Quotation Terms and Conditions: Examples You Can Adapt

Quotation terms and conditions are the short rules at the bottom of a quote that say how long the price holds, what is included, how and when you get paid, and what happens if the job changes. Five or six plain sentences cover most small jobs. Below is example wording for each clause, which you can adapt to your trade and paste into the notes or terms section of your next quote.

Why terms belong on the quote, not just the invoice

When a client accepts a quote, they accept everything written on it. That makes the quote the one moment both sides agree the rules before any money or work changes hands. A deposit, a late-payment charge or a cancellation fee that first appears on the invoice reads as something you added after the fact, and clients push back on it.

You don't need a legal document. Most small businesses need five or six clauses, written the way you would explain them to the client in person.

Validity and what the price includes

The validity clause protects you from a quote accepted months later at old prices. The inclusions clause stops the client assuming something is covered when it isn't. Both matter most for jobs with materials, where supplier prices move. For cleaning work, our cleaning quotation generator starts with a 30-day validity line and a "not included" line already in the notes.

• "This quotation is valid for 30 days from the date above. After that, prices may change."
• "The price includes labour and the materials listed. It does not include paint, fixtures or anything not listed above."
• "Prices exclude VAT unless stated otherwise."
• "Material prices are held until the validity date. If the job starts later, we will confirm any change before ordering."

Deposit and payment terms

State the deposit, when the balance is due, and how to pay. A specific number of days gets paid faster than "on completion", which each side reads differently.

• "A 50% deposit is due on acceptance. Work is scheduled once the deposit is received."
• "The balance is due within 7 days of the invoice date."
• "For projects longer than four weeks, we invoice 30% on acceptance, 40% at the halfway stage and 30% on completion."
• "Payment by bank transfer to the account on the invoice. Please use the invoice number as the reference."
• "Late payments may be charged interest at 2% per month on the overdue amount."

Extra work, price changes and delays

Scope changes are the most common source of disputes on service jobs. A clause that says how extra work is agreed and priced turns "can you just also..." into a quick written yes and a clear line on the invoice.

• "Work not listed on this quotation will be quoted separately and started only after you approve it in writing."
• "Extra work agreed on site is charged at 450 per hour plus materials."
• "The quote includes two rounds of revisions. Further revisions are charged at 90 per hour."
• "If hidden problems are found once work starts (for example rot, leaks or faulty wiring), we will stop and quote the repair before continuing."
• "Delivery dates depend on receiving your approvals and content on time. Delays on your side move the finish date by the same amount."

Cancellation and acceptance

Say what happens if the client cancels, and exactly how they accept. The acceptance line is the one clients most often have to ask about, so make it one step.

• "If you cancel after acceptance, the deposit covers work done and materials ordered up to that date. Any unused balance of the deposit will be refunded."
• "Cancellations within 48 hours of a booked start date are charged a call-out fee of 350."
• "To accept this quotation, reply to this email with the quote number, or sign and return a copy."
• "Acceptance of this quotation means acceptance of these terms."

Short terms on the quote, full terms on a link

A quote with a full page of fine print is harder to say yes to. Put the four or five clauses that matter for this job on the quote itself: validity, inclusions, deposit, payment due date and how to accept. If you have longer standard terms, host them on your website and add one line: "Our full terms and conditions apply: yourwebsite.com/terms."

Our quotation generator has a notes section for exactly this, and it remembers what you typed last time, so your terms carry over to the next quote. If you are putting together the rest of the quote as well, our guide on how to prepare a quotation covers the scope, line items and a worked example.

Review your quotation terms and conditions once a year, or after any job where a clause was missing when you needed it. Most useful terms were written the week after a dispute.