A quote is often the first professional document a potential client receives from you. Get it right and you win the job and set clear expectations. Get it wrong and you either don't win the work, or you win it and spend the project managing disagreements about what was included.

Here's how to write a quote that wins work and protects you.

What Every Professional Quote Must Include

  • Quote number — for easy reference (QUO-001, QUO-002...)
  • Date issued
  • Expiry date — more on this below
  • Your business name and contact details
  • Client's name and contact details
  • Clear description of the work or goods
  • Breakdown of costs — labour, materials, any separate fees
  • GST treatment — either "+GST" or "incl. GST" or "GST not applicable"
  • Total amount
  • Payment terms — when payment is due after the work is complete
  • What's NOT included — this is often as important as what is

Describing the Work Clearly

The description of work is where most quotes fall down. Vague descriptions lead to scope creep — where the client assumes things are included that you didn't intend to include.

Instead of: "Website design — $3,500"

Write:
Website design — 5-page website (Home, About, Services, Blog, Contact)
Includes: Custom design, mobile responsive, contact form, Google Analytics setup
Excludes: Content writing, SEO setup, e-commerce functionality, hosting

The exclusions list is just as valuable as the inclusions. It prevents the "but I thought that was included" conversation.

Pricing Your Quote

Two common approaches:

Fixed Price

You name a total price for the whole job. Good for well-defined scopes where you can confidently estimate the time. Clients prefer this — no surprises.

Risk: if the job runs over time, you absorb the cost. Price it accordingly — build in a buffer for unexpected complexity.

Time and Materials (T&M)

You charge an hourly or daily rate, plus the cost of materials. Good for jobs where the scope isn't fully clear upfront, or where materials costs vary.

Always give an estimate even on T&M quotes — "estimated 15–20 hours at $85/hr" — so the client has a budget expectation.

Expiry Dates Are Important

Always include an expiry date on your quotes — typically 14 to 30 days. This protects you from:

  • A client coming back 6 months later wanting the work at the old price
  • Your costs (especially for materials or subcontractors) having changed
  • Your availability no longer matching what you quoted

A quote without an expiry date is an open-ended offer you may be legally obligated to honour.

Payment Terms and Deposits on Quotes

Your quote should reference your payment terms — when you expect to invoice and when payment is due. For larger jobs, state your deposit requirement upfront:

"A 50% deposit is required before work commences. The balance is invoiced on completion, due within 14 days."

Stating this in the quote means the client accepts these terms when they approve it — no surprises at invoice time.

Converting an Approved Quote to an Invoice

Once the client approves your quote, you should be able to convert it to an invoice without retyping everything. This is a key workflow feature to look for in invoicing software.

In MyBillDash, when a quote is approved (either by you or by the client through the client portal), one click converts it to an invoice. All the line items, descriptions, and amounts carry over — you just adjust for any variations and send.

Sending Your Quote Professionally

Don't paste the quote details into the body of an email. Send it as a PDF attachment (or a link to a professional online version) with a short covering note:

Subject: Quote QUO-0023 from [Your Business] — $4,800 + GST

Hi [Name],

Please find attached our quote for [brief description of work]. This quote is valid until [date].

Let me know if you have any questions or would like to discuss anything in the quote. Happy to adjust if needed.

[Your name]

A professional presentation — clean PDF, clear subject line, brief and confident email — wins more work than the same quote sent as an email wall of text.

Try MyBillDash free — send professional quotes in minutes and convert approved ones to invoices with one click.