What a quote is
A quote (or quotation) is a fixed price for a defined piece of work or a set of goods, offered before the customer commits. It tells the customer exactly what they will pay if they accept it within the stated period. That is what separates it from an estimate, which is an approximate price that can change, and from an invoice, which asks for payment after the work is agreed or done.
What to put on it
- Your details: business name, address and contact information.
- The customer’s details and a quote number you can refer back to.
- The date and an expiry date. Costs change; 30 days is a common validity period.
- Line items: each product or service, the quantity and the unit price, so the customer can see how the total is built.
- Discount, tax and the total. Say whether prices include tax.
- Terms: what is and isn’t included, payment terms, and how to accept.
How to use this template
Type straight into the document above. Totals update as you go, and your draft stays in this browser if you come back later. Press Print or save as PDF and choose “Save as PDF” as the printer to get a file you can email; only the document is printed, not this page. The Word and Excel downloads have the same layout, and the Excel version calculates line totals, tax and the total for you.
Once a customer accepts, you will need to invoice them. If you are choosing software to do that, see our guide to the best accounting software for startups. Doing a job where the final cost isn’t certain yet? Use the estimate template instead.