How to write a quote for a customer
A quote is not a price list. In most legal systems it is an offer, and once the customer accepts it in writing you are both bound by what it says — including by everything it forgot to say.
Identify both sides, give the quote a number and a date, describe each item of work with its quantity and unit price, show the total with and without VAT, set a validity date, and say clearly what is excluded.
Fill in the free templateStep by step
- Identify yourself and your customer
Your business name, address and registration or VAT number, and the customer's details. A quote from an unidentifiable trader is one a customer is right to distrust.
- Number it and date it
A quote number and an issue date. When the same customer asks for three versions, the number is the only way either of you will know which one was accepted.
- Describe the work line by line
One line per item, with quantity and unit price. 'Bathroom renovation — 4,800 €' is a quote that will be argued about; six lines describing the same work will not be.
- Set a validity date and send it
Say how long the price holds — thirty days is standard. Beyond that date you are free to requote, which is what protects you when material prices move.
Write down what is not included
Most quote disputes are about scope, not price. The customer assumed the old units would be taken away; you assumed they would not. Both of you were reasonable, and neither wrote it down.
Add a short exclusions line: waste removal, making good, materials supplied by the client, works discovered once the wall is open. It takes one sentence and it prevents the conversation nobody enjoys.
The VAT line is not decoration
Show the amount before tax, the rate, the tax, and the total. A customer comparing two quotes is comparing totals, and if one of them is tax-exclusive the comparison is meaningless.
If you are not registered for VAT, say so on the quote rather than leaving the line blank — most countries have a standard wording for it, and its absence makes customers wonder whether tax will appear later.
What turns a quote into a contract
In most places, a signed and dated acceptance by the customer forms the contract, and the quote becomes the document that says what was agreed. That is why it is worth writing carefully rather than quickly.
Keep the accepted copy. When the job changes, quote the extra work separately and get that accepted too, instead of adding it to the invoice and hoping it passes unnoticed.
Frequently asked questions
Can I charge for producing a quote?
For a simple quote, rarely — it is normally part of selling. Where preparing it means a survey, a site visit or design work, charging is accepted practice, but say so before you start, not afterwards.
How long should a quote stay valid?
Thirty days is the usual default. Shorten it when your material costs are volatile; whatever you choose, write the date on the quote rather than leaving it open.
Can I change the price after it is accepted?
Not unilaterally. Once accepted, the quote is the agreed price for the work described. Extra work outside that description is a new quote, which needs its own acceptance.