00 = $3,617.00, tax at 7% $253.19, total $3,870.19, less the $916.19 deposit, balance due $2,954.00. The final total is $205.44 (5.6%) above the estimate, and the client expected it, because the per-guest change was written on the estimate. Without that line, a higher bill for a party the client thought was priced at $3,664.75 would have needed a phone call to explain.

Common mistakes to avoid

Calling it a quote when it is an estimate

The word sets the client's expectation. If the price may move, call the document an estimate, say why, and label the bottom line "Estimated total".

No expiry date

An estimate accepted four months later at last season's prices is a loss you agreed to. Put a valid-until date on every estimate.

Unnamed risks

"Price may vary" protects nobody. Say what might change the price (hidden damage, final headcount, access) and roughly by how much.

Skipping exclusions

Clients assume anything not excluded is included. List the obvious things you are not doing, such as disposal, permits or materials the client is supplying.

An invoice that does not match the estimate

If the invoice uses different line names or merges lines, the client cannot compare it with what they approved. Keep the estimate's lines and add changes as separate, dated items.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Write "Estimate" at the top and "Estimated total" on the last line. Most disputes start when a client reads an estimate as a fixed price.
  • 2Name each risk and price it: "If the subfloor needs replacing, add $600 plus tax". A named contingency is a cost the client agreed to; a surprise is a dispute.
  • 3List exclusions as plainly as inclusions: "Excludes rain tent hire", "Excludes disposal of old units".
  • 4Promise to ask before going over: "We will contact you before any cost beyond this estimate is incurred."
  • 5Use the same line items on the invoice, then add changes as separate, dated lines, so the client can compare the two documents line by line.
  • 6Number estimates in their own series (for example EST-0012) and quote that number on the invoice.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an estimate and a quote?

An estimate is your best guess and can change if the job turns out different from what you assumed. A quote is a fixed price for a defined scope; once accepted, the client can usually hold you to it unless the scope changes. UK consumer guidance from Citizens Advice describes a quote as a promise to do work at an agreed price and an estimate as the trader's best guess.

What should an estimate include?

Your business and the client's details, an estimate number and date, the job description, what is included and excluded, the assumptions behind the price, line items with quantity and unit price, tax, the estimated total, how long the estimate is valid, how you will invoice once it is accepted, and how the client accepts it.

Is an estimate legally binding?

Usually an estimate is not a fixed price, but the rules depend on where you work, the trade and the wording. New Zealand's Consumer Protection guidance, for example, says an estimate is not a fixed price and the final price should generally be within 10 to 15 percent of it. Some trades have their own estimate rules, so check your local consumer protection body.

How long should an estimate be valid?

Long enough for the client to decide, short enough that your costs have not moved. Thirty days is a common choice; shorten it for jobs with volatile material prices or busy calendars. Always write the valid-until date on the estimate itself.

Can I charge more than the estimate?

If the job turns out different from the assumptions written on the estimate, the price can change, but tell the client and get their agreement before you do the extra work. Named contingencies on the estimate make this easier, because the client has already seen the likely cost.

How do I turn an estimate into an invoice?

Once the client accepts, copy the estimate's line items onto an invoice, adjust quantities to what was actually delivered, add any agreed extras as separate dated lines, deduct any deposit already paid, and quote the estimate number. On InvoiceQuickly Pro, an accepted estimate converts into a draft invoice with the same lines in one step.

Should an estimate have a number?

Yes. A number lets you and the client refer to the right version, especially when an estimate is revised. Use a separate series from your invoices, such as EST-0012, and put "Revision 2" on any re-issued estimate.

Can InvoiceQuickly create and send estimates?

Yes, on Pro ($9/month). You create an estimate in the same editor as an invoice; it is numbered with an EST- prefix, the client can accept or reject it in their private client portal, and an accepted estimate converts into a draft invoice you can adjust before sending. The Free plan does not include estimates. InvoiceQuickly's estimate PDF labels its second date "Due", so write the validity period in the terms.