A client asks, “How much will the website changes cost?” You can price a defined job or estimate work that still needs investigation. Either approach can work. Trouble starts when you and the client read the same figure differently.
Write down what the price covers, what you have assumed and how you will handle a change. The document’s label helps, but its legal effect depends on the wording, the agreement, the parties and the applicable law. This is a writing guide, not a promise about how a court would decide a dispute.
Choose the price format before writing the total
| Format | Useful when | What the reader needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed-price quote for a defined scope | The deliverables and inputs are clear enough to price. | Exactly what is included, the total, acceptance steps and change procedure. |
| Estimate or range | There are specific unknowns that investigation will resolve. | The assumptions, calculation basis, uncertainty and next approval point. |
| Time-based work with a budget limit | The tasks will develop during the job. | The rate, time recording, agreed limit and action before that limit is reached. |
Calling a document an estimate does not give unlimited permission to increase a bill. Calling it a quote does not explain an ambiguous scope. If the work cannot be priced responsibly yet, offer a small, separately priced investigation and explain what it will produce.
A fictional quote you can adapt
This example concerns business website work. The names and prices are invented; the structure is a starting point rather than a ready-made legal contract.
Quote Q-2026-018 — issued 19 October 2026
Supplier: Cedar Desk Studio
Client: Northbank Workshop
Work: Update five existing WordPress pages using text and images supplied by the client. Include one contact-form layout change and two rounds of consolidated text/layout revisions.
Price: £750 total. This fictional supplier is not VAT registered, so no VAT is charged.
Inputs: Final content, existing site access and one person responsible for approvals.
Excluded: Hosting, paid plugins, copywriting, new booking systems, ongoing maintenance and changes to other pages.
Timing: Five working days from receipt of the agreed inputs, subject to the approval schedule confirmed before starting.
Payment: £300 on agreed commencement and £450 on completion under the agreed payment terms.
Offer open for acceptance until 2 November 2026. Please confirm the scope and terms in writing. Additional work will be described and priced for approval before it begins.
Replace every assumption that does not fit your job. A validity date is an offer-management choice, not a magic protection against all later claims. Make sure acceptance, cancellation and payment arrangements work together.
For an estimate, show how you reached the range
“£500–£800, subject to change” leaves the customer guessing. A useful estimate shows the moving parts:
- Inspection of an existing contact form: 1–2 hours.
- Repair and configuration, if the current plugin can be retained: 3–4 hours.
- Testing and handover: 1 hour.
At a fictional £60 per hour, that is 5–7 hours and £300–£420 before any applicable tax. State that a replacement plugin, paid licence or unrelated email-delivery problem falls outside these assumptions. Then set a checkpoint: “After inspection I will confirm the proposed repair and obtain approval before continuing.”
A range is useful only if the customer knows what happens at its upper end. Agree whether work pauses, whether a new approval is required and who can give it.
Use a change request while the choice still exists
Suppose Northbank asks for a sixth page after accepting the five-page quote. Keep that request separate from the original scope.
Change CR-01, linked to Q-2026-018
Requested change: Add one service page using supplied content.
Extra price: £120; no VAT in this fictional example.
Effect on timing: One additional working day after the content is received.
Existing agreed price: £750. Revised total if approved: £870.
Please confirm approval before I start this additional page. The existing five-page scope remains as agreed if you decline the change.
Save the request and the client’s response with the quote. Check that the responder has authority to approve the spend. If the customer declines, record the decision and discuss how to proceed within the existing agreement.
Consumer jobs need particular care
For UK consumer contracts, the CMA’s fair contract guidance stresses clear, fair terms and warns about clauses that allow a business to change an agreed price. A “subject to change” sentence does not automatically make a price increase fair. Consumer rules, cancellation rights and sector-specific requirements need checking for the actual transaction.
For another country, or a disputed job, check the applicable rules rather than using a universal overrun percentage. Do not treat this article’s example wording as a substitute for appropriate advice.
Connect the approval to the invoice
- Retain the accepted version, rather than overwriting it with a new draft.
- List the approved deliverables and variations against the project.
- Reference the quote and approved change numbers on the invoice.
- Check deposits already received so the balance is not charged twice.
- Confirm the invoice’s tax treatment and required fields separately.
Use the invoice generator for the bill and the proposal guide when you also need to explain your approach. Keep the accepted scope alongside both documents so a future reader can follow the price from approval to payment.
Updated 19 October 2026 by Talentra Solutions. Examples are fictional and are included to explain the workflow. How we prepare and correct our guides.