Estimate Generator

An estimate generator with labour, materials and contingency

This free estimate generator is built for work whose final cost is not known to the rupee: renovations, repairs, installations, events and freelance projects. List labour and materials in separate sections, add equipment or other costs, and the estimate shows a subtotal for each, a contingency allowance for surprises, tax, the estimated total in figures and words, and a likely range for the final bill.

An estimate protects both sides when it is honest about uncertainty. The tool prints an estimate vs final bill note — by default promising to ask before the cost goes more than 10% above the estimate — and an approval block the customer can sign before you start. When the job is finished, one click exports the line items in the format the invoice generator imports, so the bill starts from the estimate instead of a blank page.

Nothing is uploaded: estimates, logo and signature stay in this browser, and numbers count up on their own. Templates and figures here are aids, not legal or tax advice; contract and tax rules differ by country and trade.

How to use the Estimate Generator

1. Choose paper size, colour and currency, then enter the estimate number, date, validity and the project name and site address.
2. Fill in your business and the customer.
3. Add lines with Add labour, Add material or Add other cost; each line has a unit (days, hours, sq ft, sheets…), quantity, rate and tax %.
4. Set the contingency % and how far the final bill may differ; pick the tax type and place of supply.
5. Edit the disclaimer and terms, then press Download PDF.
6. After the job, press Export for the invoice generator and import the file there.

Estimate Generator features

How the estimate is calculated

Each line is quantity × rate. Section subtotals add up the lines in Labour, Materials and Other. Any discount comes off next, then the contingency is a percentage of the discounted subtotal, spread over the lines in proportion. Tax is charged per rate on the result, and the likely range is the total ± the variance you set.

Worked example (the sample kitchen job): labour of ₹7,000 + ₹16,800 + ₹9,500 = ₹33,300 and materials of ₹48,300 + ₹36,800 + ₹12,400 = ₹97,500 make ₹1,30,800. A 10% contingency adds ₹13,080, giving ₹1,43,880 taxable. The contractor and the flat are both in Karnataka, so GST at 18% is CGST ₹12,949.20 + SGST ₹12,949.20 and the estimated total is ₹1,69,778.40. With ±10%, the likely final cost is ₹1,52,800.56 to ₹1,86,756.24.

Estimate or quotation: which should you send?

• Send an estimate when quantities or hours can change once work starts — repairs, renovations, custom software, events. It is a forecast and usually not binding on the final figure.
• Send a quotation when you can commit to a fixed price for a defined scope; once accepted it is normally binding until its validity date.
• Whichever you send, describe exactly what is included and excluded, how changes are priced and when you will ask for approval — that is what prevents disputes, more than the document’s title.
• For building and civil works measured item by item — earthwork, concrete, steel, masonry — use the BOQ maker: a bill of quantities with item codes, an abstract of cost and CSV export.
• Contingency of 5–10% is common for straightforward jobs and 10–20% for old buildings or unclear scope. Show it openly rather than padding the rates.

From estimate to invoice

The export writes a JSON file containing one invoice draft: your business, the customer, every line (with HSN/SAC and unit in the description), discount, tax type with the CGST/SGST split where it applies, and your terms. In the invoice generator press Import JSON; the draft appears under “Saved invoices”, numbered INV-… after the estimate. Update quantities to what was actually done, then download the invoice. Margins on the job can be checked with the profit margin calculator and the markup calculator.