What to put in a job estimate (with a free template)

You've priced the job properly. Now you have to put a number in front of the customer in a way that looks professional, sets expectations if the job changes, and makes it easy to say yes. A scribbled figure on a text message does none of those things.

This guide assumes you already have your price. If you don't yet, start with how to price a job and come back - an estimate is just the document that carries your number to the customer.

Estimate, quote, invoice: what people usually mean

Three words that get used loosely. Here's how tradespeople generally use them - but note that the words themselves don't decide the legal effect. What a document does depends on your jurisdiction, the exact wording, and how both sides act on it:

• Estimate - usually a best-informed projection of the cost, understood to move if the work turns out bigger than expected. Often treated as a good-faith figure rather than a firm commitment - but see the note on binding effect below.
• Quote - usually meant as a fixed price for a defined scope. If you present it that way and the customer accepts, you'll generally be expected to hold it, so your scope had better be tight.
• Invoice - the bill, sent after the work (or a stage of it) is done. It's a request for payment, not a proposal.

Whichever you send, say which one it is on the document, and state plainly whether the number is fixed or approximate and what would change it. Being explicit is the part that actually helps - a line like "This is an estimate; the final price may change if the scope below changes" sets expectations, though it's no substitute for a clear written agreement where one is needed.

A practical nine-part starting checklist

These nine parts cover most professional estimates. Treat them as a starting point and add the extra fields in the next section wherever your trade or location calls for them:

1. Your business details - and license or registration info where required. Name, logo, phone, and email. Many jurisdictions require a licensed or registered contractor to show that number on estimates and contracts, so include it where your trade demands it.
2. An estimate number and date. So you can both refer to it later, and so you can track which estimates turned into work.
3. The customer and job address - with contact details. Who it's for, their phone and email, and where the work happens - which aren't always the same.
4. A clear scope of work. What you will actually do, in plain language. This is the part that does the most to set expectations (more below).
5. Exclusions. What is not included. Just as important as the scope, and far more often forgotten.
6. A price breakdown - including tax. Labor, materials, and any line items, then a subtotal, any applicable tax, and a total. You don't have to bare your margin, but the customer should see what they're buying and whether tax is included or added.
7. Any deposit required. How much up front and when the balance is due - after checking your local rules on deposits (see below).
8. Payment terms and a schedule. What you accept, by when, and an estimated start window or timeline so expectations line up.
9. An expiry date, a way to accept, and a signature line with a date. How long the price holds, how they say yes, and space for a signature and acceptance date.

Fields to add where they apply

Beyond the nine basics, these often matter - and in some places are required. Include the ones that fit your trade, job, and location:

• License / registration number. Required on contractor documents in many jurisdictions - check your licensing board.
• Insurance and bond information. Some work, or some customers, require proof of liability insurance or a bond; some jurisdictions require it to be stated.
• Permits and who obtains them. Say who pulls and pays for any required permits - you or the customer. Permit requirements vary by location and job type.
• Warranties. What you stand behind and for how long (for example, labor for a set period). Be specific, and don't promise more than you'll honor.
• Change-order approval. State that any change to the scope is quoted separately and approved - ideally in writing - before that work begins.
• Cancellation rights. Where applicable, some jurisdictions give consumers a right to cancel within a set window (for example, certain home-solicitation or right-to-cancel rules). If that applies to your work, include the required notice.
• Taxes. Show whether sales/labor tax applies and whether it's included in or added to the total.

How to write scope so you don't work for free

Scope creep - "while you're here, could you also..." - is where profit quietly disappears. A clear estimate is your best defense, and vague scope is what leaves the door open. Compare:

The tight version tells the customer exactly what they're getting and gives you a clean line to point at when the extra request comes: "Happy to - that's outside the estimate, so let me price it as a change." You're not being difficult; you're holding to what you both agreed.

Deposits and expiry dates

Two small fields that carry real weight:

• Deposit. For anything with material costs or a multi-day timeline, a deposit up front covers your outlay and filters out tire-kickers. But don't just pick a percentage: some states and countries limit how much a contractor can take up front, or restrict deposits for certain work. Check the rules where you operate first, then set an amount that matches the materials you have to buy before you start.
• Expiry date. Prices move - materials especially. "Valid for 30 days" protects you from someone accepting a six-month-old number after your costs have climbed, and it gently nudges a wavering customer to decide.

A free estimate template

Copy the template below, replace every underlined placeholder, and delete the guidance notes in brackets. The underline and the brackets both mark what to fill in, so you don't have to rely on color. It covers the nine parts above plus the common extra fields; remove any line that doesn't apply to your job or location.

[YOUR BUSINESS NAME]
[Phone] · [Email] · [License / registration # where required]

ESTIMATE #[0001]     Date: [date]     Valid until: [date + 30 days]

PREPARED FOR
  [Customer name]
  [Customer phone / email]
JOB ADDRESS
  [Street, city]

SCOPE OF WORK
  - [What you will do, in plain language]
  - [Materials you will supply]

SCHEDULE
  Estimated start: [window, e.g. week of ___]. Duration: [approx.].

PERMITS
  [Who pulls and pays for any required permits - you or the customer].

NOT INCLUDED (EXCLUSIONS)
  - [Anything a customer might assume but you are not doing]

PRICE (ESTIMATE)
  Labor .............................. $[ ]
  Materials .......................... $[ ]
  [Other line item] ................. $[ ]
  ----------------------------------------
  Subtotal ........................... $[ ]
  Tax [rate / if applicable] ............. $[ ]
  ESTIMATED TOTAL .................... $[ ]
  Expected range ..................... $[low] - $[high]

DEPOSIT
  $[ ] or [ ]% due to book
  [confirm this amount is allowed where you work].
  Balance due [on completion / per schedule].

PAYMENT
  Accepted: [card link / cash / transfer]. Due [on completion].

INSURANCE / BOND
  [Liability insurance / bond details where your work requires them].

WARRANTY
  [What you stand behind, and for how long - e.g. labor for ___].

CHANGES
  Any change to the scope above will be quoted separately and
  approved in writing before that work begins.

CANCELLATION
  [Cancellation / rescheduling terms, plus any right-to-cancel
   notice required where you work].

TERMS
  This is an estimate, not a fixed quote. The final price may change
  if the scope, site conditions, or material costs change. Whether an
  accepted estimate becomes a binding agreement depends on its wording
  and the law where the work is done.

TO ACCEPT
  Signed: ____________________  Date: __________
  (or reply to this message to approve)

Copy, Print, and Download act on the template above. If the buttons don't work in your browser, select the text and copy it by hand - nothing here depends on them.

Fixed-quote version

Selling a firm price for a fully defined scope? Swap the PRICE and TERMS blocks above for these, and rename the heading from ESTIMATE to QUOTE:

PRICE (FIXED QUOTE)
  Total price ........................ $[ ]
  Tax [rate / if applicable] ............. $[ ]
  QUOTED TOTAL ....................... $[ ]
  (fixed for the scope above, until the valid-until date)

TERMS
  This is a fixed quote for the scope listed above. The price holds
  until the valid-until date. Work outside that scope is a separate,
  pre-approved charge. A signed, accepted quote may form a binding
  agreement depending on its wording and the law where you work.

Use the range version when the job could shift; use the fixed-quote version only when the scope is fully defined and you're prepared to hold the number.

Skip the blank template entirely

TradeReady turns a priced job into a branded PDF estimate you send by text or email in a few taps. Your customer can approve or decline it online, and their decision flows back to advance the job in your pipeline - so you can track where each estimate stands.

Free to download · free trial for eligible new subscribers

When they go quiet: following up

Most estimates don't get a no. They get silence. A single, friendly follow-up wins a surprising amount of work that would otherwise drift away:

• Wait 2 to 3 days, then check in once. Any sooner reads as pushy; much later and they've booked someone else.
• Keep it short and useful. "Hi [name], just checking you got the estimate for [job] - happy to walk through anything or tweak the scope. It's held until [date]."
• Let the expiry do the work. The validity date gives you a natural, no-pressure reason to follow up without nagging.
• One nudge is usually enough. If there's still nothing after a second touch, move on - and keep the estimate on file in case they come back.

The bottom line

A good estimate is more than paperwork - it helps you win the job cleanly and keeps everyone on the same page about what was agreed. Cover the nine parts, add the extra fields your trade and location call for, write scope tight enough to protect your profit, put an expiry on it, and follow up once. And because deposit limits, licensing, and contract rules vary from place to place, check what applies where you work before you rely on any template - including this one.