Quotation template South Africa the way SARS expects

Quotations in South Africa at a glance

A free quotation template for South Africa with VAT at 15%, rand amounts and room for your VAT number, plus the Consumer Protection Act rules behind it: when you need an authorised estimate before repair work, how long a quote is valid for, the five business day cooling off after direct marketing, and why SARS expects quoted prices to include VAT.

Usual title

Quotation, or Estimate for repairs

Tax on the quotation

VAT at 15%, included in quoted prices

Compulsory VAT registration

Over R2.3 million in 12 months

Repair estimates

Must state a period of validity

Cooling off

5 business days after direct marketing

Paper and currency

A4 and ZAR

When a quotation binds you in South Africa

Treat an accepted quotation as the agreed price. The Consumer Protection Act backs this up for services: where you gave an estimate, section 15 stops you charging more than it unless you tell the consumer about the additional charges and they authorise the work to continue. Surprise extras on the final bill are exactly what the Act targets.

Section 54 gives the consumer a right to timely performance and completion of the services, timely notice of any unavoidable delay, and work done in a manner and quality that persons are generally entitled to expect. Goods you install must be free of defects. If you fall short, the consumer can require you to remedy the defect or refund a reasonable portion of the price.

Those standards are judged against the specific criteria you and the consumer agreed before or during the work, so a precise scope on the quotation protects you as much as the customer. The Act does not apply where the customer is a juristic person whose asset value or annual turnover equals or exceeds the threshold set by the Minister, so larger business clients fall outside it.

CPA quotation rules for repair and maintenance work

Section 15 applies when you repair or maintain property belonging to the consumer, or supply or install replacement parts, and you either take possession of the item or the consumer asks for an estimate first. The general threshold set by notice in 2011 is R1.00 excluding VAT, so in practice it covers almost every repair job.

• You must not charge unless you gave an estimate and the consumer then authorised the work, or the consumer, in writing or another recorded way, declined an estimate and authorised the work, or pre-authorised charges up to a maximum that you stay within.
• You must not charge for preparing the estimate, including diagnostic work, disassembly or reassembly, unless you disclosed that price first and the consumer approved it.
• You may not charge more than the estimate unless you inform the consumer of the additional charges and they authorise you to continue.

The same notice says an estimate must specify:

1. a breakdown and the total of the amount to be charged
2. the nature and extent of the repair or maintenance
3. the period of validity of the quote
4. the period within which the consumer must collect the goods, and the consequence if they do not

The National Consumer Commission advises businesses to keep clear records of consent, preferably in writing. Its own example: if an inspection will cost R500, the provider must say so upfront and get approval, or it cannot charge the R500.

How long is a quote valid for in South Africa?

You set the validity period yourself, and you should always state it. For repair and maintenance work covered by section 15, the regulations require the estimate to specify the period of validity of the quote, so leaving it off is a compliance gap rather than a gap in your paperwork.

Match the period to how fast your costs move. Panels, inverters and batteries are usually priced from supplier lists that change, so a short window such as 7 or 14 days stops you honouring an old price. Labour-heavy work can carry 30 days. Write an actual valid until date rather than a number of days, so nobody has to count. The guide to quote validity covers renewal wording.

VAT on South African quotations

The standard VAT rate is 15%. SARS notes that planned increases to 15.5% and 16% were reversed in 2025. Among a vendor’s obligations, SARS lists making sure that VAT is included in all prices advertised or quoted, so the figure your customer accepts should be the VAT inclusive total, clearly marked as including VAT.

Compulsory registration applies when taxable supplies exceed R2.3 million in any consecutive 12 month period, or are likely to, including under a written contract. The application must be made within 21 business days of the date the R2.3 million is or will be exceeded. SARS says it is processing new applications on the increased threshold announced with effect from 1 April 2026. Voluntary registration is possible below that, under certain circumstances, once taxable supplies have exceeded R120 000 in the past 12 months.

A worked example for a home solar install, with example prices only:

Lead with R102,925.00 including VAT. The solar installation quotation template has the full line list, including an optional upgrade the customer can tick.

Cooling off after direct marketing

If a sale resulted from direct marketing, the consumer may cancel it without reason or penalty, by written or other recorded notice, within five business days after the later of the date the agreement was concluded or the date the goods were delivered. You must then return any payment within 15 business days.

• The Act defines direct marketing as approaching a person, in person, by mail or electronically, to promote or offer goods or services.
• Section 32 requires a direct marketer who concludes an agreement to inform the consumer of the right to cancel.
• The regulations bar direct marketing to a consumer at home on Sundays and public holidays, on Saturdays before 09h00 and after 13h00, and on other days between 20h00 and 08h00, unless the consumer agreed otherwise.
• The right does not apply where section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act applies to the transaction.

When the customer came to you for a price, keep that enquiry on file. It shows who made first contact.

Deposits and cancelled bookings

Section 17 lets a supplier who accepts a booking or order for a later date require a reasonable deposit in advance and impose a reasonable charge if the consumer cancels. The section sets no percentage. A charge is unreasonable if it exceeds a fair amount in the circumstances, judged on these factors:

• the nature of the goods or services booked
• how much notice of cancellation the consumer gave
• whether you could reasonably find another customer for that slot, acting diligently
• the general practice of the industry

You may not charge any cancellation fee if the consumer cannot honour the booking because of the death or hospitalisation of the person it was made for. Section 17 does not cover special-order goods as the Act defines them, so if an item is genuinely ordered to the customer’s specification, say so on the quotation. The guide to deposits on quotes covers wording.

What to put on a South African quotation

A clear quotation carries your business details and VAT number if you are a vendor, the customer’s details, an itemised breakdown with a total, the scope of work, a valid until date, and your payment and cancellation terms. For repair work, add the collection period the regulations require for goods left with you.

Build it in the formal quotation maker, and see the quote terms and conditions guide for more clauses. When the job is done, the sister site Invoice Maker HQ makes the invoice.

Sources