Free Quote Template NZ? Why Sole Traders Should Skip It (and What to Use Instead)

Looking for a free quote template? Read this first

A free quote template seems like the quick way to get a price out the door. In practice, it slows you down on every job, makes it harder to follow up, and can leave you stuck with a price you got wrong. For most NZ sole traders, a quoting app is faster, looks more professional, and wins more work. You can try NZInvoicer free, with nothing to download or set up.

Create your first quote free in NZInvoicer →

Still weighing it up? Here's what a template really costs you.

8 hidden costs of using a free quote template

The template is free, but the jobs you lose and the hours you spend aren't. Here's where it goes wrong.

1. Slow quotes lose jobs. Customers often take the first clear quote they get. If you have to get home to a laptop, open a template and type it up, the job may already have gone to someone faster.
2. You rebuild the same quote every time. Your call-out fee, hourly rate, materials and standard wording get retyped, or copied from an old file that still has last customer's name on it.
3. The maths is on you. Word doesn't add up, and one wrong line or broken Excel formula can leave you working for less than you meant to. Once a customer accepts a quote, you're generally held to that price.
4. GST is easy to get wrong. If your quote doesn't say whether GST is included, customers are entitled to assume it is, so you can't add 15% later. Many templates don't make this clear.
5. No record of what you sent. Quotes end up scattered across folders and sent emails. When a customer rings back three weeks later, finding the right version takes time and looks disorganised.
6. No reminder to follow up. A template doesn't tell you which quotes are still waiting for an answer. Unchased quotes quietly turn into lost jobs.
7. Retyping it as an invoice. When you win the job, you start again in a different template and copy the same lines across, with another chance to make a mistake.
8. It's painful on a phone. Quoting on site, while you're standing with the customer, is the best time to win a job. Editing a Word or Excel file on a phone makes that almost impossible.

What an NZ quote should include, and the rules templates don't warn you about

In New Zealand, a quote is an offer to do a job for a set price. Once the customer accepts it, it's generally binding on both of you. That's why getting it right matters, and why a blank template that leaves everything to memory is risky.

Quote vs estimate

Calling something an "estimate" doesn't protect you if it reads like a firm price, and burying key costs in fine print won't hold up either. Be clear about which one you're giving.

What to put on every quote

• Your business name, contact details and GST number (if you're registered)
• The customer's name and the job address
• A quote number and date, plus how long the price is valid (for example, 30 days)
• A clear scope: exactly what's included and, just as important, what isn't
• Line items for labour, materials and any call-out or disposal fees
• Whether prices include or exclude GST, and the total
• Payment terms, including any deposit and when it's due
• How the customer accepts, such as replying by email or signing
• How variations (extra work) will be priced and agreed

Residential building work over $30,000

If you're doing residential building work worth $30,000 or more (including GST) directly for a homeowner, a quote on its own isn't enough. You must provide a written contract, and before it's signed, you must give the homeowner a disclosure statement and the government's standard checklist. You can be fined $500 for not providing them. You must also provide them for smaller jobs if the customer asks.

For more on writing quotes that win, read 12 habits that help small businesses win work.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check with Consumer Protection, Building Performance or a lawyer if you're unsure.

Template vs NZInvoicer: side by side

A template saves you the cost of software and spends your time instead. Here's how the two compare when you're quoting real jobs.

Try NZInvoicer free for 14 days →No credit card is needed.

How to create a quote in NZInvoicer

Your first quote takes a few minutes. After that, quotes for repeat customers and similar jobs take far less, because NZInvoicer remembers your details, your rates and your customers.

1. Start your free trial. Sign up at nzinvoicer.com. No credit card is needed.
2. Add your business details once. Enter your name, contact details and GST number (if you're registered). They appear on every quote from then on.
3. Add your customer. Enter their name, contact details and the job address. Next time, just pick them from your list.
4. Describe the job. Type it, or say it out loud while you're still on site, for example "Replace hot water cylinder, 180 litre, including removal of the old one, about 4 hours labour". NZInvoicer drafts the line items and works out the totals.
5. Check it and send. Add your scope notes and validity period, then send it as a branded PDF while the customer's still keen.
6. Win the job, then invoice in one tap. When the customer says yes, turn the quote into an invoice without retyping anything, and track the job through to paid.

Create your first quote free →

6 quoting mistakes that lose you jobs (or money)

Most lost quotes aren't about price. They're about speed, clarity and follow-up. Templates make all three harder.

1. Quoting too slowly. The longer a customer waits, the more likely they've accepted someone else's price. Aim to send quotes the same day.
2. A vague scope. "Bathroom work" invites arguments later. List what's included and what isn't.
3. Not saying whether GST is included. If you don't say, customers can assume it's included, and you'll wear the difference.
4. No expiry date. Without one, a customer could accept your price six months later, after material costs have gone up.
5. No plan for extra work. Say how variations will be priced and agreed before you start, so surprises don't turn into disputes.
6. Never following up. A short "Just checking you got my quote" message a few days later wins jobs that would otherwise drift away.

Sources

• Consumer Protection: Quotes and estimates
• Consumer NZ: Quotes and estimates
• Community Law: Quotes and estimates
• Building Performance: Before building work starts
• Consumer Protection: Building contracts