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Quote Template

A quote is a fixed price for a defined job, offered before the work starts. Once the client accepts it, you are generally held to that price unless the scope changes, and that is what separates it from an estimate, which is your best guess and can move. So a quote does its work through its boundaries. It needs a scope precise enough that both sides know what is included, exclusions for what is not, a rule for pricing and agreeing extra work, and a date after which the price no longer holds. Use a quote when you can see the whole job. Use the estimate template when something you cannot see yet could change the cost. The download is an editable HTML quote, not an invoice. It has your business and the client, quote number and date, scope, exclusions, a variations rule, payment schedule, acceptance, a line table (description, quantity, rate, amount), then subtotal, tax, total and a valid-until date. Fill it in your browser, then print it or save it as PDF.

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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

  • Quote number
  • Quote date
  • Job or project and site address
  • Scope: what the fixed price includes
  • Exclusions
  • Variations: how extra work is priced and agreed
  • Price basis: fixed, including or excluding tax
  • Deposit on acceptance, if any
  • Payment schedule and terms for the invoice
  • Acceptance: client name, signature and date

How to Create Your Quote

  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

A quote has no due date, because nothing is owed until the client accepts it and the work, or an agreed stage, is done. It needs two other dates: the quote date and a valid-until date, for example 30 days later, after which you can re-quote. Write how you will invoice once the quote is accepted. That might be one invoice on completion, payable in 7 or 14 days, a deposit on acceptance deducted from the final invoice, or staged payments for a longer job. Also say how variations will be billed: as separate, dated lines on the invoice, each agreed in writing before the extra work starts. The final invoice should then match the quote line for line, with variations added below it.

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

Tax Information

State whether the quoted price includes or excludes tax, and if you charge tax, show the rate and amount so the quoted total is the figure the client will pay. For private customers, quoting the total including tax avoids the most common complaint about quotes. Tax on a quote follows the rules in force when you invoice or supply, so if a tax rate changes before then, the invoice follows the new rate; say so in the terms of a long-dated quote. Sales tax in the US depends on the state and on whether the work is labour, materials or both. The quote itself is not a tax document; the invoice is. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage per document and copies saved tax IDs to new invoice PDFs; check the saved IDs and PDF before sending. General information, not tax advice.

Industry context (2026)

Consumer authorities describe a quote as a commitment. UK Citizens Advice calls a quote 'a promise to do work at an agreed price' and an estimate 'the trader's best guess'. It also says a trader cannot charge more than a quote without a good reason, such as extra work you agreed to. New Zealand's Consumer Protection guidance says a quote is 'an offer to do a job for a specified price' and is generally a confirmed maximum. Once a quote is accepted, the provider 'can't charge you more than that unless you agree to extra work', and such a change is a variation to the contract. In the UK, section 50 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats anything a trader says or writes to a consumer about a service as a term of the contract if the consumer takes it into account when deciding to enter into it. That is why a quote's scope, exclusions and validity date matter as much as its price. Invest Northern Ireland's nibusinessinfo.co.uk advises putting quotes in writing, stating clearly whether the document is a quote or an estimate, and setting an expiry date. Sources accessed 27 and 28 October 2026; this is general information, not legal advice, and business-to-business contracts can follow different rules.

Worked example

Worked example, United Kingdom (illustrative prices, not market data): a VAT-registered decorator quotes for a house repaint after visiting the property. Quote Q-0027 is dated 2 November 2026 and valid until 2 December 2026, for work booked in January 2027. Line 1: living room walls and ceiling, filling hairline cracks, two coats, 1 × £1,150.00. Line 2: two bedrooms, walls only, two coats, 2 × £640.00 = £1,280.00. Line 3: doors and frames, satin finish, 9 × £45.00 = £405.00. Line 4: paint and materials, 1 × £385.00. Subtotal £3,220.00, VAT at 20% £644.00, quoted total £3,864.00. Terms: 'Fixed price for the work described. Excludes plaster repairs beyond hairline cracks and moving heavy furniture. Extra work is priced as a written variation before it starts. Payment on completion, due within 7 days of the invoice.' The client accepts on 9 November. On site, the client asks for the hallway walls too, and agrees variation V1 by email on 14 January at £350.00 plus VAT. The final invoice repeats lines 1 to 4 unchanged, adds 'V1: hallway walls, two coats, agreed 14 January 2027, £350.00', and comes to a £3,570.00 subtotal, £714.00 VAT and £4,284.00 total, quoting Q-0027. The £420.00 above the quote is the agreed variation including VAT, so nothing needs explaining. If the decorator had suspected damp under the old paint, an estimate with a named contingency would have been the safer document.

Common mistakes to avoid

Calling an estimate a quote

If the cost depends on something you have not seen yet, a 'quote' commits you to a price you cannot control. Use an estimate with named contingencies instead.

Vague scope

A fixed price only protects you if the scope is fixed too. Describe quantities, finishes and what 'done' means.

No expiry date

A quote with no valid-until date can be accepted months later, after your costs have changed. Always write the date.

Extras done on a handshake

Extra work done without a written variation turns into a dispute on the final invoice. Price it and get agreement first.

Tax left unclear

A private client who reads £3,220.00 will not expect £3,864.00. Say whether the price includes tax and show the total.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Write 'Quote' at the top and 'This is a fixed price for the work described' in the terms. Clients and courts read the label and the wording together.
  • 2Describe the scope in measurable terms: rooms, coats, pages, units, hours on site. 'Paint the living room' is an argument; 'living room walls and ceiling, two coats, colours chosen by the client' is a quote.
  • 3List exclusions as plainly as inclusions, with what happens if one turns up: 'Plaster repairs beyond filling hairline cracks are excluded and will be quoted separately.'
  • 4Set the variation rule before you need it: an hourly rate, or a written variation priced and agreed before the extra work starts.
  • 5Keep quotes in their own numbering series (Q-0027) and quote that number on the invoice, so the client can match them.
  • 6Re-issue rather than edit: a revised quote gets a revision mark and a new date, so both sides know which price was accepted.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a quote?

A quote, or quotation, is a written offer to do a defined job for a fixed price, given before the work starts. It sets out the scope, the price, any tax, how long the offer is open and how the client accepts it. Once accepted, it becomes the price the work is invoiced at.

What is the difference between a quote and an estimate?

A quote is a fixed price; an estimate is a best guess that can change. New Zealand's Consumer Protection guidance says that once a quote is accepted the provider can't charge more unless the customer agrees to extra work. UK Citizens Advice says an estimate is the trader's best guess. Quote when you can see the whole job; estimate when something unknown could change the cost.

Is a quote legally binding?

An accepted quote is usually part of the contract, so you are expected to do the quoted work for the quoted price. In the UK, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats what a trader says or writes about a service as a contract term when the consumer relies on it. Changes to the scope can change the price if they are agreed. The details depend on your jurisdiction and wording.

How long should a quote be valid?

Long enough for the client to decide and short enough that your costs have not moved, often 14 to 30 days. Write a valid-until date on the quote. After it passes, you can confirm the price or issue a new quote.

What should a quote include?

Your business details and the client's, a quote number and date, the job and site, what is included and excluded, line items with quantity and price, tax and the total, whether the price is fixed, how variations are priced, the deposit and payment schedule, the valid-until date, and a place for the client to accept.

Can I change a quote after the client accepts it?

Only by agreement. If the client asks for more work, or the scope turns out different from what the quote describes, price the change as a variation and get the client's agreement in writing before doing it. Then invoice the variation as its own line.

Should a quote have a number?

Yes. A number identifies which version the client accepted, especially after revisions. Use a series separate from your invoices, such as Q-0027, and show it on the invoice that follows.

Can InvoiceQuickly send quotes?

Yes, as estimates, on Pro ($9 a month). InvoiceQuickly has no separate quote type: you create an estimate, the client accepts or rejects it in their private portal, and an accepted estimate converts into a draft invoice. The PDF is headed 'Estimate' and labels its second date 'Due', so write 'Fixed-price quote, valid until' and the date in the terms. The Free plan does not include estimates; this downloadable template works without an account.