Free estimate generator: quote a job, set a validity date, get a PDF

What belongs on an estimate

An estimate is read by someone deciding whether to hire you, so it has to answer three questions at a glance: what exactly is being quoted, what it costs, and until when the price is good. Beyond the line items and totals every invoice needs, an estimate carries two things a finished invoice does not: a validity date and, often, a short scope note describing what is and is not included.

• A unique estimate number, separate from your invoice numbering
• Issue date and a validity date ("valid until")
• Your business and the client's, with contact details for both
• One line per item with quantity, rate and amount
• Subtotal, tax if it applies, and the total estimated cost
• A short scope note: materials included, revisions covered, what triggers a change order

How long should the price hold

Material and labor costs move, so an open-ended estimate is a risk you carry alone. Most freelancers and small shops set validity at 14 to 30 days; contractors quoting materials that swing with the market often go shorter, 7 to 14 days. Put the date on the document itself rather than a vague "prices subject to change" line — a specific date is something both sides can act on.

When the client accepts within that window, reuse the same numbers to write the invoice rather than re-pricing from scratch — that consistency is itself a trust signal.

Estimate, quote, invoice, tax invoice: not the same document

In everyday English, "estimate" and "quote" are used almost interchangeably, though a quote usually implies a firmer, less-likely-to-change price than a rough estimate. Neither is a request for payment, and neither is proof that payment happened. The table below keeps the four documents this tool can produce straight.

• Estimate (견적서) — a price offered before work starts, valid until a set date, not a request for payment
• Invoice (청구서) — a request for payment for work already agreed or delivered, with a due date
• Statement (거래명세서) — a record of what was delivered on a specific date, often alongside an invoice
• Korean tax invoice (세금계산서) — the statutory VAT document issued electronically through the National Tax Service's Hometax system; none of the three above can substitute for it

Turning an accepted estimate into a real job

Keep the estimate number visible on the invoice that follows it — a note like "Ref. Estimate #E-2026-0007" in the notes field lets the client's accounts team match the two documents without asking. If the scope changed after acceptance, issue a short revised estimate rather than silently adjusting the invoice total; an unexplained gap between the two is the single most common reason a client questions a bill.

Korean 견적서: supplier block, 도장, and what it isn't

Turn on Korean business form and the estimate switches to the layout Korean clients expect: a 공급자 (supplier) block with business registration number, representative name, address, business type and item, a 공급받는자 (recipient) block, and line items split into supply value and VAT at 10%. A stamp image can sit beside the representative's name — many Korean estimates are still signed off with a company or personal 도장 even when the rest of the document is digital.

One thing a Korean 견적서 never is: a 세금계산서. It carries no VAT filing weight on its own. If your client needs a 세금계산서 once the deal is confirmed, that has to be issued separately through Hometax or your accounting software — this generator produces the estimate, not the statutory tax document.

See also

• Invoice generator
• What to include on an invoice
• Statement of account
• How to write an invoice
• Invoice vs receipt