Quote template NZ with 15% GST in NZD

Quotes in New Zealand at a glance

A free quote template for NZ trades and service businesses, set up for GST at 15% and NZD. Below it are the rules that matter when you price work in New Zealand: when an accepted quote binds you, how far an estimate may drift, what the Consumer Guarantees Act adds to every job, and when residential building work needs a written contract.

Usual title

Quote, or Estimate when the price may move

Tax on the quote

GST at 15%, shown inclusive

Register for GST

At $60,000 turnover in 12 months

Estimate tolerance

Generally within 10 to 15%

Written building contract

From $30,000 including GST

Cancel an uninvited sale

5 working days, sales over $100

Is an accepted quote binding in New Zealand?

Yes. The Commerce Commission’s guidance for businesses says that if the customer accepts the quote, there is a contract for you to do the work for that price. You cannot add to the bill later unless the customer agrees to extra work or the scope changes, which Consumer Protection calls a variation.

The law draws no line between a spoken quote and a written one, so a price given over the phone holds you just as firmly as a PDF. Writing it down still matters: it records the scope, the exclusions and the date the price lapses.

If you quoted a specific product, such as a named paver or retaining wall block, the Commission expects you to supply it, or to get the customer’s agreement before offering an alternative. The guide on whether a quote is legally binding covers acceptance in more depth.

Quote vs estimate in NZ: how far can the price move?

A quote fixes the price and an estimate does not. Consumer Protection describes an estimate as the provider’s best guess, based on skill and past experience, and says the final price should generally be within 10 to 15% of it. The Commerce Commission adds that estimates must be honest and based on reasonable grounds.

Say what could change an estimate and why. The Commission wants any significant possible variation made clear, with all limits and conditions spelled out. On a landscaping job that might be rock at the bottom of a post hole. If you cannot fix the price, the estimate maker shows a low to high range, and the quote vs estimate guide has wording for both.

What to put on a New Zealand quote

Consumer Protection tells customers to ask for a detailed written quote that shows the work to be done, other costs such as materials, hourly rates, and how long the work will take. Put those four things on every quote, add GST and a valid until date, and you have answered the questions a careful customer will ask.

• Business details: trading name, contact details and your GST number if you are registered.
• Scope of work: what you will do, in plain words, with quantities in m², linear metres or hours.
• Line items: labour, materials, machine hire and green waste removal on separate lines.
• Time: a realistic duration and a start window.
• GST: the Commerce Commission says quotes or estimates should be inclusive of GST.
• Quote fee: if you charge to prepare a quote, you must disclose that charge before agreeing to provide it.

A worked example for a small paving job, with example prices only:

If you price GST inclusive from the start, Inland Revenue’s fraction is 3/23: the GST inside $5,060 is $5,060 × 3 ÷ 23 = $660. The landscaping quote template uses the same layout with more lines.

GST on quotes: 15%, and when you must register

GST is charged at a rate of 15%. You must register if you carry out a taxable activity and your turnover was at least $60,000 in the last 12 months, or you expect it to be at least $60,000 in the next 12 months. Inland Revenue also requires registration if you add GST to your prices, whatever your turnover.

If you are not registered, never add GST to a quote. If you are, Inland Revenue’s example shows the two ways to price: $100 plus GST for a total of $115, or $100 including GST, where $13.04 of the $100 is GST. For household customers, lead with the GST inclusive total so the figure they accept is the figure they pay.

A quote is not a tax invoice. When the job is done, WhizInvoice turns the accepted quote into an invoice in one click and tracks payment, and you can start free.

Consumer Guarantees Act: what no quote can remove

The Consumer Guarantees Act applies when you sell services for personal, domestic or household use. The service must be carried out with reasonable care and skill, be fit for the purpose the customer asked for, be completed within a reasonable time, and cost a reasonable price if no price was set beforehand.

Consumer Protection is blunt about it: a business cannot contract out of the CGA when selling to consumers, and the rights cannot be waived or signed away. A line such as “no guarantees given” does nothing for a household customer, and the Commerce Commission warns businesses not to mislead customers in their quotes.

Business customers differ: the Act does not apply where the purchase is for business use and both parties agreed in writing that it does not apply. For a household job, the best Consumer Guarantees Act quote wording is a precise scope, because the guarantees apply whether you mention them or not.

Residential building work: the $30,000 written contract rule

If you contract directly with a homeowner for residential building work costing $30,000 or more including GST, you must provide a written contract. Building Performance (MBIE) says the total includes supplies, fixtures and fittings plus GST, and warns against splitting work into smaller contracts. Subcontractors reporting to a main contractor are not covered.

At or above that figure, or whenever the client asks, give the client the consumer protection standard checklist and a disclosure statement before the contract is signed. The checklist must not be altered, not even by adding your logo. The contract needs, among other things:

• names and addresses of both parties, the site address and signing dates
• expected start and completion dates, and how delays will be dealt with
• the contract price, or how it will be calculated
• a description of the work and materials
• who obtains building consents, and who carries out or supervises the work
• the payment process, how defects are remedied, dispute resolution and variations

Fines run to $2,000 for not having a required written contract and $2,000 for not supplying the checklist or disclosure statement, and up to $50,000 for knowingly giving false or misleading disclosure information. After completion there is a 12 month defect repair period, and implied warranties in the Building Act apply for up to 10 years. The builders estimate template suits larger jobs.

Deposits and the five working day cancellation right

Consumer Protection says there is no legal requirement for a customer to pay a deposit when accepting a quote, and advises consumers not to pay more than 10% of the total cost if one is requested. Tie larger sums to stages of the work instead.

The cancellation right depends on how the sale happened. Under the Fair Trading Act, an uninvited direct sale is a sale of products or services over $100 for personal, domestic or household use, negotiated at the customer’s home or workplace or by phone, when they did not invite you for that reason.

• The customer can cancel within five working days of receiving the written agreement and get a full refund.
• The agreement must include a clear description of what is being bought, a summary of the right to cancel, and both your details and theirs.
• For phone sales, the written agreement must reach the customer within five working days from the day after the agreement is made.
• If you provided a service without first getting the customer’s agreement and they cancel, they do not have to pay for it.

A customer who rings you for a price has invited you, so note who made first contact. The guide to deposits on quotes covers how to word the deposit line.

Quote terms and conditions for NZ customers

Quote terms and conditions in NZ work best short and specific: what the price covers, how long it stands, how variations are agreed and when payment is due. Leave out anything that tries to remove consumer guarantees, since for household customers it has no effect.

The quote terms and conditions guide has more clauses, and the change order template records agreed variations. To build the quote itself, open the free quote maker and choose New Zealand.

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