Quote generator
Price the work, itemise it, and give the client a document they can say yes to. Set how long the quote stays open — the tool works out the expiry date — and print or save it as a PDF when it reads the way you want.
Quote
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| Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount |
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A quote is an offer, and an offer can be accepted
This is the part people miss. In most common-law systems a quotation is a firm offer to do specified work at a specified price, and once the client accepts it a contract exists on those terms. You cannot then discover that you underpriced it and raise the figure, any more than they can decide afterwards that they wanted twice as much work for the same money.
An estimate is a different animal: a considered guess, not an offer, and it does not bind either side to the number. The distinction is in what the document says it is and how it is worded, not in how carefully you calculated it — so if the figure genuinely is provisional, call it an estimate and say what would move it.
Two lines protect you more than anything else on the page. An expiry date, because a price you quoted in March should not still be claimable in December after your costs changed. And a scope boundary — what is included, and one line on what is not — because almost every dispute about a quote is really a dispute about whether something was in it.
Pricing the work so the number survives the conversation
Itemise more than feels necessary. A single line reading "Website — 4,500" invites a negotiation about the total, which is a negotiation you can only lose. The same work split into design, build, content migration and a support period invites a conversation about scope, which is one where removing something removes its cost and everybody stays whole.
Quote for the work you will actually do, including the parts nobody thinks to bill for: the kick-off call, the two rounds of revisions, the handover. Freelancers systematically underquote by leaving out coordination time, then absorb it, then feel underpaid on a job they priced themselves.
If there is a deposit, put it on the quote rather than raising it after acceptance. A third up front is normal in most trades and creative fields, and it is far easier to state as a term of the offer than to introduce as a condition once the client has already said yes.
From accepted quote to invoice
When the client accepts, the quote becomes the specification you invoice against, so the invoice should mirror it line for line. Matching lines are what let an accounts department approve a payment without asking anybody anything, and mismatched ones are the single most common reason an invoice sits unpaid while somebody tries to reconcile it against a purchase order.
Keep the quote number on the invoice. "Per quote QUO-0042, accepted 14 March" turns two separate documents into one auditable chain, and if the job later expands, a new quote for the extra work keeps that chain intact instead of burying a scope change inside an invoice nobody expected.
How long the quote stays open
For a quote issued on Mar 2, 2026, this is the date each option expires. Print the date on the document rather than a number of days — a client reading it in six weeks should not have to work out whether the offer is still live.
| Option | Valid until | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Net 7 | Mar 9, 2026 | Open for acceptance within 7 days of the issue date. |
| Net 14 | Mar 16, 2026 | Open for acceptance within 14 days of the issue date. |
| Net 30 | Apr 1, 2026 | Open for acceptance within 30 days of the issue date. |
| Net 60 | May 1, 2026 | Open for acceptance within 60 days of the issue date. |
| End of month | Mar 31, 2026 | Open for acceptance by the last day of the month the invoice was issued in. |
Common questions
What is the difference between a quote and an estimate?
A quote is a fixed offer at a stated price that becomes binding once accepted. An estimate is an informed approximation that does not bind either side. If your figure could move, label the document an estimate and say what would change it.
How long should a quote be valid for?
Thirty days is the common default and long enough for most decisions. Shorter periods make sense where your own input costs move — materials, subcontractors, exchange rates. Whatever you choose, print the expiry date on the document rather than a number of days.
Is a quote legally binding?
Once the client accepts it on its terms, generally yes — that is what separates it from an estimate. Which is why an expiry date and a clear statement of what is and is not included are worth more than any amount of polish elsewhere on the page.