A clear, fast, professional quote wins more work and protects your margin. Here’s a step-by-step way to quote a job as a tradie in Australia — and how AI quote drafting turns an hour of admin into a few minutes.
Step 1: Capture the job properly
Before you price anything, get the details straight: scope of work, site access, materials, who supplies what, and the customer’s expectations. A voice note from site beats trying to remember it later — Looplet captures voice notes via Android Auto so nothing gets lost on the drive home.
Step 2: Work out your costs
| Cost component | What to include |
|---|---|
| Labour | Hours × your charge-out rate, per worker |
| Materials | Parts and supplies, plus a markup |
| Equipment / hire | Any plant or specialist gear |
| Travel | Time and distance to site |
| Overheads | Insurance, software, vehicle, admin |
| Margin | Your profit on top of cost |
Step 3: Add GST and present it clearly
In Australia, if you’re registered for GST, your quote should show GST (usually 10%) clearly. Break the quote into line items so the customer can see what they’re paying for — itemised quotes get approved faster and lead to fewer disputes.
Step 4: Send it fast and follow up
The tradie who quotes first often wins. Send the quote the same day, make it easy to approve (a customer portal where they tap “accept” beats email tag), and follow up if you don’t hear back within a few days. Looplet’s customer portal lets clients approve quotes online and converts an approved quote straight into a job and invoice.
Common quoting mistakes to avoid
- Underquoting labour — track real hours, not optimistic ones.
- Forgetting overheads — insurance, software and vehicle costs are real.
- Vague scope — itemise so there’s no argument later.
- Slow turnaround — a great quote sent a week late loses to a decent one sent today.
How AI quoting speeds this up
Looplet drafts quotes with AI: describe the job (or feed in your voice note), and it produces a structured, itemised quote you review, adjust and send. It doesn’t replace your judgement on price — it removes the blank-page admin so you can quote more jobs in less time. AI quote drafting is included on every paid plan, and on the free Free Starter plan too.
For choosing a tool to do this in, see the best trade business software guide.
FAQ
How do I quote a job as a tradie? Capture the full scope, total your costs (labour, materials, equipment, travel, overheads), add your margin and GST, itemise it clearly, then send it fast and follow up. AI quoting tools like Looplet draft the itemised version for you.
Should a tradie quote include GST? If you’re registered for GST, yes — show GST clearly (usually 10%). Looplet prices and quotes in AUD inclusive of GST.
Can AI write my quotes? AI can draft an itemised quote from your job description or voice note, which you then review and adjust. Looplet includes AI quote drafting on every plan, including the free one.