What every quote should include
A quote (or quotation, same document) is the priced offer a client accepts to start the job. It wins or loses on clarity: the client should see their request reflected in the line items and know exactly what happens when they say yes. The parts that make it complete:
| Part | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Line items | Mirror the client’s request so they can see the job in the price |
| Totals with tax shown separately | No surprises at invoice time; the tax line does the explaining |
| Validity date | Protects you from material and rate changes on slow decisions |
| Payment terms | Deposit and balance agreed before work, not negotiated after |
| Change-of-scope line | “Changes are quoted separately” is one sentence now, a dispute later |
| Acceptance line | Makes yes explicit; a reply saying “accepted” counts |
Quote vs estimate: which one to send
The two words are used loosely in conversation, but on paper they are different commitments, and mixing them up is how pricing disputes start. A quote is a fixed price for defined work: once the client accepts, that is the price, and in many places it is generally treated as binding once accepted (the exact legal weight varies by country and region, so check your local rules). An estimate is a good-faith guide: an informed prediction that the final price may move if the work turns out different, with any change flagged before it is done.
The practical rule: send a quote when you can see the whole job (you have the measurements, the spec, the access) and an estimate when you cannot yet. Never label an estimate as a quote to look decisive; the word on the document is the commitment you are making. The template above carries both variants, one terms-line apart.
How to write a quote for a client
- Restate the job in one or two lines. “As discussed: re-turf rear lawn, lay 12m² patio, replace side fencing.” This is your defence against quoting a different job than they imagined.
- Break the work into line items the client will recognise. Their enquiry said three things; your quote shows three lines. Lump sums invite suspicion; forensic sub-itemising invites haggling.
- Price from your rate card, not your mood. Consistent rates make quoting fast and defensible. If a detail is missing (a length, a spec), price the unit and flag the gap rather than guessing.
- Show subtotal, tax and total separately. Whatever you charge (VAT, GST, sales tax), the client should see the rate and the sum, not discover it on the invoice.
- Close with validity, terms and an acceptance line. Then send it fast: on jobs where several businesses were asked, the first professional quote in the inbox frames the comparison.
Free quote template and estimate template
Three ways to get the price in front of the client. The plain text pastes cleanly into Google Docs or Notion and covers both the quote and the estimate variant.
The plain-text template
Line items, totals with tax, terms, acceptance, plus the estimate variant.
QUOTE · [Your business name] Quote no: [number] · Date: [date] · Valid until: [date] To: [client name, address] · From: [you, address, contact] DESCRIPTION OF WORK [One or two lines on the job as discussed.] LINE ITEMS [Item or stage] · [qty/hours] · [unit price] · [line total] [Item] · [qty] · [unit price] · [line total] [Item] · [qty] · [unit price] · [line total] Subtotal: [amount] Tax ([your rate, e.g. VAT/GST/sales tax]): [amount] TOTAL: [amount] TERMS - This quote is a fixed price for the work described above. Changes to scope are quoted separately before work proceeds. - Payment: [e.g. 40% deposit, balance on completion] - Valid until the date above; prices may change after. ACCEPTANCE Accepted by: ______________ Date: ______ (Reply to this email with “accepted” works too.) --- ESTIMATE VARIANT: retitle it ESTIMATE and swap the first term for: “This is a good-faith estimate based on the details provided. The final price may vary if the work differs; we’ll flag any change before doing it.”
The AI prompt
Prefer to use your own AI? Copy this into Claude or ChatGPT with the enquiry and your rates, and it builds the quote.
--- title: Quote Generator description: A prompt that turns a client enquiry and your price list into a ready-to-send quote or estimate with correct totals. author: readywhen source: https://readywhen.ai/quote-template homepage: https://readywhen.ai license: CC BY 4.0 (free to use and share with attribution to readywhen) version: 1.0 updated: 2026-07-18 keywords: [quote template, quotation template, estimate template, how to write a quote] --- # Quote Generator _By readywhen. Full guide + free template: https://readywhen.ai/quote-template_ You are turning a client enquiry into a ready-to-send quote (fixed price) or estimate (adjustable guide). ## Principles - Ask first: quote or estimate? A quote commits to the price; an estimate flags that it may move. Use the right word and the matching terms line. - Price only from the seller’s own rates. If a price is missing from what they gave you, ask; never invent a number. - Line items mirror how the client described the job, so they can see their request in the price. - Always include: validity date, tax shown separately at the seller’s stated rate, payment terms, and a change-of-scope line. - Keep it to one page. The quote’s job is a fast, confident yes. ## What I need from you The enquiry (paste the email or describe the job) · your price list or rates · your tax setup (rate and label) · payment terms · how long the quote stays valid. I’ll build the line items, totals and terms, and flag anything I couldn’t price from your rates. --- _Made by readywhen. readywhen prices the quote from the enquiry in your inbox and the rate card in your own docs, totals done, ready to send. https://readywhen.ai/quote-template_
Let readywhen do itRecommended
A blank form still makes you do the quoting. readywhen reads the enquiry in your inbox, prices the line items from your own rate card with your tax applied, and flags anything it couldn’t price, so the quote goes out while the job is still today’s news.
readywhen prices the quote from the enquiry and your own rate card in ~45 seconds, so it goes out tonight, not “when you get a minute”.
Let readywhen build the quote from your price list
Every quote form still makes you do the actual quoting: re-reading the enquiry, remembering your rates, doing the totals, re-keying the client’s details. readywhen does that part: it reads the enquiry in your inbox, mirrors it into line items, prices each one from the rate card in your own docs, applies the tax rate you charge, and flags anything it could not price so you never send a guess. You check the numbers and send it from your own email, usually while the enquiry is still today’s.
Works with your existing tools
Quote template FAQs
What is the difference between a quote and an estimate?
A quote is a fixed price for defined work: once accepted, that is the price. An estimate is a good-faith guide that may move if the work turns out different, with changes flagged before they are done. Send a quote when you can see the whole job; an estimate when you cannot yet.
Is a quote legally binding?
In many places an accepted quote is generally treated as a binding agreement on price for the work described, but the exact legal weight varies by country and region, so check your local rules. The practical protection is the same everywhere: describe the work precisely, date the validity, and state that scope changes are quoted separately.
What should a quotation include?
A description of the work, line items with quantities and unit prices, subtotal, tax shown separately, the total, a validity date, payment terms, a change-of-scope line, and an acceptance line. One page covers all of it.
How long should a quote be valid for?
Thirty days is the common default; shorter (7-14 days) where material prices move quickly. The validity date is not pushiness, it is protection: without one, a client can accept January’s prices in June.
Is there a quote template for Google Docs or Word?
Yes. Copy the plain-text template on this page into Google Docs, Word or Notion, or download it as a file. All formats are free.
Can’t I just use ChatGPT or Claude to write my quotes?
Yes. Paste the enquiry and your rates with the prompt above, and you get a tidy quote. readywhen is the version that already has both: it reads the enquiry in your inbox and prices from the rate card in your docs, so quoting stops being the evening job that decides which enquiries you even answer.
More templates for winning the job
Project proposal
Every section explained, drafted from your discovery call and pricing.
Client onboarding
The staged checklist, welcome packet and questionnaire, built per client.
Sales follow-up email
Follow-ups that reference the real conversation, drafted from your call.
Stop losing jobs to whoever quoted first.
Build your quote free with readywhen
About the author and editorial standards
About the author. Sançar Şahin is co-founder and CMO of readywhen. readywhen catches everything you say you’ll do and helps you move it forward: drafted, chased or flagged, ready when you are. He builds readywhen in public on LinkedIn.
Editorial standards. No paid placements. Guidance on quote contents and validity reflects common small-business practice; the legal standing of an accepted quote varies by country and region, so nothing here is legal advice. How this page was made: Sançar built the multi-agent research and drafting system behind it, checks its work at several phases, and approves the final page himself. To flag an error, email hello@readywhen.ai.
Last updated: 19 July 2026.