Free quote template for tradespeople

A quote is not a price on a scrap of paper. It is the document that decides whether the job runs smoothly — and, in France, it is often the document a client will wave at you if the invoice does not match.

Below is the structure QuotePaid generates, and the reason for each field.

The header

• Your business name, address, phone, email and company number. In France the SIRET; in the UK the company number and, if you are VAT registered, the VAT number.
• The client's name and address, plus the site address if the work happens somewhere else. This matters: an invoice addressed to a person for work at a different property is a common source of disputes.
• A sequential quote number and the issue date. Never reuse or renumber.
• A validity period. Thirty days is common; thirty days also stops a client from accepting a price from two years ago.

The line items

Each line needs four things, not three:

1. A description the client understands — not your internal code.
2. The quantity and the unit. 12 m², 3 points, 2 days, 1 forfait. France requires the unit of measure on invoices, and a unit is what lets the client check your maths.
3. The unit price excluding VAT.
4. The VAT rate applied to that line.

Group labour and materials if you like, but keep the units. A single line called "bathroom, all in" is the fastest way to lose an argument about extras.

The totals

• Subtotal excluding VAT, per VAT rate if you have more than one.
• The VAT amount.
• Total including VAT, in the currency you will invoice in.

If you are VAT exempt, do not leave the VAT lines empty — print the exemption wording instead. In France: TVA non applicable, art. 293 B du CGI. In Germany: Gemäß § 19 UStG wird keine Umsatzsteuer berechnet.

The conditions (short, but present)

• Payment terms — when the invoice is due, and how (transfer, cash, card on site). Late-payment interest and the fixed recovery fee are legal wording in France; ask your accountant for the exact sentence.
• Deposit, if you take one, and what happens to it if the job is cancelled.
• What is excluded — access, scaffolding, waste removal, making good. This one line prevents most "while you're here" conversations.
• Work dates, or a note that the dates are agreed when the quote is accepted.

The signature

A quote the client accepts in writing is worth far more than a verbal yes. Paper works, but a signature collected on your phone is faster, arrives before you leave the site, and is stored next to the quote you will invoice from.

Where the template is

QuotePaid builds this document from your price list, prints your company details and exemption wording automatically, and turns the signed quote into an invoice with the same lines, units and totals. Start the 14-day trial on the home page — no card required.