Trade Price Book
MenuClose

ES-01Estimates & invoices

Estimate and quote generator

Line items, options, tax and terms on a clean estimate you print or save as a PDF. Nothing is saved unless you press Save.

Your estimate

Example A water heater replacement. Replace it with your own, or start blank.

Live previewPrints like this, without the website around itFill in your estimate

Example Plumbing & Heating

1200 Commerce Drive, Suite 4 Springfield

(555) 010-0142office@example.com

License no. PL-000000

Estimate

No.
E-1042
Date
—
Valid until
—
Total
$2,006.16

Prepared for

Jordan Avery

48 Larkspur Lane Springfield

(555) 010-0187jordan.avery@example.com

Scope of work

Replace the 40-gallon gas water heater in the basement with a new 50-gallon natural gas heater. Includes a thermal expansion tank, new gas connector, shutoff and T&P discharge pipe, the permit and inspection, and hauling away the old heater. About 3 hours on site; hot water is off during the work.

Line items
LineDescriptionQtyUnitUnit priceAmount
150-gallon natural gas water heater, 40,000 Btu/h, atmospheric vent, 6-year tank warranty1ea$1,235.00$1,235.00 (taxable)
2Install parts: 2-gallon expansion tank, gas flex connector, ¾″ ball valve, dielectric unions, T&P discharge pipe1lot$202.50$202.50 (taxable)
3Labor: drain and disconnect the old heater, set the new one, connect gas, water and vent, fill, light and test3hr$125.20$375.60
4Plumbing permit and inspection, at cost1ea$120.00$120.00
5Haul away and recycle the old heater1ea$25.00$25.00

Taxable line

Subtotal
$1,958.10
Returning customer
−$50.00
Sales tax 7% on $1,400.79
$98.06
Total
$2,006.16
Deposit due at approval
$500.00
Balance due on completion
$1,506.16

Deposit and payment

$500 deposit at approval to order the heater. Balance due on completion. Check, card or bank transfer (ACH).

Not included

Drywall, flooring or paint repair. Gas line or venting changes beyond those listed. Work the inspector requires beyond this scope, priced as a change order before it starts.

Notes

Any change in scope or price is written up, priced and signed before the extra work starts.

Acceptance

The scope, prices and terms above are accepted, and the work is authorized as described.

Customer signature

Date

Printed name

Fill in your estimate

Seven steps, in the order the page reads. The preview updates as you type.

Your businessExample Plumbing & Heating

Heads the estimate, the way your customers know you.

Street, city, state and ZIP, as they should print. Press Enter for a new line.

The number customers call.

Optional.

Optional. Some states expect it on estimates, bids and contracts, California and Florida among them. Check with your licensing board.

Keeps your business name, address, phone, email and default terms in this browser, so the next estimate starts filled in. This box does not keep customer details, line items or the license number, and it sends nothing to us.

CustomerJordan Avery

The person or company the estimate is for.

Mailing address. Add the job site below if it is somewhere else.

Optional.

Optional.

Only if the work is at a different address.

Estimate detailsE-1042
Call it

The word printed at the top. The math is the same.

Your own numbering, like E-1042. Quote it on change orders and the invoice.

Today’s date on this device.

A date, not “30 days”: prices and schedules move.

Scope of work51 words

Write it so someone who wasn’t there can tell what is included: tasks, materials, make and model, permit, haul-away.

Line items5 lines · $1,958.10
  • Description: what the customer gets, with make, model or size where it matters.
  • Qty and unit: 3 hr, 1 ea, 25 ft. Qty takes numbers only; an empty Qty counts as 1.
  • Unit price before tax, numbers only. Leave Qty and price empty for a text-only line.
  • Taxable: tick the lines your state taxes. The rate is set under step 6.
  1. Line 1

    Amount $1,235.00

  2. Line 2

    Amount $202.50

  3. Line 3

    Amount $375.60

  4. Line 4

    Amount $120.00

  5. Line 5

    Amount $25.00

Subtotal $1,958.10

Two or three complete choices on one estimate, such as a standard tank, a bigger tank and a tankless heater. Each option totals its own lines plus the lines in every option.

Discount, tax and depositTotal $2,006.16
Discount

Taken off before tax. Leave empty for none.

Optional, like “Returning customer”.

Contractor sales tax differs by state: some tax the materials, some the whole job, some neither. Tick Taxable on the lines your state taxes, or leave the rate empty. How several states handle it

Deposit requested

Due at approval. Some states cap deposits on home improvement work: California allows $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less. Leave empty for none.

Total
$2,006.16
tax $98.06
Deposit
$500.00
balance $1,506.16
Terms and notes3 of 3 written

When the deposit and the balance are due, and how you take payment. Card surcharges have network and state rules: card fees for contractors. Saved with your business details if you tick “Remember” in step 1.

What the price does not cover, and what you are assuming. Keep a standard list and edit it per job. Saved with your business details if you tick “Remember” in step 1.

Anything else: change orders, scheduling, warranty.

Adds the customer’s signature, date and printed name.

Printed above the signature line. Saved with your business details if you tick “Remember” in step 1.

Before you send it 7 of 9

  • Done: Your business name and how to reach you
  • Done: Your license numberwhere your state requires it
  • Done: The customer and the job address
  • Not yet:
  • Not yet:
  • Done: A scope someone who wasn’t there can follow
  • Done: Priced line items
  • Done: Deposit and payment terms
  • Done: What is not included
  • Done: Signature lines
  • Optional: it may require a three-day cancellation notice

Total $2,006.16 · deposit $500.00. Back to the preview

Prints only the estimate: no website header, ads or links. In the print window, choose “Save as PDF” to get a file.

How the math works

Every figure is a whole number of cents. Each line, the discount, the tax and the deposit are rounded to the cent once, and the totals are added from those printed figures, so the page always adds up. The example is the water heater estimate above.

  1. Line amountquantity × unit price, rounded to the centLabor: 3 hr × $125.20 = $375.60. An empty quantity counts as 1.
  2. Subtotalthe sum of the line amountsFive lines: $1,958.10.
  3. Discountan amount, or a percent of the subtotalTaken off before tax: $50.00.
  4. Taxable amounttaxable lines − discount × taxable lines ÷ subtotal$1,437.50 − $50.00 × $1,437.50 ÷ $1,958.10 = $1,437.50 − $36.71 = $1,400.79.
  5. Sales taxtaxable amount × tax rate, rounded to the cent$1,400.79 × 7% = $98.06.
  6. Totalsubtotal − discount + sales tax$1,958.10 − $50.00 + $98.06 = $2,006.16.
  7. Deposit and balancedeposit: an amount, or a percent of the total · balance = total − deposit$2,006.16 − $500.00 = $1,506.16 due on completion.

Rounding

Amounts are kept in whole cents and rounded half up: a tax of $100.625 prints as $100.63. Because the totals are added from the rounded figures, the customer can check every line of the page with a calculator and get the same total.

Sales tax

Whether a contractor charges sales tax, and on what, depends on the state, on the kind of work and on how the contract is written. Depending on those, the customer’s bill may carry tax on the materials, on the whole job, or none at all. That is why each line has its own Taxable box instead of one switch for the whole estimate. The sales tax guide sets out what the tax agencies of all 50 states and DC say. For custom construction, Washington’s Department of Revenue says a bid or contract should show sales tax as a separate amount, which is how the tax prints here.

A discount is spread over the taxable and non-taxable lines in proportion to their amounts, so tax is figured on what the customer actually pays for the taxable part. If your state treats discounts differently, enter the lines net of the discount instead.

Options

With options switched on, every line goes either in every option or in one of them. Each option’s total is a complete price: its own lines plus the shared ones, with the same discount, tax rate and deposit rule. The customer ticks one box on the signed copy, and nobody has to add two options together.

Deposits

State law can limit deposits. On a home improvement contract as California’s Business and Professions Code defines it, section 7159.5 caps the down payment at $1,000 or 10% of the contract amount, whichever is less (contractors with certain approved bonds are exempt). Check your own state before you set a standard deposit.

What else belongs on an estimate

A scope someone who wasn’t there can follow, exclusions, an expiry date rather than “valid 30 days”, the deposit and payment terms, how change orders are handled, and signature lines. Some states also expect your license number on bids and contracts: California’s section 7030.5 and Florida’s section 489.119 are two examples. How to write a plumbing estimate walks through each item.

Sales made at the customer’s home

The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule covers many consumer sales of $25 or more made at the buyer’s home. For a covered sale the buyer can cancel until midnight of the third business day, and the seller has to give a written cancellation notice and two copies of a cancellation form. This generator does not create those; check whether the rule applies to your sales on the FTC’s page in the sources below, and ask an attorney about your state’s door-to-door rules.

What happens to what you type

The estimate is built in your browser. Calculators run in your browser and work without an account. Nothing is saved unless you press Save. If you tick “Remember my business details on this device”, only your business name, address, phone, email and default terms are saved, in your browser’s local storage; “Forget my details” removes them. Details are in the Privacy Policy and the Cookie Policy.

Tools for the job

Tool listCross-trade + Office4 itemsSpecs read

As an Amazon Associate, Trade Price Book earns from qualifying purchases. Amazon links are marked “(paid link)”; prices aren’t shown here.

  1. Laser distance metersLeica Geosystems DISTO X4

    Leica DISTO X4

    • Pointfinder camera for targeting distant points in bright sunlight.

    Specs: Leica Geosystems product page, read

    Search on Amazon for Leica Geosystems DISTO X4(paid link)

  2. Laser distance metersBosch GLM400CL

    BLAZE Outdoor 400 Ft. Connected Lithium-Ion Laser Measure with Camera

    • Range up to 400 ft with accuracy up to ±1/16 in.

    Specs: Bosch product page, read

    View on Amazon for Bosch GLM400CL(paid link)

  3. Rugged tablets and mobile printersSamsung SM-X308U

    Galaxy Tab Active5 5G (U.S., unlocked)

    • 8.0 in. WUXGA display up to 120 Hz that works with gloves or when wet; Exynos 1380 processor.

    Specs: Samsung product page, read

    View on Amazon for Samsung SM-X308U(paid link)

  4. Rugged tablets and mobile printersBrother PJ-883

    PocketJet PJ-883 Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Mobile Printer

    • Full-page 8.5 in. wide thermal printing at 300 dpi, up to 3 in. per second.

    Specs: Brother product page, read

    View on Amazon for Brother PJ-883(paid link)

How tools are chosen for gear listsAll 12 cross-trade tools

Sources

  1. 16 CFR Part 429 — Rule Concerning Cooling-off Period for Sales Made at Homes or at Certain Other LocationseCFR, Office of the Federal Register
  2. Buyer’s Remorse: The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule May HelpFederal Trade Commission
  3. California Business and Professions Code Section 7159.5California Legislative Information
  4. California Business and Professions Code Section 7030.5California Legislative Information
  5. The 2026 Florida Statutes, Section 489.119 — Business organizations; qualifying agentsFlorida Legislature
  6. Custom constructionWashington State Department of Revenue