The short answer
A good tradie quote shows your business name, ABN and licence number, the customer’s name and job address, a plain description of the work and what’s not included, a total price that says whether GST is included, the deposit and payment terms, and an expiry date. For a homeowner, show the total price including GST at least as clearly as any breakdown. On bigger home building jobs a quote isn’t enough on its own: you need a written contract for work over $5,000 in NSW, over $3,300 in Queensland and, for most work, over $10,000 in Victoria.
What every quote should include
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Business name, ABN and contact details | So the customer knows who it’s from and how to reach you. Your ABN goes on the invoice later too. |
| Licence number | If the work needs a licence, show the number. In Queensland it must be on contracts, and on ads for work over $3,300. |
| Quote number and date | So you can both find the right quote when they ring back. |
| Customer name and job address | It ties the price to one job at one place. |
| The work, in plain words | Step by step. Name the brand and model of anything you supply. |
| What’s not included | Rubbish removal, making good, permits, after-hours work. Most arguments start here. |
| Price | The total, and whether GST is included. A labour and materials split helps customers compare quotes. |
| Deposit and payment terms | How much up front, when the rest is due and how to pay. |
| Changes | How extra work is priced: in writing, agreed before you do it. |
| Expiry date | No law sets how long a quote lasts, so set one, such as 30 days. |
| Quote or estimate | Say which it is. A quote is a fixed price once accepted; an estimate can change. |
| How to accept | Reply yes, sign, or pay the deposit. |
Quote template to copy
Copy this into your quoting software, a Word document or an email, and change it to suit your trade. The hot water job is only there to show the layout; put in your own work and prices.
QUOTE [Business name] · ABN [00 000 000 000] · Licence [number] [Phone] · [Email] Quote number: Q-1042 Date: [10 November 2026] Valid until: [10 December 2026] For: [Customer name] Job address: [Street, suburb, state, postcode] THE JOB Remove the old electric hot water system. Supply and install a new [brand and model]. Connect it to the existing water and power, test it, and take the old unit away. INCLUDED • The new unit and fittings • Labour to remove the old unit and install the new one • Taking the old unit away • Compliance certificate NOT INCLUDED • Electrical work beyond connecting to the existing circuit • Any extra work found once the old unit is out (quoted in writing before we do it) PRICE Labour: $[amount] Materials: $[amount] TOTAL: $[amount] including GST PAYMENT Deposit: $[amount] to book the job Balance: due [7 or 14] days from the invoice Bank transfer: BSB [000-000], account [00000000], reference Q-1042 CHANGES Any change to the job is quoted in writing and agreed before we do it. This is a fixed-price quote. To go ahead, reply to this email or ring [phone].
Subject: Your quote for [the job] from [business name]
Hi [name], Thanks for having us out today. Your quote for [the job] is attached. It’s a fixed price of $[amount] including GST, and it’s good until [date]. If anything isn’t clear, or you’d like something changed, just reply or ring me on [phone]. If you’d like to go ahead, reply yes and I’ll lock in a start date. If you’d rather we didn’t follow up, just reply “no thanks”. Thanks, [Your name] [Business name] · ABN [number]
Price and GST rules
- For a homeowner, show the total price as one figure that includes GST. The ACCC’s example: “$1,000 + $100 GST” on its own isn’t allowed, and the total must be at least as prominent as any part of it. Prices quoted only to businesses can be shown before GST.
- If you’re not registered for GST, don’t add GST to the price.
- A quote is a fixed price. As WA Consumer Protection puts it, a quote “can’t be changed once you accept it”. An estimate is your best guess and can end up higher or lower, but you still have to estimate with care.
- Anything you say about price, timing or availability must not be misleading.
When a quote isn’t enough: written contracts for home building work
On bigger home jobs the law needs more than a quote. Above these amounts you need a written contract, signed before the work starts. The quote can become part of it.
| State | Written contract needed for | What else applies |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Residential building work over $5,000 including GST | $5,000 to $20,000 can use the small works contract; over $20,000 needs a full home building contract. A licence is needed over $5,000, and for specialist work like plumbing, gas and electrical at any price. |
| VIC | Most domestic building work over $10,000 | A major domestic building contract in clear English, with a 5-day cooling-off clause. Give the client the Domestic Building Consumer Guide before they sign. Splitting a job into smaller contracts doesn’t get around it. |
| QLD | Domestic building work over $3,300 | Written, dated and signed by both sides before work starts, with your licence number as it appears on your QBCC licence. Work over $3,300 also needs the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme premium. |
Send it fast, then follow it up
Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading tells customers to “always get at least three written quotes”, so assume yours is being compared with two others. The quote that arrives first, reads clearly and gets a follow-up is usually the one that wins.
Tradify’s February 2026 report on more than 10,000 Australian tradies found its users win between 76% and 87% of the quotes they send, depending on the trade, and links faster, clearer quotes to higher win rates. (Those are software users, so likely better than average.) In Jobber’s 2026 survey of US home service businesses, more than 70% of customers expected a reply the same day.
Our guide to following up quotes has the timings and word-for-word texts.
Where AI staff fit
The layout above only helps if the quote goes out the same day, every time. With LeadAI, SAM writes the quote while you talk it through, and Emily follows up every quote you’ve sent: the check-in, the call and the note before it expires.
Nothing is priced or discounted without you, and anyone who says no is taken off the follow-up. Emily and SAM are part of the Growth plan: five AI staff for $950 a quarter plus GST, about $2.08 a day each.
Questions people ask
- What should a tradie quote include?
- Your business name, ABN and licence number, the customer’s name and job address, a plain description of the work, what’s not included, the total price and whether GST is included, the deposit and payment terms, how changes are priced, and an expiry date.
- Do I have to include GST in a quote?
- For a consumer, show the total price including GST as one figure, at least as prominent as any breakdown. Quotes only to businesses can show prices before GST, as long as that’s clear. If you’re not registered for GST, don’t charge it.
- How long should a quote be valid for?
- No law sets it. Pick a period that suits how fast your material prices move, such as 30 days, and print the expiry date on the quote.
- Can I change a quote after the customer accepts it?
- Not for the work it describes. A quote is a fixed price once accepted, which is why the scope and the exclusions matter. Quote any extra work in writing and get it agreed before you do it.
- When do I need a contract instead of a quote?
- For home building work over $5,000 including GST in NSW, over $3,300 in Queensland, and for most domestic building work over $10,000 in Victoria. Other states have their own limits.
- Can AI write my quotes?
- Yes. LeadAI’s SAM writes the quote while you talk it through, and Emily follows it up. Nothing is priced or discounted without you.
Sources
- 1. ACCC, Component pricing
- 2. WA Consumer Protection, Estimates and quotes
- 3. ATO, Tax invoices
- 4. NSW Government, Contracts for residential building work
- 5. NSW Government, Guide to providing home building contracts
- 6. Consumer Affairs Victoria, Preparing a major domestic building contract
- 7. QBCC, Key information for licensees and home owners
- 8. Queensland Government, Getting quotes and signing contracts
- 9. Tradify, Australia’s top-earning trades report (February 2026)
- 10. Jobber, 2026 Home Service Trends Report (US)
More guides
- How to follow up a quote without being pushy
When to follow up, what to say word for word, and the Spam Act and calling rules every follow-up text, email and call has to meet.
- Overdue invoice reminder emails: 7 templates for tradies
Seven reminder emails and texts to copy, from the friendly nudge to the final notice, with when to send each one and the rules to stay inside.
- How to chase unpaid invoices as a tradie in Australia
Reminder timings that work, the contact rules you have to stay inside, letters of demand, Security of Payment and small claims limits by state.