Free quote template for UK trades and builders
A good quote gives the customer one clear price for a clearly described job, says what is and is not included, says how long the price stands, and leaves a space for them to accept it. This free template covers all of that on one A4 page, in Word and PDF. Fill in the brackets, tick whether it is a fixed price or an estimate, and send it. A quote is a fixed price you are expected to stick to once it is accepted. An estimate is a best guess, so label which one you are giving.
Free, no sign-up, no email. A4. Replace everything in [square brackets] with your own details.
Preview
This is the document you will download. The Word file is fully editable.
Quote
Customer
The work
| Item | Qty | Unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Labour: describe] | [1] | [0.00] | [0.00] |
| [Materials: describe] | [1] | [0.00] | [0.00] |
| Subtotal | [0.00] |
| VAT (only if you are VAT registered) | [0.00] |
| Total | [0.00] |
Optional extras (not included in the total above)
| Extra | Price |
|---|---|
| [Optional extra: describe] | [0.00] |
Terms
- Fixed price (does not change unless the work changes)
- Estimate (a best guess, the final cost may differ)
Acceptance
By signing, the customer accepts this quote and the terms above.
Free template from gafferly.com
What to include, and why
Your details and a quote number
Your business name, address, phone and email, plus a number you can find again. When a customer rings six weeks later and says 'about the quote', a number gets you to the right piece of paper in seconds.
Customer name and the work address
The person paying and the place the work happens are not always the same, especially with landlords, agents and family paying for a parent. Put both on the quote so there is no argument about who it was for.
A plain description of the work
Most quote disputes come from the gap between what you meant and what they read. Write what you will do in words the customer would use, for example 'strip and replace the bathroom suite, tile floor and walls to 1.2m', not 'bathroom refit'.
Priced lines, with labour and materials split
Showing where the money goes makes the price easier to trust and makes a change halfway through simple to cost. If a customer adds a second radiator you can point at a line instead of renegotiating the whole job.
Optional extras kept separate
Anything the customer could say yes or no to, such as a heated towel rail or a second coat, goes in its own list outside the total. They choose what they want, and you are not hiding an upsell inside the headline price.
Fixed price or estimate, ticked
If you give a fixed price, say so. If some of it depends on what you find when the wall is opened, tick estimate and say what the price depends on. Nothing causes more bad feeling than a number the customer thought was fixed.
What is not included
Making good, skip hire, decorating, building control fees, a new consumer unit if the old one fails the test. Write down the things you are not covering. Anything unwritten is something the customer assumes you are.
VAT, only if you are VAT registered
If you are not VAT registered, delete the VAT line so the total is the figure the customer pays. If you are, say clearly whether prices on the quote include or exclude it.
A valid until date
Materials prices move, and your diary fills up. A date, commonly 30 days, protects you from someone accepting last spring's price in the autumn. Shorten it if materials are volatile.
Start date, duration and payment terms
Say roughly when you can start, how long it takes, and when you expect to be paid, for example a deposit on acceptance and the balance on completion. Agreeing this up front is far easier than asking for a deposit after the skip has arrived.
Cancellation rights, if the work is agreed at the customer's home
When a consumer agrees a contract away from your premises, such as at their kitchen table, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give them a right to cancel. For services, regulation 30 says the cancellation period ends 14 days after the day the contract is entered into. The template has a line for this. Take advice on the exact wording for your business.
Acceptance: signature, name and date
A signed, dated acceptance is the easiest thing to point to later. A reply email or text saying yes is better than nothing, but a signature next to the price leaves less to argue about.
How to fill it in
- Download the Word version if you want to edit it, or the PDF to print and fill in by hand.
- Replace every [bracketed] placeholder with your own details, and delete any line you do not need, such as VAT if you are not registered.
- Write the description of the work in plain words, then add the priced lines for labour and materials.
- Put anything the customer could say yes or no to in the optional extras list, outside the total.
- Tick fixed price or estimate, and write down what is not included.
- Set a valid until date, add your start date and payment terms, then send the quote and ask for it back signed.
Common questions
What is the difference between a quote and an estimate?
In trade usage, a quote is a fixed price for a defined job that you are expected to honour once the customer accepts it. An estimate is your best guess at the cost, and the final figure may be higher or lower. The words get used loosely, which is why the template has a tick box. Whichever you give, write it on the document and say what the price depends on, so both sides know where they stand.
How long should a quote be valid for?
There is no set period. Thirty days is common for ordinary work, because materials prices and your own availability change over a month. Use a shorter period if you are pricing materials that move quickly, such as copper, timber or insulation, and put the exact date on the quote rather than the words 'for 30 days'.
Do I need to put VAT on a quote?
Only if you are VAT registered. If you are not, leave the VAT line off so the total is exactly what the customer will pay. If you are registered, state clearly whether the prices include or exclude VAT, because a domestic customer comparing two quotes will assume the figure is the final one.
Can a customer cancel a quote after accepting it?
It depends on where the contract was agreed. When a consumer agrees a contract away from your business premises, for example at their home, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give them a right to cancel without giving a reason, and for a services contract the period ends 14 days after the day the contract was entered into. Contracts agreed at your premises work differently. The regulations are linked below, and a trade association or Trading Standards can tell you how they apply to your work.
Does the customer have to sign the quote?
A signature is not the only way to accept, but it is the clearest. A signed and dated quote shows exactly what was agreed and when. If a customer replies by email or text, keep it with the quote. If the job is large, ask for the signature before you order materials.
When quotes outgrow Word
A template is fine for a handful of quotes a month. The slow part is everything around it: retyping the customer's details, saving a PDF, emailing it, waiting for it to come back signed, then typing the same details again into an invoice.
In Gafferly the quote is sent as a link. The customer opens it on their phone, picks their options and optional extras, watches the total update live and signs with a finger. Signing books the job. When the work is done you raise the invoice from the accepted quote, so nothing is retyped.
Card required to start. From £29 per user per month, no VAT added.
Sources
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 29 (right to cancel)
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 (cancellation period)
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the linked pages for the current position.