Quotation format that wins the order and survives it
Price, scope, validity and terms on one page — so the customer knows what they are buying and you know what you agreed to when the invoice is raised.
Create a quotation freeA quotation is the first document most customers judge you on. Two shops can quote the same price and lose or win purely on whether the paper is clear: what is included, what is extra, how long the price holds, and when payment is due.
It is also your defence. Months later, when a customer says freight was supposed to be free or that a rate was quoted lower, the quotation is what settles it. Write it so a stranger could read it and know exactly what was promised.
What this format must carry
Every field below, with whether it is mandatory and what it is for.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Quotation number and date | Own series, for example QT/2627/0088. Keeps quotations traceable without touching your invoice numbering. | |
| Your business details with GSTIN | Name, address, GSTIN, phone and email. The customer may raise a purchase order straight from this page. | |
| Customer name and contact | Person, firm and site or delivery location — especially where installation or site work is involved. | |
| Item description, HSN, quantity, rate | Be specific: model, size, grade, brand. "As discussed" is how disputes begin. | |
| Discount and net amount | If you are discounting, show it as a line rather than quietly cutting the rate. It makes the concession visible and keeps your list price intact. | |
| GST breakup | Show CGST/SGST or IGST at the applicable rate so the customer compares the all-inclusive figure, not the pre-tax one. | |
| Validity period | State it plainly — "valid for 15 days". Without it a customer can hold you to a rate long after your own cost has moved. | |
| Delivery timeline | Lead time in days from order confirmation or advance receipt, and who bears freight. | |
| Payment terms | Advance percentage, balance schedule, accepted modes and any interest on delay. | |
| Terms, warranty and exclusions | Warranty period, what is not included, installation charges, and the site conditions you assumed. |
Guidance only. GST rules and rates change by notification — confirm the requirements for your business on the CBIC portal or with your CA.
What separates a good quotation from a price list
A price list states rates. A quotation states a deal — scope, quantity, timeline, terms and the date it expires. The parts customers actually compare are the all-inclusive total, the delivery date and the payment split, so make those three impossible to miss.
Exclusions matter as much as inclusions. Unloading, lift charges, civil work, site electricals, transport beyond a set distance: naming them prevents the awkward conversation later where the customer expected them for free.
GST on a quotation
A quotation is a commercial document, not a GST document. It creates no liability and gives the customer no credit. Even so, always show the tax separately at the correct rate — under the structure in force from 22 September 2025, most goods and services fall at 5% or 18%.
Where the customer is in another state, the eventual invoice will carry IGST rather than CGST plus SGST. The total is the same, but showing the correct head on the quotation avoids a re-approval cycle at the buyer's end.
From quotation to invoice without re-typing
Once the customer accepts, the same lines should flow into a sale order and then into the tax invoice. Re-typing is where rates drift, quantities change and margin quietly disappears. Reference the quotation number on the invoice so both sides can reconcile in seconds.
RetailDek's free quotation generator gives you a clean, GST-ready quotation with validity and terms built in, and the paid product carries an accepted quotation through to the invoice without re-entry.
Skip the template — generate it
Filling a blank Excel sheet every time is where numbering gaps and missing fields creep in. Our free tool builds this document with the fields already in the right places, and you can download it as a PDF — no sign-up, nothing leaves your browser.
Create a quotation freeQuotation Format — FAQs
It is not legally required, but print it. Business customers use the quotation to create your vendor record and to check that they will get input tax credit, and a quotation without a GSTIN often gets sent back for clarification.
Make it the output, not the chore
Save your items and parties once, and every document comes out numbered, GST-correct and ready to print — with the stock and reports updating behind it.
Coming soon