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How to quote a job in Australia

A clear quote tells a client what you will do, what it costs, and whether the total includes GST. This is a practical sequence for Australian sole traders and other one-person service businesses. It is general information, not a template you must copy, and not tax or legal advice.

1. Write down the scope first

Before you open a calculator, write what is included and what is not. Note the site, access, materials you will supply, materials the client will supply, and anything that would change the price if it turned up later — rock under a paving job, extra coats of paint, a second visit, after-hours work. A short, plain scope reduces arguments later. If you cannot yet see the job, say that the quote is based on the information you have been given and list what would trigger a variation.

2. Cost the job, then choose a price

Direct costs are the items that belong to this job: materials, hire, subcontractors, skip bins, specialist parts. Time is a cost too. If you use a recovery or break-even hourly rate, multiply realistic hours — including travel, setup, and cleanup — by that rate, then add the other direct costs. That gives you a job cost. Next you choose a selling price using markup or true margin. They are not the same; see markup versus margin. A break-even hourly rate is the figure that recovers your year, not a promise that you will bill that many hours.

The homepage sample uses a fictional job cost of A$765 and a 25% true margin, which prices the job at A$1,020 before GST. Those figures are a worked example only. They are not a typical result and not a suggestion of what you should charge.

3. Be explicit about GST on the quote

First, GST only belongs on a sale if you are registered for GST (or required to be). The standard rate for a taxable sale is 10% of the GST-exclusive price. The GST in a GST-inclusive price is one-eleventh of that inclusive amount. The ATO explains when you must register, including the A$75,000 GST turnover threshold for most businesses, on Registering for GST.

If you are not registered and not required to be, do not add GST, and do not issue a document called a “tax invoice.” The ATO says that if you are not registered for GST you should issue a standard invoice, not a tax invoice.

If you are registered, decide whether the figures on the quote are GST-exclusive or GST-inclusive, and say so in words the client can see. Useful patterns include “A$1,020 plus GST of A$102, total A$1,122” or “Total price A$1,122 including GST.” Showing the exclusive amount, the GST, and the inclusive total in one place leaves less room for confusion.

4. Quotes to consumers and quotes to other businesses

Under the Australian Consumer Law, advertised or displayed prices to consumers must show a single total price that includes taxes such as GST and other unavoidable charges. You can still show the parts — exclusive amount plus GST — but the total should be at least as prominent as any part price. The ACCC sets this out on Price displays. That page also notes that if a business is displaying prices only to other businesses, it does not need to include GST in the total price. Many tradies still show both figures on a B2B quote because it helps the other business see the GST it may be able to claim. Clarity is the point: the client should know the amount they will actually pay.

5. A quote is not a tax invoice

A quote is an offer or an estimate. It does not, by itself, create the same record as an invoice. In ATO material on invoices and tax invoices, a quote is treated as a proposed price that the customer is not obliged to accept. When the work is billed, a GST-registered supplier issues a tax invoice that meets the ATO’s information rules. Those rules are summarised in GST on quotes basics and set out fully on the ATO’s tax invoices page. If a customer asks for a tax invoice, a GST-registered supplier must generally provide one within 28 days, unless the sale is A$82.50 or less including GST.

6. What to put on the page you send

At a minimum, a useful quote names you, dates the document, describes the work, shows quantities and prices, states whether GST is included, and gives a total. Add how long the quote remains open, when you expect to start, and how variations will be priced. Do not send a client a workbook that also contains your costs, target margin, or overheads. Send a client-facing quote only.

The Quote & Break-Even Pack separates a client quote sheet from the workings for that reason. You can also read the free preview PDF or try the markup vs margin calculator before you buy anything. None of those tools files a BAS, registers you for GST, or guarantees that a client will accept the price.