How to use the Quotation Maker
- Fill in your business details and the customer's, and set the quote number, date and validity period.
- Add each product or service as a line item with quantity and unit price. Set your currency symbol and tax rate once; totals recalculate as you type.
- Add payment terms or notes, then Download PDF Quotation and send it.
When to use it
A quote is the document that turns an enquiry into a job, and the speed of the reply often decides who wins the work. This tool lets a plumber, a printer, a caterer or a freelance designer answer a request with a clean, numbered PDF within minutes, without opening accounting software. Once the customer accepts, the same line items can be carried into the Invoice Maker.
What a quotation must carry
A quote is an offer, so it needs everything the customer requires to accept it and nothing that binds them beyond it: your details and theirs, a quote number and date, a line-by-line description with quantities and unit prices, subtotal, tax and total, the validity period ("valid for 30 days"), and the terms that will apply if accepted: deposit, delivery time, what is excluded. The checklist with reasons is on what to include in a quote.
Worked example
A joiner quotes a café for two oak worktops. Line 1: "Oak worktop 2.4 m, supply and fit" 2 × $620. Line 2: "Removal and disposal of existing worktops" 1 × $150. Subtotal $1,390, tax at 20% $278, total $1,668. Quote Q-2026-117, dated 23 September, valid to 23 October, terms "50% deposit on acceptance, balance on completion, lead time 3 weeks from deposit". When the café says yes, that quote number goes on their purchase order and, later, on the joiner's invoice, which is how the three documents get matched without a phone call.
Common mistakes
- No validity date. Without one, a customer can accept a six-month-old price after your costs have risen.
- Vague lines. "Kitchen work: $1,390" invites the argument about what was included. Each line should be something the customer could tick off on delivery.
- Quoting net to a consumer. Private customers expect the total they will pay; businesses expect net plus tax. Say which.
- Turning the quote into the invoice by changing the title. Keep the quote as issued and raise the invoice separately with its own number, referencing the quote.
When this tool is the wrong one
A quote prices work whose scope is already clear. If the client still needs to understand what they are buying, a proposal carries the scope and the price together. After acceptance, the Invoice Maker bills it. The difference between a quote and the documents that follow it is compared on quote vs purchase order.
Good to know
State a validity period on every quote so material price changes do not catch you out. Your last quote is kept in this browser's local storage, which makes repeat quotes for the same customer quick. Nothing is uploaded, so the customer's details never leave your device.