How to write a quote: a quote template guide for freelancers

The short answer

A good quote has a number and a valid-until date, the client's details, a scope written so a stranger could check it, a list of what is not included, line items with prices, the tax and total, the timeline, the payment terms and deposit, and a clear way to accept. Keep it to one or two pages. The free quote template has all of these fields and builds the PDF in your browser.

Why the quote matters more than the invoice

By the time you send an invoice, the price is settled. The quote is where it gets settled. Almost every payment dispute I have seen comes back to a quote that was vague about what was included: the client thought three rounds of changes were part of the price, the freelancer thought one. The invoice cannot fix that. The quote can prevent it.

So write the quote for the worst case: the person reading it in three months is not the one who hired you, has never seen the project, and is deciding whether your invoice is correct.

The parts of a quote

Header

• The word "Quote" (or "Quotation", or "Estimate" if it is not a fixed price).
• A quote number, for example Q-2026-009. You will reference it in the invoice.
• The date, and a valid-until date. Fourteen to thirty days is normal. After that your availability and costs may have changed.
• Your name or business, address, email, and tax number if you have one.
• The client's legal name, address and contact person.

Summary

One or two sentences that say what the project is. "Product visuals for the autumn launch of the Model 4 kettle: 11 still images for web and print." The client should be able to forward the quote to their manager with no explanation.

Scope

What you will deliver, specifically. Quantities, formats, sizes, number of rounds of changes, and what the client provides. Write deliverables, not activities: "11 images, 4K PNG and print-ready TIFF" rather than "rendering work".

Exclusions

What is not included. This is the line freelancers skip and later wish they had written. Typical exclusions:

• Extra rounds of changes beyond the number stated.
• Work caused by changes to the brief after acceptance.
• Stock images, fonts, licences, travel or third-party costs, unless listed.
• Source files, if you do not include them by default.
• Use beyond what the usage section says.

Exclusions are not a threat. They are the price list for everything that might come up, agreed before anyone is annoyed.

Line items and prices

Each line has a description, a quantity, a unit and a price. Group them so the client can see where the money goes without seeing your hourly maths. Add optional items on separate lines, marked as optional, so the client can add them without a new round of emails.

Tax and total

Show the subtotal, the tax with its rate (or a note that none is charged and why), and the total, with the currency code. If you are not sure what tax applies, see what to put on an invoice; the same rules decide what goes on the quote.

Timeline

The start date, the main milestones and the delivery date, and what each depends on from the client side. "Delivery 10 working days after we receive the final CAD files" protects you when the files arrive a week late.

Payment terms

The deposit, when the rest is invoiced, and the payment term. "40% on acceptance, 60% on delivery, invoices due within 14 days." My guide on payment terms covers the options.

Usage

For creative work, say how the client may use what you deliver: where, for how long, and whether it is exclusive. Many disputes are not about price at all but about a client using work somewhere you did not expect. A contract covers this in more detail; the quote should at least name it.

Acceptance

How the client accepts: signing the quote, replying "accepted" by email, or sending a purchase order. Say that work starts once the quote is accepted and the deposit is received. If you want a signature rather than an email, getting a proposal signed online covers how.

A full example

A made-up quote for a 3D product visualisation job. Names and figures are invented.

QUOTE Q-2026-009

From:   Alex Marin Studio, 12 Example Street, Bristol BS1 0AA, UK
        [email protected], VAT no. GB 000 0000 00
To:     Kettleworks Ltd, 4 Quay Road, Leeds LS1 0AA
        Contact: Jordan Lee, Marketing

Date:          5 October 2026
Valid until:   4 November 2026

Summary
Product visuals for the Model 4 kettle launch: 11 still images for
web and print.

Scope
- 11 images: 6 studio shots on white, 5 lifestyle scenes from the
  agreed moodboard.
- Delivered as 4K PNG and print-ready TIFF (300 dpi, A3).
- 2 rounds of changes on the full set.
- Built from the client's CAD files and colour references.

Not included
- Further rounds of changes (billed at GBP 480 per day).
- Changes to the product design after the first round.
- Animation, 360 spins or AR files.
- Source scene files.

Description                                 Qty   Unit price    Amount
Studio shots on white                         6      280.00   1,680.00
Lifestyle scenes                              5      560.00   2,800.00
Scene setup and materials (fixed)             1      470.00     470.00
Optional: 360 spin, 36 frames                 1      900.00  (optional)

                                     Subtotal              4,950.00
                                     VAT 20%                 990.00
                                     Total         GBP     5,940.00

Timeline
Drafts 7 working days after receiving the final CAD files.
Final delivery 5 working days after the last round of changes.

Payment
40% deposit on acceptance, 60% on final delivery.
Invoices due within 14 days.

Usage
Web, social, print and in-store for the Model 4, worldwide, no time
limit. Not exclusive to the client for the scene setups.

Acceptance
Reply "accepted" to this email or sign below. Work starts when the
deposit is received.

Every question a finance team might ask has an answer in the document: what, how many, how many rounds, what costs extra, when, how to pay, and what they may do with it.

How to send it

Send it as a PDF, attached to a short email. Put the total, the valid-until date and the one decision you need in the email body:

Subject: Quote Q-2026-009, Model 4 kettle visuals

Hi Jordan,

Attached is the quote for the 11 kettle images we discussed:
GBP 4,950 plus VAT, with two rounds of changes. Drafts are 7 working
days after I receive the final CAD files.

If it works for you, a reply saying "accepted" is enough and I will
send the deposit invoice. The quote is valid until 4 November.

Alex

Following up on a quote

Clients forget quotes as easily as invoices. If you have heard nothing after three or four working days, send one short message asking whether they have questions or whether anything should change. If the valid-until date is close, say so. One follow-up, then one more near the expiry date, is enough. After that, let it go and move on.

When a client says the price is too high, do not cut the price for the same scope. Ask which part matters most, and offer a smaller scope: fewer images, one round of changes, a simpler format. That keeps your rate intact and gives them a real choice.

From quote to invoice

Once the quote is accepted, everything on it carries over. Your invoices should reference the quote number, use the same line descriptions and prices, and apply the payment schedule you stated. The deposit invoice says "40% deposit, quote Q-2026-009". The final invoice lists the lines, subtracts the deposit and shows the balance.

For bigger jobs, put the detailed scope in a separate statement of work and refer to it from the quote. If the client asks for more during the project, send a short change quote for the extra work, with its own number, and wait for it to be accepted before you do the work. Then put it on the final invoice as its own line.

Templates for your trade

The quote templates by trade start the same quote editor with example lines for 25 kinds of freelance work, from 3D artists and photographers to developers and translators, along with notes on what people in each trade tend to leave out. If you have not worked out your rate yet, do that first with the day rate calculator, then read how to price a freelance project for turning the rate into a project price.

Questions