How to Quote a Trade Job in Australia

Before you quote a single job, you need to know what it costs you to exist as a business. Not a rough idea. Real numbers. This is where most tradies get it wrong.

Materials:

Don't guess. Measure properly, or ask the client to show you exactly what they want. If it's a bathroom tap replacement, go to Bunnings, find the actual tap, and know the actual cost before you put a number on paper.

Always add a 10–15% waste factor on top of your materials cost. Clips, adhesive, tape, fittings you messed up, bits you left at the last job — it all adds up. If you don't build waste into the quote, you absorb it.

For jobs where you can't nail down exact materials yet, use past jobs as a guide. "My last 10 bathroom renos averaged $150 in fittings" is a better starting point than a guess.

Labour:

Work out your base hourly rate. What do you actually need to earn to cover living expenses, tax, superannuation, and a buffer for quiet months? If you need $65k/year before tax to keep the lights on, that works out to roughly $40/hour just to not go broke.

That's your floor — not your rate. On top of that you need to add your business overheads (see below) and your profit margin. Your actual hourly rate should be well above the floor.

Travel and call-out:

Fuel is the obvious cost, but it's not the real one. A 30km round trip might only be $4.50 in petrol, but you're also sitting in traffic, wearing out your vehicle, and burning time you could be billing.

Most tradies charge a call-out or site visit fee of $80–150 depending on trade and location. This is standard practice and covers your travel time. For after-hours or emergency work, 1.5–2x the standard rate is normal.

For jobs well outside your usual area, add more. If someone's 45 minutes away, that's 90 minutes of your day gone just on travel — price accordingly or let it go to someone closer.

Overheads:

• Van/ute repayments or lease
• Insurance (public liability, tools, vehicle, income protection)
• Fuel and maintenance
• Phone and internet
• Tools and equipment replacement (tools wear out, get lost, break)
• Software, invoicing, accounting
• ABN registration, business name, licensing fees
• GST (if registered, you collect it but must pay it out)
• Superannuation (you need to pay your own)

Add it all up. You might have $25k/year in overheads. If you work 1,500 billable hours/year, that's $16.70/hour in overhead. So now your base cost is $40 (living) + $17 (overhead) = $57/hour just to break even.

Markup vs margin — know the difference:

These two get mixed up constantly. They're both about profit, but the maths is different.

• Markup is a percentage added on top of your cost
• Margin is the profit as a percentage of the selling price

The formulas:

• Markup: Price = Cost × (1 + markup%). Example: $100 cost at 25% markup = $100 × 1.25 = $125 price
• Margin: Margin% = Profit ÷ Price. Example: $125 price – $100 cost = $25 profit. $25 ÷ $125 = 20% margin

Notice: 25% markup only gives you 20% margin. They're not the same number. Here's a quick reference:

Most tradies think in markup (easier to calculate on the fly). Accountants think in margin. Both are valid — just make sure you know which one you're using.

A professional quote isn't just a number. It's a contract. It sets expectations, protects you from scope creep, and looks like you know what you're doing (which, by the time you send it, you should).

What MUST be on a quote:

• Your details: Name, business name (if you have one), ABN, phone, email
• Quote date: When you prepared it (not just the date you send it)
• Quote number: Unique reference (QT-001, QT-002, etc.) so you can track it
• Client details: Name, address, phone. Their ABN if they're a business
• Scope of work: What you're quoting for. Be specific. Not "bathroom reno" but "Supply and install: new shower screen, new tap, grout floor tiles, seal grout, repaint feature wall"
• Line items: Break the work into logical services the client understands
• Subtotal: Sum of all line items
• GST (if registered): 10% of subtotal, shown separately
• Total: What they actually pay
• Terms: When payment is due (e.g., "Due on completion" or "50% upfront, 50% on completion")
• Validity: How long the quote is valid for (e.g., "Valid for 14 days")
• What's NOT included: This is important. "Excludes: Structural repairs, roof access, temporary fencing, removal of asbestos"

Scope clarity prevents scope creep:

Be very specific about what's included — "Tile floor with adhesive and grout" is better than "labour". Be equally clear about what's NOT included. If they want extra, issue a variation. If something's unclear during the site visit, ask and document the answer on the quote. For example: "Client to provide existing tap for reuse — if new tap required, a variation will be issued."

Line items — group by service, not by part:

• Bad: Tap $120, washers $5, thread seal $3, labour $150, labour $100
• Good: Supply and install new tap including fittings: $380

The second one is what clients understand. They pay for the service. You know what you're charging and why. No haggling over $5 washers.

Three ways to price a job. Each has trade-offs. Most solo tradies use a mix depending on the job.

Fixed price (most professional):

You quote a total price and that's what they pay (unless the scope changes). Clients love it because they know exactly what they're paying. You control your profit and it's easy to compare offers. The downside: if you underestimate hours, you lose money and carry the risk. Best for jobs where the scope is clear and you've done it before — like bathroom taps, fence panels, or standard kitchens.

Hourly (simple but risky):

You charge per hour worked. Easy to calculate and if the job runs longer, you still get paid. But clients hate not knowing the final price and they'll worry you're dragging it out. Best for service calls (diagnostics), repairs where you don't know what's wrong yet, or variation work.

Cost-plus (good for materials-heavy work):

You quote materials cost plus labour at your hourly rate, and the client sees both. Transparent and flexible if the job changes. But it still leaves the final price open and requires trust. Best for jobs where material costs are significant and variable — new kitchens, bathroom renos, landscaping.

What small operators actually do:

• Initial visit or diagnostics: Hourly or a call-out fee — you don't know what's wrong yet
• Small jobs (tap, repair, single service): Fixed price — you've done it a hundred times
• Medium jobs (bathroom refresh, kitchen splashback): Fixed price labour + itemised materials
• Big jobs (full reno, major structural): Cost-plus or time-and-materials — too many variables

This is where your profit gets crushed. You see what others are charging, you get scared, you drop your price. Then you're broke and angry.

Research your local market:

Ask other tradies (seriously, most will tell you) what they charge for jobs like yours. Check Facebook groups and marketplace listings for your trade in your area. Ring a few competitors and ask for quotes — you're a customer. Use this to understand the range. In inner-city Sydney, a tap replacement might be $400–600. In regional towns, $250–350.

You're not competing on price — you're competing on value:

If you're the cheapest quote, the client will remember that you were cheap when something goes wrong. If you're the middle price and you do great work, the client trusts you and refers you. Clients who shop purely on price are problems — they'll blame you if costs rise, haggle over every $5, and demand endless variations.

Value your own time:

If your rate covers living expenses, overheads, and a profit margin, and the client says it's too much, ask yourself: "Am I okay making less than I need?" If the answer is no, don't take the job. Your time is finite. Every hour on a job paying below your rate is an hour you're not on a job that pays properly.

Account for unbillable time:

Not every hour of your day is chargeable to a job. Site visits, quotes, admin, accounting, invoicing, chasing payments, training, and downtime between jobs all eat into your time. If you're on-site 30 hours a week, you might only bill 25 of those hours. Your hourly rate needs to account for this. If you charge $120/hour billed but only bill 25 out of 40 hours, your real hourly rate is $75/hour.

The walk-away price:

Have a minimum job size or rate — "I won't quote anything under $150" or "My minimum is 2 hours labour". Small jobs are high-overhead (you still need to drive there, write an invoice, etc.) and often come with fussy clients. If someone wants a $50 job at your standard rate, quote higher to make it worth your time, or politely decline.

These happen all the time and they kill your profit.

Forgetting to add GST:

If you're GST-registered, your quote should show the GST line with the client seeing subtotal plus 10% GST equals total. If you forget to mention it and quote "$1,000", they might think that's the final price, then you send an invoice for "$1,100" and they get angry.

• Always be clear: "Total $1,000 + $100 GST = $1,100 inc. GST" or just quote the inc. price if you prefer

No waste/overhead allowance in materials:

If a job needs 50 metres of cable and cable costs $2/metre, that's $100 in theory. But you're actually buying 55 metres to account for waste, connectors, testing offcuts, and future repairs. Quote $120 for cable. If you don't build in waste, you absorb the cost.

Scope creep without variation:

You quote "Replace tap, $380" and the client asks "Oh, while you're there, could you also reposition the sink and fix the under-cabinet leak?" If you do this without updating the quote, you're working for free. The right move: "Sure, let me have a look at those. I'll send you a variation quote for the extra work." This protects you and the client because they know what the extra costs.

Not following up on quotes:

You send a quote, the client goes quiet, you move on. Three weeks later they call asking if the $1,200 quote is still valid. Your quote said "Valid for 14 days" so it expired and you have to requote. Better approach: follow up after 3–5 days with "Hi, did you get the quote? Any questions?" Most jobs that go quiet don't come back, so cut losses faster and move to the next lead.

Not being clear on payment terms:

You quote $2,000 for a 3-day job with no mention of when payment is due. You finish, send an invoice, and the client says "I'll pay you next month." Be specific upfront: "Deposits: 50% upfront, balance due on completion" or "Payment due within 7 days of invoice".

How and when you send it matters. A lazy quote says "I don't care if you hire me".

Email (best for professional jobs):

Send a PDF attached or as a formatted email. Keep it clean — one page if possible and readable on mobile. Include a short intro like "Hi Sarah, as discussed, here's the quote for your bathroom tap replacement. Valid for 14 days. Let me know if you have questions." Sign it with your name, business name, and phone.

Text (okay for small jobs):

"Hi, as discussed — replacement tap supply and install, $380 inc GST, payment on completion. Text or call if you want to go ahead. Valid 14 days". It's simple, quick, and works for under $500 jobs. But follow up with an email or PDF for your records.

Paper (old school but effective):

Hand them a printed quote when you're on-site or at their door. It feels official and they're more likely to stick it on the fridge. But also email it so they have a digital copy.

Follow-up timing:

Send it the same day or next day while they're still thinking about the job. If they don't respond in 3–5 days, send a friendly check-in: "Just checking — did you have any questions about the quote?" If still nothing after another 5 days, assume it's not happening and move on, unless it's a big job worth chasing.

Validity period:

• Small jobs: 7 days
• Medium jobs: 14 days
• Big jobs with material lead times: 30 days

After the validity period, you can requote — especially if material prices have changed.

The quote becomes a contract the moment they agree. Protect yourself and the client with clear steps after acceptance.

Deposits (for jobs over ~$500):

• Take a 30–50% deposit upfront. It covers your materials and shows the client is serious
• For a $1,000 job, ask for $500 upfront

You can do this via bank transfer, BPAY, PayID, or cash. Send them an invoice marked "DEPOSIT" for the deposit amount, and a final invoice for the balance due on completion.

What if the scope changes?

Mid-job, the client might say "While you're here, could you also..." for anything outside the original scope. STOP. Take a photo or note of the extra work, estimate the time and cost, and send a written variation quote. Get their approval in writing — email, text, whatever — before doing it.

Invoice vs quote — when they become different:

• Quote = what you'll charge. Issued before the work
• Invoice = what you actually charge. Issued after the work (or on completion)
• They're usually the same, but variations mean the invoice is different from the quote
• Example: Quote $1,000, variation $150, invoice $1,150

Getting paid on time:

• For small jobs: Cash on the spot or payment before you leave
• For bigger jobs: Invoice them and specify "Due within 7 days" or "Due on completion"

Include your payment details (bank account or PayID) on the invoice. If they haven't paid by day 7, text or email a polite reminder. For overdue invoices, follow up again at 14 days. Consider a late payment fee (legal in Australia) of 5–10% after 30 days. For more on this, read our guide on how to chase late payments without burning bridges.

Final documentation:

Take photos of the finished work for your portfolio and proof it was done. Keep the invoice, receipt for materials, and any photos you took during the job. If the client signed off or approved the work, keep that too. This is your record that the job is done and paid — useful if there's a dispute later.