Quotation Format
A priced quote with a validity period and a scope note.
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| Quotation no. | [quote no.] |
| For | [customer name] — [customer address] |
| Date | October 14, 2026 |
| Valid for | [days] days from the date above |
| Description | Qty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| [add one line per item] | ||
| Subtotal | $ 0.00 | |
| Total | $ 0.00 | |
This quotation is not an invoice and no payment is due on it. Prices hold for the validity period shown; after that we may need to requote.
What is a Quotation?
A quotation is a fixed-price offer for work or goods you have defined, open for a set period. A buyer often puts it in front of a buying team next to two others. The comparison happens on your terms only if you set those terms out. A quote with no validity date, no scope note and no tax line is not something a purchasing team can approve — it is just a number in an email. This free quotation template puts the scope, the validity date and the tax line where a buyer expects to find them.
Manufacturers, wholesalers, print shops, IT resellers, service firms and freelancers all send quotations. They usually go out in reply to a question from a buyer or a formal request for quotation. At a larger buyer, the quote still has a job to do after it arrives. Someone raises a purchase order against it. Someone else later matches your invoice to both. That is why the reference number, the line descriptions and the totals must stay the same across all three documents. A quote that cannot be matched holds up your payment.
How you must show prices varies by country. In the US, sales tax depends on the state and on where you have nexus, so check with the tax agency in each state where you sell. In the UK and the EU, prices for consumers generally have to show the total payable, including VAT. Business quotes there are usually shown before tax. Australia requires a single total price for consumers. In India, a tax invoice must carry details such as the GSTIN and HSN or SAC codes. Check the current rules with the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs before you assume a quotation needs the same. For quotes across borders, state the currency and the Incoterms rule.
A quotation is not an invoice, and it creates no right to payment. It is not a contract until the buyer accepts it. It does not hold stock, capacity or a delivery slot unless you say it does. Nor does it carry your terms of sale on its own. Name them and attach them, or you will be trading on the buyer’s purchase order terms, which were written to suit the buyer. And a quote is not a sale in your pipeline. Do not count it as a live deal just because it went out.
What to put in a Quotation
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Business name | For example: Barton Supply Co. |
| Your address | For example: Unit 7, Barton Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
| Customer name | For example: Halliwell Interiors Inc. |
| Customer address | For example: 44 High Street, Columbus, OH 43215 |
| Quotation no. | For example: QT-2026-0451 |
| Valid for (days) | For example: 30 |
| Tax rate % optional | For example: 20 |
| Items quoted | One per line: Description | Qty | Amount |
| Scope note optional | For example: Price includes all materials and labour. Electrical and plumbing connections are excluded. |
How to write a Quotation
Give every quote a unique number and date
Number your quotes in one running sequence. Put the date and your reference on every page. The buyer will raise a purchase order against that number, and your accounts team will match the invoice to it. Add the buyer’s own request number too, because their purchasing team files by their number, not yours. It is dull work, but it is what stops an invoice from sitting in a queue of queries.
Write scope lines the buyer can check
Each line should name the item, the spec, the quantity and the unit. Write “Steel shelving unit, 72 x 36 x 18 inches, powder coated, 8 units”, not “shelving as discussed”. Clear descriptions, quantities and amounts let the buyer check each line. For a service, state what you will deliver and how many rounds of changes are included. That is the limit the buyer will test later. In the form, enter one item per line: description, quantity and amount.
Show tax, currency and delivery separately
Show taxes and totals on their own lines: the total before tax, the tax, and the total to pay. The form adds a tax line when you enter a tax rate. Put shipping, packing and installation on lines of their own too. For quotes abroad, name the currency and the Incoterms rule. It decides who pays for freight, insurance and duty. The gap between Ex Works and Delivered Duty Paid can be bigger than any discount you will ever negotiate.
State validity and what moves the price
Say how long the price holds and what happens after that. The form prints this as a number of days from the quote date. If your costs swing — copper, freight, foreign currency — say the price may change after the validity date. Do not try to hold a figure you cannot afford. Buyers accept a condition stated up front far more easily than a price rise announced after they have said yes.
Set payment terms, lead time and acceptance
State the lead time from the day you receive the order, not from the quote date. Add the payment terms and any deposit you need. Then say exactly how to accept: a purchase order that quotes your reference, or a signed copy sent back by email. Name the terms and conditions that apply once the quote is accepted, and attach them. Leave that out, and the buyer’s own terms usually apply. The scope note box in the form takes these lines.
Quotation example
Here is a quote made with the form on this page. Swap in your own details.
Sample quotation: office shelving for a warehouse
Bell Office Interiors
420 Main Street, Columbus, OH 43215
Quotation
Quotation no.: QT-2026-0451
For: Northgate Logistics — 1800 Harbor Road, Columbus, OH 43219
Date: November 9, 2026
Valid for: 30 days from the date above
Steel shelving unit, 72 x 36 x 18 inches, powder coated · 8 · $1,520.00
Delivery and installation, one visit · 1 · $240.00
Subtotal: $1,760.00
Total: $1,760.00
Prices exclude sales tax, which will be added at the rate that applies on the invoice date. Lead time is 10 business days from your purchase order. Payment is due 30 days from the invoice date. Removal of old shelving is not included.
This quotation is not an invoice and no payment is due on it. Prices hold for the validity period shown; after that we may need to requote.
For Bell Office Interiors
Authorized Signatory
Common mistakes
- Quoting from a spoken spec leaves no written line to point to. You deliver what you understood, not what the buyer meant, and you cannot show who is right.
- Leaving the validity open lets the buyer accept after your own suppliers have raised their prices. By then, your margin has gone.
- Folding the delivery charge into the unit price makes your quote look expensive. Another supplier who shows shipping on its own line looks cheaper next to you.
- Failing to reference your terms of sale means the buyer’s purchase order terms apply. You may then have agreed to payment and liability terms you never read.
- Reusing a quote number breaks the match between order, delivery note and invoice. The payment is then held while someone sorts out the query.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a quotation?
Head it “Quotation” with your business name, the quote number and the date. Then add the buyer’s name and their request number. List each item or service with its quantity, rate and amount. Show tax on its own line, and give the total. Finish with how long the quote is valid, the delivery or finish time, the payment terms and what is not included, and sign it. Quotation templates like this one keep that order, saving time and making sure nothing is left out.
What is the difference between a quotation and an invoice?
A quotation offers to do work at a price. An invoice asks for payment for work already done or an order already placed. The two often look alike and may share line descriptions. But only the invoice creates a debt, and only the invoice has to meet your tax authority’s rules on content. Never send a quotation on invoice paper — some accounts systems will process it anyway.
How long should a quotation be valid?
Thirty days is the common default, and it works when your costs are stable. Cut it to seven or fourteen days when materials, freight or exchange rates move quickly. Extend it when a buyer’s approval process really is longer, as in public-sector buying. Whatever you choose, write the expiry date, not just a number of days. A reader should not have to count forward from the issue date.
Can I withdraw or change a quotation after sending it?
Usually yes, as long as the buyer has not already accepted it. Once it is accepted on the stated terms, you are generally in contract territory. If you spot an error, say so at once and in writing. Do not do the work at the wrong price and argue later. Where the sum is large, get advice on your position under the law that governs the sale before you withdraw.
Should a quotation include GST or VAT?
Show the tax treatment clearly. Business quotes are usually shown before tax, with the tax on its own line. In several countries, quotes for consumers must show the total payable. In the US, sales tax rules vary by state. Include your tax registration number if you have one, and note the rate applied. If rates may change, add a line saying the rate in force on the invoice date applies.
What should a quotation number look like?
Anything that runs in sequence and is never repeated. A prefix plus a running number, such as QT-2026-0184, is enough, and a year in the middle makes old quotes easier to search. Do not build the customer’s name into it, because quotes sometimes move to a different customer. What matters is that it is unique, that it appears on the order and invoice that follow, and that your team can find it in seconds.
Is this quotation template free to use?
Yes. You can fill in the form on this page, then print the quote or save it as a PDF at no cost. A quote and a quotation are the same thing, so free quote templates and quotation templates do the same job. What counts is what yours shows: a number, a date, item descriptions, quantities, taxes and totals, and how long the price holds.
What is the difference between a quotation and an estimate?
A quotation is a fixed price for a defined scope, open for a set period. An estimate is an approximate price that may change once the work starts. People do not always use the words the same way, so say on the document whether the price is fixed. If you quote for homeowners or other consumers, check your state or local consumer rules, because some trades have rules on written estimates.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.