Guides · Updated 2026-10-15

How to write a quote that wins the job (UK trades guide)

Customers rarely pick the cheapest quote. They pick the one they understand and trust, sent quickly. This guide covers what to include, the legal and VAT points UK trades need to get right, and the tools that make quoting faster. Tax and consumer rules are linked to GOV.UK; tool prices were checked on 15 October 2026.

Send it fast

The first clear quote often wins. If you can price from photos and measurements, send a quote the same day. A job management app lets you build and send it from your phone at the property. See the comparison of Tradify and Jobber, or UK alternatives such as Powered Now (from £28 a month, excl. VAT), YourTradebase (£29 a month plus VAT) and ServiceM8 (free plan for 30 jobs a month).

What a good quote includes

1. Your details: business name, address or contact details, and VAT number if registered.
2. The customer and site address.
3. Scope of work: what you'll do, in plain words. Be specific: "replace the 15-year-old regular boiler with a combi in the same position" beats "new boiler".
4. What's not included: making good, decorating, skip hire, parking permits. Most disputes come from exclusions nobody wrote down.
5. Assumptions: access, working hours, what happens if you find something unexpected (rotten timber, old wiring), and how that will be priced.
6. Materials: who supplies them, brand or spec, and whether prices are fixed or may change.
7. Price: broken into labour, materials and other costs, with VAT shown.
8. Payment terms: deposit, stages tied to milestones, final payment, and how to pay.
9. How changes are handled: in writing and priced before the work is done.
10. How long the quote is valid.
11. Cancellation rights, if you agree it in the customer's home (see below).

An AI assistant such as ChatGPT or Claude is good at turning rough site notes into this structure. Prices must still come from you.

Want a ready-made layout? The free quote template covers scope, exclusions, VAT, deposit and validity, and you can print it or save it as a PDF.

Getting the sums right

The quote and VAT calculator adds materials with markup, labour and other costs, then applies VAT at 20%, 5% or 0%, or the reverse charge. Markup isn't margin: a 25% markup is a 20% margin. The markup and margin calculator converts between them, and the day-rate calculator checks your rate covers your costs.

VAT points that trip trades up

• Standard rate is 20% for most work.
• Energy-saving materials in homes, including insulation, solar panels, batteries and heat pumps, are zero-rated from 1 May 2023 to 31 March 2027, then 5% (VAT Notice 708/6).
• The domestic reverse charge applies to most construction services between VAT and CIS-registered businesses, but not to private domestic customers (HMRC technical guide).
• Heat pump grants: show the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant (£7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump, GOV.UK) as its own line.

Cancellation rights for quotes agreed at home

If you agree a contract in the customer's home, GOV.UK's door-to-door sales guidance says you must tell them they can cancel within 14 days. If you don't tell them, they can cancel for up to 12 months. Contracts worth £42 or less are exempt (GOV.UK). Put the cancellation information in your quote template so it's always there.

Staged payments and variations

For bigger jobs, tie payments to visible milestones rather than dates, and say how variations will be priced and added. See AI quoting tools for builders for a terms prompt you can adapt.

Trade-specific templates

• Plumbers · Heating engineers · Electricians · Builders · Roofers · Joiners · Decorators · Tilers · Landscapers · Removals

Not sure your labour rate covers your costs? See how much to charge per hour.

Quoting a long way ahead? Add a clear price-change clause with the price-change clause generator.

Working out the numbers first? See how to price a job.

FAQ

Is a quote legally binding?

A quote the customer accepts usually forms a contract at that price; an estimate is a guide. Use the word that matches what you mean, and get legal advice for large or unusual jobs.

How long should a quote be valid?

Long enough for the customer to decide, short enough that material prices don't move much. Many trades use 30 days; say what you choose.

Should I charge for quotes?

That's your call. Some trades charge for detailed designs or surveys and deduct it from the job if accepted. Say so up front.