Estimated labour
Expected hours or days at your rate. Show the number of hours rather than a lump sum so a change in scope has an obvious cost.
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Free Estimate Generator
Show Your Customer the Projected Cost
Set out estimated labour, estimated materials and provisional costs line by line, record the assumptions behind the figures, and download a PDF the customer can actually read.
Your business
Estimate for
Estimate details
Line items
Totals & notes
Estimated total: $0.00
Your business name
Estimate
#EST-0001
Estimate for
Client name
Estimate date
Sep 22, 2026
Valid until
Oct 6, 2026
Currency
USD
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
- Subtotal
- $0.00
- Estimated total
- $0.00
Everything stays in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, and the PDF has no watermark.
Projected, not promised
What an Estimate Is For
An estimate answers 'roughly what will this cost?' while the job is still taking shape.
An estimate is a projection. You are telling the customer what you expect the work to come to, given what you know today. That makes the reasoning as important as the number: how many hours, how much material, at what rate, and what you have had to assume to get there.
Used well, an estimate protects both sides. The customer can budget, and you are not trapped by a price that was set before anyone knew what was behind the wall. Used badly — a single figure with no working — it reads like a quote and causes an argument later.
Break down the cost
Estimated Labour, Materials and Quantities
Separate the parts of the projection that move for different reasons.
Estimated materials
What you expect to buy, at current supplier pricing. Note that material prices move, especially on jobs starting weeks out.
Estimated quantities
Square metres, units, covers, licences. Quantities are often the biggest source of variance, so state the figure you priced against.
Provisional costs
An allowance for something that genuinely cannot be priced yet. Label it clearly as provisional and say what will confirm it.
Say what you assumed
Project Assumptions
Every estimate rests on assumptions. Writing them down is what makes the figure defensible.
- The quantities, headcount or floor area you priced against
- Site or system conditions you have not been able to inspect
- What the customer is supplying: content, materials, access, decisions
- The start window and how long supplier pricing holds
- Work specifically excluded from the figure
- What happens if an assumption turns out to be wrong
Know which to send
Estimate vs Quote
The difference is commitment: one is a projection, the other is an offer.
Estimate
- Sent when the scope is still moving
- An approximate, projected cost
- Expected to change as detail emerges
- Carries assumptions and provisional sums
- Not an offer the customer can simply accept
Quote
- Sent when the scope is settled
- A firm price for defined work
- Held open until the expiry date
- Changes only through agreed variations
- Becomes an agreement once accepted
Scope settled? Use the quote generator.
Before and after
Estimate vs Invoice
An estimate looks forward at likely cost; an invoice looks back at what was done.
An estimate carries no payment obligation. Nothing is owed because nothing has been supplied yet. An invoice comes after the work and asks for a specific amount by a specific date.
When you invoice, bill the actual quantities and hours rather than repeating the estimated ones. Keeping the same line descriptions makes the two documents easy to compare, and any difference easy to explain.
Written for real jobs
Estimate Examples
Four ways of laying out a projected cost, each showing labour, materials and a provisional allowance.
Building work
Single-storey rear extension
- Estimated labour, 6 weeks · 240 · 55.00
- Estimated materials (blockwork, roof, glazing) · 1 · 18,400.00
- Provisional sum — groundworks pending survey · 1 · 3,500.00
Assumes existing drainage is usable. Groundworks re-priced after the survey.
Freelance project
Website build, scope still forming
- Estimated design hours · 30 · 75.00
- Estimated build hours · 55 · 85.00
- Provisional allowance — third-party integrations · 1 · 900.00
Assumes six page templates and content supplied by the client.
Vehicle repair
Diagnostic plus expected parts
- Estimated labour · 4.5 · 95.00
- Estimated parts (based on current supplier pricing) · 1 · 610.00
- Provisional cost — additional wear items · 1 · 180.00
Parts prices change; the figure is confirmed before ordering.
Event services
Catering for an unconfirmed headcount
- Estimated covers at 80 guests · 80 · 42.00
- Estimated staffing, 5 crew · 30 · 28.00
- Provisional cost — equipment hire · 1 · 450.00
Priced at 80 guests. Final headcount confirmed 10 days before the event.
Figures are illustrative only. Estimate from your own rates, supplier pricing and measured quantities.
Avoid these
Common Estimating Mistakes
Most disputes about an estimate come from something that was never stated.
- 01
Presenting an estimate as a quote
If the document reads like a firm price, the customer will treat it as one.
- 02
One lump-sum figure
Without a breakdown there is no way to show why the final cost differed.
- 03
No assumptions recorded
The assumptions are the reason the figure can move. Leave them out and the movement looks arbitrary.
- 04
Provisional sums buried in the total
Give them their own line so the customer sees which parts are still open.
- 05
Optimistic hours
Estimating the best-case day rarely survives contact with the job, and erodes trust when it doesn't.
- 06
Never updating it
When the scope firms up, reissue the estimate or convert it to a quote rather than letting the old figure stand.
Questions
Estimate Generator FAQs
The questions customers ask most often once they receive a projected cost.
What is an estimate?
An estimate is a projected cost for work that has not been fully specified yet. It shows what you expect labour, materials and other items to come to, based on the information available when you priced it.
Is an estimate the same as a quote?
No. An estimate is an approximate figure that both sides expect to move. A quote is a firm price for a defined scope. If you can describe the work precisely, send a quote instead.
Can an estimate change?
Yes, and that is the point of it. Say what the figures assume, and agree with the customer how you will handle a change in quantities, site conditions or specification before the extra work happens.
What is a provisional cost?
A provisional cost is an allowance for something that cannot be priced yet — a fitting the customer has not chosen, or work behind a wall nobody has opened. Label it clearly so it is not read as a fixed price.
How accurate should an estimate be?
Accurate enough for the customer to make a decision, and honest about its limits. Stating a likely range and the assumptions behind it is more useful than a single number with no context.
Do I invoice the estimated amount?
You invoice what was actually done and agreed, not the estimate. Keep the estimate line items alongside the final figures so the difference is easy to explain.
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