Free quote generator for UK trades

Line amounts are quantity × unit price, rounded to the nearest penny. VAT is worked out on the total before VAT and rounded to the nearest penny.

What to put on a quote

Citizens Advice tells customers to get a written quote, not a verbal one, and says a good quote should include:

• a fixed total price, not just a daily rate
• a breakdown of the work to be done and the materials needed
• separate costs for each material and each part of the work
• how long the price is valid for
• whether the price includes VAT
• when the price can go up, for example only if the customer agrees to extra work

The generator above covers each of these. Add your own name and contact details, the customer's name and address, a quote number and the date, and describe the job clearly enough that someone else could tell what is and isn't included.

Quote or estimate: which are you giving?

They are not the same thing. Citizens Advice describes a quote as a promise to do the work at an agreed price, and an estimate as the trader's best guess at what the work will cost. With a quote, you generally can't charge more unless the customer asks for extra work, you tell them extra work is needed and they agree to pay for it, or you made a genuine mistake writing down or working out the price.

So if the job has unknowns, such as what is behind a wall, say so in the notes and price that part separately, or agree how it will be charged before you start. Customers are told to be wary of a day rate with no total, so if you do quote by the day, put in writing how many days you expect the work to take and how many hours count as a day.

Worked example

A joiner quotes to fit a kitchen: 3 days of labour at £180 a day and £420 of materials.

The CIS line only applies if a contractor is paying you under the Construction Industry Scheme. A homeowner doesn't deduct CIS. If you work out your price as cost plus a percentage, the markup and margin calculator shows what that does to your profit, and the day rate calculator helps set the labour rate.

VAT on a quote

If you aren't VAT registered, don't add VAT. If you are, say clearly whether your price includes VAT, which is one of the things Citizens Advice tells customers to check. Most building work is at the 20% standard rate, but not all of it. For example, HMRC says installing certain energy-saving materials, such as insulation, solar panels and heat pumps, in homes is zero-rated until 31 March 2027, and some grant-funded heating work for qualifying people is at the 5% reduced rate. Check the GOV.UK VAT rates page and VAT Notice 708/6 before you use anything other than 20%. The VAT calculator adds or removes VAT from any amount.

CIS and the domestic reverse charge

If you are a subcontractor quoting a contractor, they will usually deduct CIS from the labour part of your invoice: 20% if you're registered, 30% if you're not, and nothing if you have gross payment status. Materials you bought for the job aren't deducted from, so list them on their own lines. That's why each line has a type. The CIS calculator shows the deduction on its own.

If you and your customer are both VAT registered and the work is reported under CIS, the VAT domestic reverse charge may apply. Then the customer accounts for the VAT to HMRC instead of paying it to you, and HMRC's guidance gives "Reverse charge: Customer to pay the VAT to HMRC" as one acceptable wording. It doesn't apply when the customer is an end user, such as a homeowner. Choose "Yes" only once you have checked HMRC's reverse charge guidance.

After the customer says yes

• Get the acceptance in writing. A reply to your email is enough for most small jobs.
• If the job changes, send a short note with the new price and get a yes before you do the extra work.
• When the work is done, send an invoice that matches the quote line by line, with any agreed extras on their own lines. A quote isn't an invoice, so it doesn't ask for payment.