What should a builders quote include?

Who you are, who the customer is, whether it is a quote or an estimate, the date and how long it stays open, the work, what is included and excluded, and priced line items for labour, materials and other costs. Add VAT only if you are VAT registered, and add limited company details if you are a Ltd.

Do quotes include VAT?

If you are VAT registered, show your VAT registration number, show VAT separately for each rate you use, and show the total including VAT. If you are not VAT registered, you do not charge VAT. gov.uk says you must register for VAT to start charging VAT. The threshold is £90,000 of taxable turnover over the last 12 months.

Free template

Free quote template for UK tradespeople

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Quote

Document titleQuoteEstimate

This quote is valid until .

Quote number

Quote date

Valid until

Job reference / title

Your business

Remember my business details on this device

Stored only in this browser. Nothing you type is sent.

Trading as

Logo

Business typeSole traderLimited companyPartnership

Your name

Address

Phone

Website

VAT registered?NoYes

Not VAT registered. No VAT is charged.

Customer

Customer name

Job / site address

Billing address (if different)

Phone

Scope of the work

Description of the work

What is included

What is not included

Assumptions

For example: Price assumes clear access to the work area.

Line items

Line items
Group	Description	Qty	Unit	Unit price (£)
Group for row 1	Description for row 1	Quantity for row 1	Unit for row 1	Unit price for row 1

Unit can be one of the suggestions or your own text.

Totals

Subtotal: £0.00
Total: £0.00

Payment and timing

Deposit

Deposit amount

Deposit due

Stage payments

Balance

Payment methods

Account name

Sort code

Account number

Proposed start date

Estimated duration

Terms

Any extra work will be agreed and priced in writing before it starts.

Acceptance

To accept this quote, sign below and return it, or reply in writing.

Customer name

Signature

Date

Sent it? Copy a follow-up message.

What to put on a trade quote

A quote for building, plumbing, electrical, decorating, roofing or landscaping work should say who you are, who the customer is, and what you will do. The list follows the template fields. It does not say the law requires every invoice line on a quote.

Document title. Say whether it is a quote or an estimate. nibusinessinfo describes a quotation as an agreed fixed price and an estimate as an approximate price that may change.
Quote number, quote date, and a valid until date.
Job reference or title, if you use one.
Your trading name, address, phone and email. A website is optional.
Sole trader: your name, and the business name if you use one, plus an address where legal documents can reach you. gov.uk lists these for a sole trader's invoices: "your name and any business name being used" and "an address where any legal documents can be delivered to you if you are using a business name". The template mirrors those invoice rules so the quote and the invoice match. It does not say the law requires them on quotes.
Limited company: the registered company name, including Limited or Ltd, the Company registration number, the registered office address, and the place of registration (England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland). gov.uk says that on business letters, order forms and websites a company must show its registered number, its registered office address, where it is registered, and that it is a limited company. gov.uk lists these for a limited company's business letters, order forms and websites, so the template prints them in the footer.
Partnership: the trading name and an address where documents can reach the business.
Customer name, the job or site address, and a billing address if it differs.
A description of the work, what is included, what is not included, and the assumptions you are pricing on.
Line items grouped as labour, materials, and other costs (for example waste removal, skip hire or parking), with quantity, unit, unit price and line total.
A deposit, stage payments and the balance, if you use them, plus how you want to be paid.
A short acceptance line: the customer signs and returns the quote, or replies in writing.

Deposits and stage payments

The form has a deposit line, stage payments and a balance. Write each one so the customer cannot misread it:

The amount, in pounds or as a percentage of the total.
When it is due, for example on acceptance or before materials are ordered.
What it covers, for example the boiler and fittings ordered for this job.
On longer jobs, each stage with its amount and when it falls due, such as first fix complete, then the balance.

This page does not suggest a percentage. Agree the figures and keep them on the quote the customer accepts.

Showing VAT on a quote

If you are VAT registered, show your VAT registration number, show VAT separately per rate, and show the total including VAT. gov.uk, Charge, reclaim and record VAT, says invoices must include your VAT number and display the VAT separately. VAT Notice 700/21, section 4.1, lists the supplier's VAT registration number and the VAT rate per item on a VAT invoice. These are the invoice rules. The template keeps the quote consistent with them. The VAT registration number field has no format check in this version.

If you are not VAT registered, you do not charge VAT. Leave the VAT question set to No. The VAT column and the VAT lines stay off the document. You can tick a line that prints "Not VAT registered. No VAT is charged." That line is a convenience, not a legal statement. gov.uk says: "You must register for VAT to start charging VAT". The registration threshold is £90,000 taxable turnover over the last 12 months (gov.uk, Register for VAT).

Rates on the template are the ones gov.uk lists for VAT: standard 20%, reduced 5% for some goods and services, and zero 0%. Check which rate applies to the job on gov.uk. This page does not give rate advice for a particular trade.

Quote or estimate?

nibusinessinfo puts it this way: a quotation is an agreed fixed price, and an estimate is an approximate price that may change. Say clearly which one you are giving. The template's document title toggle (Quote or Estimate) puts this into practice, and the line under the title repeats it: this quote, or this estimate, is valid until the date you set.

How long should a quote be valid?

No fixed legal period is claimed here. Setting an expiry date is common practice. nibusinessinfo says: "You could also set an expiry date". The template sets valid until to 30 days after the quote date, and you can edit that date before you print.

Skip the typing: say the job, send the quote

Quotebefore is an iPhone app for tradespeople. Describe the job on site in your own words. It turns that into line items with quantities and units, fills in prices from your own earlier quotes, and produces a PDF on your letterhead. If the job, quantities or price are missing, it tells you before you export. The app reminds you on working days 3, 7 and 12 after the quote is sent, then stops.

First 3 quotes free. No time limit, no account, no watermark. Then £22.99 a month or £179.99 a year through the App Store, cancel any time.

Get Quotebefore on the App Store

Questions

What should a builders quote include?: Who you are, who the customer is, whether it is a quote or an estimate, the date and how long it stays open, the work, what is included and excluded, and priced line items for labour, materials and other costs. Add VAT only if you are VAT registered, and add limited company details if you are a Ltd.
Do quotes include VAT?: If you are VAT registered, show your VAT registration number, show VAT separately for each rate you use, and show the total including VAT. If you are not VAT registered, you do not charge VAT. gov.uk says you must register for VAT to start charging VAT. The threshold is £90,000 of taxable turnover over the last 12 months.
Is a quote legally binding in the UK?: nibusinessinfo describes a quotation as an agreed fixed price and an estimate as an approximate price that may change. Say clearly which one you are giving. The template's title toggle is there so the document states that in writing.
How long should a quote be valid?: There is no single legal period that applies to every quote. Setting an expiry date is common practice. nibusinessinfo says you could also set an expiry date. This template defaults to 30 days from the quote date, and you can change it.