Free estimate templates for every trade
An estimate is your best price before the work begins. It is not a promise of the final figure — that is a quote — so it should say what it covers and how long the price holds.
Pick your trade
Each has a page of its own — what goes on an estimate in that trade, what that trade bills for, and the questions it actually gets asked. The sheet opens with that trade’s usual jobs and prices already filled in.
What goes on an estimate
- The date, and the date the price is good until
- What the job covers, in enough detail that nobody argues about it later
- What it does not cover, and anything you have had to guess at
- Each item priced on its own line, so one can be dropped without redoing the lot
- A line for the customer to sign if they want you to go ahead
- Whether a deposit is needed before the work starts
Settling on the figure? The markup calculator turns what the job costs you and the markup you add into the price to write on the estimate — and shows the margin that price actually leaves.
How to send it
Most customers want the paper on their phone, so the estimate goes out by WhatsApp, text or email, or as a link they can open without installing anything. You can download the PDF instead if you would rather print it or keep it for your own records.
Pick how it looks
Six looks, from a plain classic sheet to a bold top band or a shop ticket, and your initials or logo are placed automatically. See all six looks.
Questions about estimates
Is an estimate binding?
An estimate is generally understood as your best figure before the work starts, and a quote as a fixed price for the work as described. What actually binds you is what you wrote and what the customer signed, so say plainly which one you are giving them. Both are available here.
How far can the final bill move from the estimate?
There is no universal number, and the honest answer is that it should not move without a phone call. Say on the estimate that you will call before exceeding it, then do that. A customer who was asked almost always agrees; a customer who was told afterwards almost never does.
Should I charge for giving an estimate?
For a quick look, most trades do not. For anything that takes real time — a survey, a detailed take-off, a diagnostic — charging is normal, and waiving the fee if the work goes ahead is the usual compromise. Say which before you turn up.
Does an estimate need a signature?
If you want it to mean anything later, yes. The signature is the moment the customer agreed to the scope and the price, and it is what a variation gets measured against. Every estimate here has a signature line and a date the price holds until.
How long should an estimate stay valid?
Thirty days is the usual term and it is what these templates put on by default. Any longer and material prices have moved; any shorter and you look like you are rushing the customer.
More on how JobPaperwork works, including what it stores and what it does not do, and the guides for the questions that need more than a paragraph.