What goes in a labour quotation
The format is a normal quote with two additions: a clear line on who buys the materials, and a statement of how the final bill is measured. Use these fields in this order.
| Field | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Header | Your name, address, phone and tax or registration number. Client name, site address, quote number, date. | The client can file the quote, and a registered business shows its tax number. |
| Scope of labour | The tasks in plain words: “floor tiling, labour only, kitchen and hall, about 38 sq m”. | Stops an argument later about what “labour” included. |
| Unit and quantity | Square foot, square metre, running metre, day, hour or lump sum, with the quantity. | The price follows the measured work. |
| Rate and amount | Rate per unit before tax, and the amount (quantity times rate). | The client can compare your rates line by line. |
| Materials and tools | Who supplies materials, consumables, scaffolding, power tools, water and electricity. | The most common dispute on a labour-only job. |
| Quantities basis | “Estimated; the final bill uses measured quantities.” | Lets the price move with the real area, in both directions. |
| Not included | Hidden defects, extra visits, work at height, waiting time, work by other trades. | Protects you from unpaid extras. |
| Working time | Hours per day, overtime rate, weekend work, number of workers. | Makes the day rate and the schedule clear. |
| Payment | Advance, running bills for work measured to date, final payment on completion. | Keeps your cash flow safe on a job with no materials to resell. |
| Tax | A tax line, or a statement that tax is not charged, with the tax numbers. | See the tax lines below. |
| Validity and acceptance | Days the price holds, and how the client says yes. | See quote acceptance wording. |
Labour only, supply and fit, or full contract: which one are you quoting?
The same trade can be quoted three ways. Decide which one before you write the first line, because the rate table looks different for each.
| Labour only | Supply and fit | Full contract | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the price covers | Work by people, sometimes with their tools | Materials and the work to fit them | All trades, materials and site management |
| Who buys the materials | The client | You | You |
| How you price it | Per unit of measured work, per day or per hour | A materials list plus labour lines | Stage prices with provisional and prime cost sums |
| Main risk | Quantities, waiting time, the quality of materials you did not choose | Material prices moving before the job | Scope growing without a price change |
| Template to start from | This page | Contractor quote template | Builder quote template |
How do you price labour: per unit, per day or per hour?
| Method | Use it when | How the price is built |
|---|---|---|
| Per unit of measured work | Repeatable work with a clear quantity: tiling, plastering, painting, brickwork, board fixing | Rate per sq ft, sq m or running metre times the measured quantity |
| Day rate | The work is hard to measure first, or you are supplying a crew | Workers times days times the day rate, with working hours stated |
| Hourly rate | Repairs and small jobs where the scope is not known | Hours times the hourly rate, with a minimum charge and a limit that needs the client’s approval to pass |
| Lump sum | A small task that is fully defined | One price for the named task |
To set a day rate, start from what you need to earn and how many days you can really bill. For example, if you need £36,000 a year from the work and can bill 190 days, the pay part of the day rate is about £189 (36,000 divided by 190) before tools, insurance, travel and profit. Our guide to pricing a job quote works through the overheads and the margin.
Three worked examples you can load
Prices are illustrations, not market rates. Each button loads the example into the quote maker, where you change the lines, the currency and the tax.
United Kingdom: tiling labour at a day rate, with VAT
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiling labour, per tiler per day (2 tilers for 3 days) | 6 | £190 | £1,140 |
| Preparing walls and floor, per day (1 labourer) | 1 | £140 | £140 |
| Grouting, sealing and clean down, lump sum | 1 | £120 | £120 |
| Subtotal, excluding VAT | £1,400 | ||
| VAT at 20% | £280 | ||
| Total including VAT | £1,680 | ||
United Arab Emirates: fit-out labour per square metre, with 5% VAT
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gypsum partition framing, labour only, per sq m | 120 | AED 38 | AED 4,560 |
| Gypsum board fixing and jointing, labour only, per sq m | 240 | AED 22 | AED 5,280 |
| Painting, 2 coats, labour only, per sq m | 300 | AED 14 | AED 4,200 |
| Subtotal before VAT | AED 14,040 | ||
| VAT at 5% | AED 702 | ||
| Total including VAT | AED 14,742 | ||
India: flooring labour per square foot, with 18% GST
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitrified tile laying, 2 x 2 ft, labour only, per sq ft | 850 | ₹24 | ₹20,400 |
| Wall putty, 2 coats, labour only, per sq ft | 2,200 | ₹9 | ₹19,800 |
| Skirting fixing, labour only, per running ft | 300 | ₹15 | ₹4,500 |
| Debris removal and site clean up, lump sum | 1 | ₹2,500 | ₹2,500 |
| Subtotal before GST | ₹47,200 | ||
| GST at 18% | ₹8,496 | ||
| Total including GST | ₹55,696 | ||
Wording to copy into a labour quotation
Change the square brackets to fit the job. This is a starting point, not legal advice; for a large contract, have it checked.
- Labour only: “This quotation is for labour only. Materials, consumables, scaffolding, power and water are supplied by the client and must be on site before work starts.”
- Measured quantities: “Quantities are estimated from [the drawings / a site visit]. The final bill uses measured quantities at the rates above.”
- Waiting time: “If work is held up because materials or access are not ready, the waiting time is charged at the day rate.”
- Client’s materials: “We are responsible for our workmanship. We are not responsible for faults in materials supplied by the client.”
- Extra work: “Work not listed here is priced and agreed in writing before we start it.”
- Payment: “[20]% in advance, running bills for work measured to date, the balance on completion.”
- Validity: “This quotation is valid for [30] days from the date above.”
When the quote is ready, send it with one of our quote email templates and ask for a written yes using the acceptance wording.
Tax lines on a labour quotation: UK, UAE and India
Rules and rates below were read on the official pages linked beside them on 10 November 2026. Tax rules change and depend on what you sell; check with the tax authority or an accountant.
- UK, VAT: most building work on houses and flats is standard-rated at 20%, so a VAT-registered business adds VAT to labour-only work too, unless the zero rate, the reduced rate or the reverse charge applies. See GOV.UK: VAT for builders. Where the domestic reverse charge applies (a VAT-registered business in the Construction Industry Scheme working for another), you do not charge VAT and the invoice says so; see GOV.UK: domestic reverse charge.
- UK, CIS: a contractor usually deducts 20% from a registered subcontractor’s payment, 30% from an unregistered one and nothing from one with gross payment status, after taking away VAT and any materials the subcontractor paid for directly. Quote the full labour price; the deduction is made when you are paid. See GOV.UK: CIS deductions.
- UAE: a VAT-registered business shows its Tax Registration Number (TRN) and VAT at 5%. Registration is mandatory above AED 375,000 of taxable supplies over 12 months. The tax invoice that follows the work carries the words “Tax Invoice”, your TRN, a sequential number and the VAT in dirhams. See Federal Tax Authority: registration. More on the UAE quote generator page.
- India: GST registration is needed above ₹20 lakh of turnover for services in most states (lower in special category states). The standard rate is 18%, but the rate depends on the work, so confirm it for yours. See Press Information Bureau: GST factsheet. More on the India quote generator page.
Free labour quotation template in Word and Excel
A one-page labour-only template with the fields above, an example row, a terms block and a signature line. The Excel file adds up the lines for you; fill in the yellow cells.
Or load one of the examples above and download the quote as a PDF from the quote maker.