Quote and estimate maker
Price a job, set how long the price holds, ask for a deposit, and send a PDF the client can sign.
Preview
Your data stays in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Check your local invoicing rules for required fields.
Last updated 2026-10-30. Method checked 2026-10-30. Methodology
Use this tool to give a client a written price before you start work. It makes a quote (a fixed price), an estimate (a price that may change), a quotation, or a proforma invoice. Each one carries your logo, line items, a discount, up to 2 tax lines, and a valid until date. Switch on a deposit, as a percentage or a fixed amount, and the totals show the deposit due on acceptance. The PDF ends with 2 signature lines, one for you and one for the client to accept. When the client says yes, Convert to invoice copies the client and the items into the invoice generator under a new number. The tool is made for trades, freelancers, agencies, and small shops, and it works in 25 currencies. The prices you type and the client's details stay in this browser and are not sent to us.
How to use the Quote and Estimate Maker
- Choose the document title: Quote, Estimate, Quotation or Proforma Invoice. Tip: Estimate numbers start with EST- and Proforma Invoice numbers with PRO-, from the next new document on.
- Enter your details, the client's details, the issue date and the currency. The valid until date starts 30 days after the issue date, and you can change it.
- Add the line items, then any discount, tax rate and deposit.
- Set the status, check the preview and download the PDF. Once the client accepts, Convert to invoice starts the bill for the work.
Worked example
Northline Carpentry in Austin quotes Maria Chen for a custom bookshelf. All figures are USD, with sales tax at 8.25% and a 30% deposit.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Quote number and status | QUO-0007, Sent |
| Issue date and valid until | 29 October 2026 to 28 November 2026 |
| Custom bookshelf, 1 at USD 1,800.00 | USD 1,800.00 |
| Installation, 4 hours at USD 75.00 | USD 300.00 |
| Sales tax | 8.25% |
| Deposit | 30% of the total |
Custom bookshelf: 1 x 1,800.00 = USD 1,800.00 Installation: 4 x 75.00 = USD 300.00 Subtotal: 1,800.00 + 300.00 = USD 2,100.00 Sales tax: 2,100.00 x 8.25 / 100 = USD 173.25 Total: 2,100.00 + 173.25 = USD 2,273.25 Deposit: 2,273.25 x 30 / 100 = 681.975, rounded half up to USD 681.98 Left to pay on completion: 2,273.25 - 681.98 = USD 1,591.27 Valid until: 29 October 2026 + 30 days = 28 November 2026
- Subtotal
- $2,100.00
- Sales tax (8.25%)
- $173.25
- Total
- $2,273.25
- Deposit due on acceptance (30%)
- $681.98
How the quote total and deposit are worked out
Line total = quantity x unit price, rounded to the smallest unit
Subtotal = sum of the line totals
Discount = subtotal x discount % (or a fixed amount, capped at the subtotal)
Tax = (subtotal - discount) x tax rate, for each tax line
Total = subtotal - discount + tax + shipping
Deposit = total x deposit %, rounded half up (or a fixed amount, capped at the total)
Valid until = issue date + 30 days, until you change it
A quote adds up the same way an invoice does. Every line is rounded on its own, the subtotal is the sum of the rounded lines, and any discount is taken off before tax. Both tax lines use the same base, so a second tax is never charged on the first. If you switch on shipping, it is added after tax unless Tax shipping is on.
The deposit is a share of the final total, tax included. A percentage deposit is rounded half up once, so in the example 30% of 2,273.25 is 681.975, which becomes 681.98. A fixed deposit larger than the total is capped at the total. The totals block prints the deposit as Deposit due on acceptance with the rate beside it. The amount left to pay on completion, here 1,591.27, is not printed, so add it to the notes if you want the client to see it.
The valid until date starts 30 days after the issue date and moves with it while you leave it alone. Once you type a date by hand it stays put. A valid until date before the issue date shows an error under the field, and the PDF waits until it is fixed.
The title changes the wording and the number series. Quote and Quotation use QUO-, Estimate uses EST- and Proforma Invoice uses PRO-. Changing the title keeps the number already on the page, so a quote you have sent never changes its reference. The new prefix is used from the next new or duplicated document. The status you pick, Draft, Sent, Accepted or Declined, prints as a stamp word in the header of the PDF.
Currencies follow their own decimals. A yen quote has no decimals at all, and a Kuwaiti dinar quote uses 3. The preview and the PDF print the same rounded figures.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a quote and an estimate?
A quote is a fixed price for a defined piece of work. Once the client accepts it, you are normally expected to hold that price unless the scope changes. An estimate is your best guess and can go up or down. A quote fits a job you know well. An estimate fits work with unknowns, such as a repair where the fault cannot be seen yet. The tool lays out both the same way and prints the title you pick.
How long is a quote usually valid for?
30 days is common, and it is the date the tool starts with. A shorter period, such as 7 or 14 days, protects you when your costs move quickly, for example when you buy materials or pay suppliers in a foreign currency. Change the valid until date to any day on or after the issue date. It prints on the PDF, so the client knows when the price ends.
Is a quote legally binding?
In many countries a written quote that the client accepts forms a contract for that price and that scope. An estimate usually does not. Rules differ by country, so for a large job put your conditions in the terms box and ask the client to sign the Accepted by line. The PDF prints that line with room for a name and a date.
Can I turn the quote into an invoice?
Yes. Convert to invoice opens the invoice generator with the client, line items, discount, tax lines, shipping, notes, payment details and settings already filled in. The invoice gets its own INV number and today's date, and the invoice terms replace the quote terms. The deposit is not carried over, so if the client has paid one, enter it in Amount paid on the invoice.
What is a proforma invoice?
A proforma invoice looks like an invoice but is sent before the sale is final, often to collect payment in advance or for customs paperwork. It is not a tax invoice and is not used to claim or pay tax. Choose Proforma Invoice as the title and the PDF prints that title with a PRO- number. Add a line such as Not a tax invoice in the notes if your buyer needs it stated.
Guides for this tool
Sources
- Citizens Advice: Quotes and estimates for building work checked 2026-10-30