Free estimate generator and quote template

How to write an estimate

The form above opens as an estimate. Work through it top to bottom and you have a document the customer can read, compare and say yes to.

• 1. Add your business name, phone, email and address, plus a license number if your state or trade requires one on paperwork.
• 2. Add the customer's name and the address where the work will be done.
• 3. Give the estimate a number and set the valid-until date. It defaults to 30 days from today.
• 4. List the work line by line: what you will do, the quantity and the price. Keep labor, materials and fees on separate lines.
• 5. Mark materials taxable if your state taxes them, and enter your tax rate.
• 6. Use the notes for your terms: deposit, what is not included and what happens if conditions differ from what you saw.
• 7. Check the preview, then use Print or save as PDF.

What a good estimate includes

An estimate is a sales document and a record of what you agreed to. The clearer it is, the fewer arguments you have when the final bill comes.

• Scope: what you will do, in the words the customer uses. "Replace 180 sq ft of decking" beats "deck work".
• Exclusions: what you are not doing, such as painting, permits or hauling, so nobody assumes it is included.
• Options when they make sense, priced separately, so the customer picks a level instead of comparing you on one number.
• A valid-until date, so you are not held to a price after material costs or your schedule change.
• Deposit terms: how much is due to book the work and when the rest is due.
• What happens if conditions differ: hidden damage, rot or code issues found once work starts get priced and approved before you continue.

How to price a job and win it

Start from your real costs: labor hours times what an hour costs you, materials at what you pay plus your markup, and fees like disposal or permits. Then add your profit. A price that only covers costs leaves nothing for callbacks or slow weeks.

Send the estimate fast. The first clear, itemized price the customer sees often sets the bar for everyone else. Writing it on site, or the same day, wins more work than a perfect quote a week later.

Itemize enough to build trust, but not so much that every line becomes a negotiation. Group small parts into one materials line and keep the big items visible.

Estimate vs quote vs bid vs invoice

In everyday use, estimate and quote mean much the same thing: a price before the work. Some businesses use "estimate" for an approximate figure and "quote" for a fixed price. A bid is usually a price submitted to compete for a project, often commercial, against other contractors. An invoice comes after the work and asks for payment.

Whichever word you use, say in the notes whether the price is fixed or an estimate that may change, and under what conditions.

From accepted estimate to invoice

When the customer says yes, flip the Invoice or Estimate switch at the top of this page. Your lines stay, so update anything that changed, set a due date and print the invoice.

If you quote every week, the free ToolBerry app keeps it in one place. Build estimates, called proposals in the app, line by line or from your saved list of services, share the PDF or send it from your own email, and track each one from draft to sent to accepted. Put good, better and best options on one estimate, capture the customer's signature on your phone, then turn the accepted estimate into a job or an invoice without retyping. It works offline and runs on iPhone, Android and the web.