What to Include in an Electrical Quote
An electrical quote should include: the customer and job information, a written scope of work, a line-by-line price breakdown, applicable tax, payment terms with milestone triggers, exclusions in plain language, and an approval line. A quote missing any of these is missing the specific part that prevents disputes and slow payments.
All seven elements, connected in one Google Sheets file. Pay what you want.
What customer and job information goes at the top of an electrical quote?
The header of an electrical quote should show your company name, license number, and contact information; the customer name, billing address, and job address; a quote number; the date the quote was prepared; and the date the quote expires.
Expiration dates matter. A quote without one commits you to pricing that may go stale if the customer takes two months to decide. Copper prices do not wait. Set 30 days as a standard expiration. For volatile material markets, 14 to 21 days is safer.
How do you write the scope of work on an electrical quote?
The scope of work describes exactly what you are doing in plain language a non-electrician can read. Be specific. "Install 200A main breaker panel, Square D QO, 40-space, including all branch breakers shown in the estimate" is better than "panel upgrade." Specificity protects you when a customer claims something was supposed to be included.
- Describe the completed work from the customer's perspective
- Reference specific materials and brands where the brand affects the price
- Do not include unit pricing or quantities in the scope (those go in the line-item table)
- Do not use electrical jargon the customer is unlikely to understand
What does a line-by-line price breakdown look like on an electrical quote?
Each line on the quote shows a description, quantity, unit, and the customer's total price. The customer sees marked-up prices only. They do not see your raw cost or your markup percentage.
| # | Description | Qty | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 200A main panel, Square D QO 40-space | 1 | EA | $1,840.00 |
| 2 | 20A branch circuit breakers | 8 | EA | $192.00 |
| 3 | THHN copper wire, 12 AWG (250 ft) | 250 | ft | $320.00 |
| 4 | GFCI receptacles, 20A self-test | 6 | EA | $138.00 |
| 5 | Journeyman labor, 14 hours | 14 | hr | $1,288.00 |
| Subtotal | $3,778.00 | |||
| Tax (8.1%) | $305.82 | |||
| Total | $4,083.82 | |||
What stays off the customer-facing quote:
- Your raw material cost
- Your markup percentage
- Your labor cost before markup
- Supplier names or pricing sources
How do you calculate and show markup on an electrical quote?
Markup goes into your working estimate, not the customer quote. You apply markup to raw cost to get the customer price. On the quote, only the customer price appears.
| Raw cost | 15% markup | 22% markup | 30% markup |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $1,150 | $1,220 | $1,300 |
| $2,000 | $2,300 | $2,440 | $2,600 |
| $5,000 | $5,750 | $6,100 | $6,500 |
The right markup for your business covers overhead (truck, tools, insurance, licensing), time on non-billable work, and profit. Most electrical contractors working residential and light commercial use 20 to 30%. New contractors often underprice by applying markup to materials only and forgetting to mark up labor.
What tax shows on an electrical quote?
Tax rules for electrical work vary by state and job type. Labor is taxable in some states and exempt in others. Materials are taxable in almost every state. Apply the rate you are required to collect, not an approximation.
Check your state contractor board rules or accountant before quoting. Charging the wrong rate creates a gap you have to cover when you remit. The TightNumbers template has a tax rate field you set once in Setup and it applies automatically to every quote.
What payment terms should go on an electrical quote?
Payment terms should state when each payment is due and what event triggers it. Dollar amounts alone are not enough. "Final payment due on completion" is worse than "final payment due when final inspection passes and punch list items are signed off."
| Payment | Amount | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | 25 to 30% | Customer signs the quote |
| Progress draw | 35 to 40% | Rough-in inspection passes |
| Final | Remaining balance | Final inspection passes |
Common problems with vague payment terms:
- "Upon completion" means different things to a contractor and to a customer
- No trigger gives you no recourse if the customer delays the final payment
- A 50/50 split leaves too much uncollected once the job is largely done
What exclusions should every electrical quote include?
Exclusions list what you are not doing. Write them in plain language on the quote the customer signs. One exclusion per line. Put them in their own section, not buried in the fine print at the bottom of the page.
Standard exclusions for most electrical jobs:
- Drywall patching and painting after wire or conduit installation
- Permit fees, unless you are pulling the permit and collecting the fee
- Utility company work, including meter installation and service entrance reconnection
- Service entrance upgrades, if not listed above in the scope
- Structural work including concrete cutting, core drilling, or framing changes
- Any work in areas not accessible at the time of the estimate
The exclusions section is the most commonly skipped part of an electrical quote. It is also the most commonly cited source of callback disputes and non-payment arguments. Write it every time.
Why does every electrical quote need an approval line?
An approval line is a customer signature block that says signing below authorizes the work and accepts the quoted price. It is not a formal contract but it creates a written record that the customer agreed to the scope and price before work started.
What the text should say: "Signing below is authorization to proceed with the work described above at the prices shown." That is the full text. It does not need to be a legal paragraph.
If a customer disputes the price after the job is done, the signed quote is your first line of defense. Without it, it is your word against theirs.
How does a quote template save time on electrical bids?
A template that connects your price book to your quote means you enter material and labor prices once. Every quote you build after that pulls current prices automatically. You do not re-type prices from a previous job, and you do not have to remember what you charged last time.
| Task without a template | Time | Task with TightNumbers | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build a price list per job | 20 to 30 min | Update price book once | 2 to 5 min |
| Calculate markup per line | 10 to 15 min | Automatic from price book | 0 min |
| Write the customer quote | 20 to 30 min | Switch to the Quote tab | 0 min |
| Build the payment schedule | 10 min | Auto-calculated from total | 0 min |
| Write exclusions from scratch | 10 to 15 min | Fill in the exclusions field | 2 to 3 min |
| Total per bid | 70 to 90 min | Total per bid | Under 15 min |
All seven elements above, connected in one file. Pay what you want.
Frequently asked questions about electrical quotes
How do you write an electrical quote for a customer?
Start with your company and customer information, write the scope of work in plain language, list each item with quantity and marked-up price, apply tax, define payment milestones with trigger conditions, list what is excluded, and include an approval signature line. The free TightNumbers template covers all seven elements in one connected file.
What is a fair markup on electrical work?
Most electrical contractors use a markup between 20% and 30% applied to raw cost. The right number depends on your overhead, market, and job type. Calculate markup from your cost, not from the price you want to end up at. Using a markup below 15% rarely covers overhead plus profit for a licensed trade contractor.
Do you charge tax on labor for electrical work?
It depends on your state. Labor is taxable in some states and exempt in others. Materials are taxable in almost every state. Check your state contractor board rules or ask your accountant before quoting. Charging the wrong rate creates a gap when you remit.
Should you give a verbal electrical estimate first?
A written quote is always better than a verbal one. Verbal estimates create disputes because neither side remembers the same number. A written quote with an approval line is clear, professional, and protects both sides if there is a disagreement later.
How long should an electrical quote be valid?
30 days is standard for most residential and light commercial jobs. If material prices in your area are volatile, 14 to 21 days is safer. Put the expiration date on the quote so the customer knows when pricing will be re-evaluated.
What is the difference between an estimate and a quote in electrical contracting?
An estimate is an approximate price, often given before all conditions are known. A quote is a fixed price for a defined scope. If you are committing to a price, call it a quote. If conditions can change your number, call it an estimate and state what can change it.