A good quote template says what you will do, what you will not do, what the price covers, how long the price holds and how the client accepts it. Put those five things on one page, in plain words, and most arguments later in the job never start.
Below is a layout you can copy into whatever system you already use to keep track of enquiries and quotes. It is a layout, not a legal document. What you must include for bigger jobs depends on your state, and that is covered at the end.
The fields every quote template needs
No regulator gives one standard quote form. They do list what a client should be able to find in a quote. Put those together with trade common sense and you get this table.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Your details | Business name, licence number where your state requires one, phone, email, ABN or NZBN |
| Client and site | Client name, the address the work is at, the date of the quote |
| Scope | Every item of work you will do, in the order it happens |
| Inclusions and exclusions | What is in the price, and a short list of what is not |
| Materials | Brand, model or quality level where it matters to the price |
| Allowances | Any amount held for items not yet chosen or not yet priced |
| Price | The total, whether GST is in it, and how it is made up |
| Timing | Estimated start and finish, and what could move them |
| How long the price holds | A date, not “a few weeks” |
| Payment | Deposit if any, stages or progress claims, due dates |
| Changes | How a variation is priced and agreed |
| Acceptance | How the client says yes, and what happens when they do |
Compare that with what the regulators say. The Queensland Building and Construction Commission tells homeowners to check that quotes cover the same scope, the materials and finishes they want, labour costs, a completion timeline, any contingencies, and whether certifications, inspections and fees are included (QBCC on comparing quotes). Consumer Protection New Zealand says quotes and estimates should show what work will be done, other costs such as materials, the hourly rate of the people doing the work and how long the work will take (Consumer Protection NZ). Your quote lines up with both.
Scope, inclusions and exclusions in plain words
The NSW Government says a written quotation should include all the work to be done and list all the materials to be used, and that the client should check the materials quoted are the ones they asked for (NSW Government on getting quotes). That is your scope section.
Write scope as things you will do, one line each. “Demolish existing deck and remove from site” is a scope line. “Deck works” is not.
Then write exclusions. This is the part most quotes skip, and it is where most disputes start. If the client assumes painting is in and you assumed it was out, you will find out at the worst moment. A short exclusions list reads as upfront. Typical lines:
- Painting after the work is finished
- Council fees and permits, unless you have priced them
- Removing rock, asbestos or other material found once work starts
- Electrical or plumbing work done by other trades
- Landscaping and making good the garden
The Queensland regulator also tells homeowners to ask who removes excess soil from the site, and whether certifications, inspections and fees are in the price. Answer both on the quote, in or out.
Allowances and what happens if they move
Where the client has not yet chosen tiles, tapware or an oven, you cannot give a firm price for them. You put in an allowance. Say what it covers, for example “supply and delivery of floor tiles, allowance $X per square metre”, and say what happens if the final choice costs more or less. The full explanation of these terms is in our guide to provisional sums and prime cost items.
How long the price holds
None of the regulator pages we read sets a standard length of time for a quote to stay open. So it is yours to set. Pick a date and write it on the quote.
Material prices and your own diary both move. If a client comes back after your date, you are free to re-price. A line such as “This quote is valid until 30 January” is enough. If you would rather have a rule of thumb, write it down once, apply it to every quote, and keep to it.
Payment terms and how to accept
State the deposit, the stages and the due dates. Keep the deposit inside your state’s limit. NSW, for example, says the maximum deposit is 10 per cent, and Queensland’s limits step down as the job gets bigger. The limits for each state, with the regulator’s page, are in building contract deposit limits by state.
For acceptance, make it easy and make it traceable. A signature line on the quote, or a reply email that says “I accept quote 1042 dated 12 November”, both work. Verbal acceptance is how a job starts with two different ideas of the price. What the acceptance block says, and what to send once the client says yes, is in quote acceptance.
When a quote becomes a contract (check your state)
Once the client accepts a quote, you may already have a binding agreement. For smaller jobs a good quote can be all you need. Past a threshold, the law wants a proper written contract, and the thresholds are different in each state. Here is what the regulator pages say, read on 13 November 2026:
- New South Wales: a written contract is required where the price is over $5,000 including GST. Contracts between $5,000 and $20,000 are small jobs, and over $20,000 they are large jobs with more required content (NSW Government on contracts).
- Queensland: a written contract is required for domestic building work priced over $3,300 including GST, and further requirements apply from $20,000 (QBCC on domestic building contracts).
- Victoria: a written major domestic building contract is required for work over $10,000, with a five-day cooling-off clause (Consumer Affairs Victoria). Victoria’s domestic building contract laws were amended in 2025 and Consumer Affairs Victoria says the new laws take effect by 1 December 2026, so check the current rules before you rely on this.
- Western Australia: the Home Building Contracts Act covers fixed-price home building contracts valued between $7,500 and $500,000 (WA Building and Energy).
South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT, the Northern Territory and New Zealand are not covered here; check your own regulator. If a job is close to a threshold, get the contract right rather than stretching the quote. This is general information, not legal advice: check with your regulator or a solicitor for your situation.
If your quotes go quiet after you send them, the follow-up is often where it goes wrong. See the follow-up email after a quote, or our quote follow-up work.
Common questions
Is a quote the same as an estimate?
No. Consumer Protection New Zealand describes an estimate as a best guess and not a fixed price, and a quote as an offer to do a job for a specified price. Say which one you are giving, and write it at the top.
Do I need terms and conditions on a quote?
Short ones help. Cover how variations work, how long the price holds, payment due dates and what happens to late payments. Keep them to a page and make sure the client has seen them before accepting.
How long should a quote be valid?
None of the regulator pages we read sets a period. Choose one that matches how fast your material prices and diary change, and write the date on the quote.
Can I charge for preparing a quote?
Some businesses do. Consumer Protection NZ says the business must tell the client beforehand if it charges a quote fee. Say so before you start.