How to write a quote as a tradie in Australia

Updated 9 October 2026

Quote or estimate? Say which one you're giving

A quote is a fixed price for the work you've described. Once the customer accepts it, that's the price. An estimate is your best guess and can change. Customers treat anything called a quote as a promise, so only call it a quote when you're confident about the scope. If there's a real unknown (what's behind the wall, how bad the rot is), quote what you can see, say what isn't covered, and say how you'll price it if you find it.

What to put on every quote

• Your details: business name, ABN, phone, email, and your licence number if your trade needs one.
• The customer and the site: name, contact details and the job address (it's often not the billing address).
• Scope of work: what you'll do, in plain words. Add a line for what's not included, like making good, rubbish removal or council fees. Most disputes start here.
• Itemised prices: labour and materials as separate lines. Customers trust a broken-down price more than one big number.
• GST: if you're registered, show the GST amount or say the total includes GST. If you're not, don't add it.
• Total: the amount the customer will actually pay.
• Validity: an expiry date, usually 30 days.
• Deposit and payment terms: how much is due up front, when the balance is due, and how they can pay.
• How to accept: a signature, a reply, or better, a link they can tap to accept.

Example: a small bathroom job

Here's how the numbers on a simple quote look for a GST-registered tradie. Line prices are shown excluding GST, with GST added at 10% at the bottom.

Then add the terms: "Price valid 30 days. 20% deposit ($481.80) to book the job, balance on completion. Not included: tiling repairs behind the old vanity, if needed."

Deposit limits for residential building work

If the job counts as residential building work, your state caps the deposit you can take. These are the limits as of October 2026:

Getting more quotes accepted

• Send it the same day. The tradie who quotes first often wins, because the customer stops looking.
• Make yes easy. A quote they can accept from their phone gets answered faster than a PDF they have to print and sign.
• Take the deposit at acceptance. It locks the job in and covers your materials.
• Follow up once, two or three days later. A short "any questions about the quote?" is enough.
• Offer options for bigger jobs. A good, better and best version lets the customer choose instead of comparing you to someone cheaper.

Changes once the job has started

If the customer asks for extra work, or you find something that wasn't in the scope, stop and agree the change in writing first: what the extra work is and what it costs. A text or email they reply "yes" to beats an argument at invoice time.

Doing it from your phone

You don't need a desktop and a Word template. Most tradie quoting apps let you build a quote on site from saved items, add GST automatically and send it by text or email. In Jobbit, the customer gets a link where they can read the quote, accept it and pay a deposit by card. You then turn the accepted quote into a job, and the job into an invoice, without retyping the items. There's a free plan if you want to try it on your next few quotes.