Free estimate & quote template (PDF)

Before you start a job, most customers want to know what it will cost. A clear quote answers that question in writing, sets an expiry date, and gives you something to point back to when it's time to invoice.

This free template creates a professional estimate or quote with line items, tax and a valid until date. Fill it in online and download a PDF. No account needed. It opens in our free invoice generator, ready to fill in.

Estimate, quote or invoice?

These three documents are easy to mix up, but they do different jobs:

• Estimate: an approximate price based on what you know now. The final bill can be higher or lower, and customers generally understand that.
• Quote: a fixed price for a defined scope of work, valid until a set date. If the customer accepts in time, that's the price.
• Invoice: a request for payment after the work is done (or at an agreed stage). It has a due date rather than an expiry date.

The template opens as an Estimate. To give a fixed price instead, switch the document type at the top of the editor to Quote; the lines, tax and dates stay the same and only the title changes. On an estimate, it helps to say what could move the price in the notes, for example "Final price depends on site conditions."

What to include on a quote

• Your business details: name, address, phone, email and any license number your trade requires.
• Customer details: name, billing address and, if different, the job address.
• Quote number and date, so you can match it to the invoice later.
• Valid until date: when the price expires.
• Scope of work: what you will do, with each part on its own line.
• Line items: quantity, rate and amount for each task or material.
• Tax, discounts and total.
• Terms: deposit required, what's not included, and how the customer accepts.

Example line items

A quote for a small bathroom refresh might look like this:

Breaking the job into lines lets the customer see what they're paying for, and makes it easier to drop or add items without redoing the whole quote.

Setting prices and terms

A quote is only useful if the customer knows exactly what the price covers. A few habits help:

• Describe the scope precisely. "Paint bathroom" invites argument. "Paint walls and ceiling, 2 coats, customer's choice of color" does not.
• List exclusions. Say what's not included, such as drywall repair, permits or moving furniture.
• Set a realistic expiry. Material prices change. A 30-day window protects you if costs rise.
• Ask for a deposit on bigger jobs. State the amount or percentage due on acceptance. Our guide to partial payments and deposits shows how to bill it.
• Explain changes. Note that extra work requested after acceptance will be quoted separately.

Put terms like these in the Notes or Terms fields. They print at the bottom of the PDF.

Sales tax on quotes

A quote should show tax the same way the invoice will, so the customer isn't surprised by a higher total later. Whether you charge tax depends on your state and on what you sell. Many states don't tax most services, but physical goods are usually taxable, and some states tax specific services. Texas, for example, taxes janitorial and landscaping services (see our Texas guide), and North Carolina taxes many repair, maintenance and installation services (see our North Carolina guide).

Keep labor and materials on separate lines and tick Tax only on the lines that are taxable where the work happens.

From quote to invoice

Once the customer accepts, you bill them with an invoice. How you get there depends on whether you use an account:

• Signed in (free account): open the accepted quote and choose Convert to invoice. A new invoice draft is created with the same customer, lines and taxes, and the quote is marked Converted. Your quotes, invoices, customers and payment tracking stay together in one place.
• As a guest: your quote and invoice are separate drafts saved in your browser. Download the quote PDF for your records, then switch to the invoice and enter the agreed lines.

If you finish the job in stages, send progress invoices and show what's been billed so far. The contractor template and handyman template show how to lay out parts and labor on the final bill.

Common mistakes on quotes

• No expiry date, so a customer comes back six months later expecting the old price.
• One lump-sum price with no breakdown, which is hard to compare and hard to adjust.
• Calling a rough guess a quote. If the price may change, say it's an estimate.
• Leaving out tax, then adding it on the invoice.
• No record of acceptance. Ask the customer to confirm in writing, even by email.

Checklist

• Quote number, date and valid until date
• Scope of work broken into clear line items
• Exclusions and deposit terms written down
• Tax shown the way the invoice will show it
• Written acceptance before you start work