Deposit, cancellation terms, and revision rounds
For a freelancer working without a big contract, three clauses on the quote do most of the protecting:
- Deposit — deposits are common for many B2B or freelance projects. For consumer or regulated trades, deposit caps and refund rules may apply; keep any cancellation fee tied to work done or direct loss and state the refund rule clearly.
- Cancellation terms — what the client owes if they cancel mid-project. A common approach is that completed work and the deposit cover the cost of work done to that point. State the rule up front.
- Revision rounds — say how many are included. Unlimited revisions is the most common way a fixed freelance price turns into an hourly rate of almost nothing.
Quote a project price or an hourly estimate — and be clear which
If the brief is clear, quote a fixed project price with the deliverables listed. If the brief is vague, quote an hourly rate with an estimated range and call it an estimate — that way you are not locked into a fixed price for a moving target.
List deliverables as concrete items. "Logo, three concepts, two revision rounds, final files in SVG/PNG" is a quote a client can say yes to. "Branding work" is an argument waiting to happen.
Validity and acceptance
Give the quote a short shelf life — 14 to 30 days.
An e-signature or typed approval is usually enough for ordinary commercial jobs, provided local law and the contract do not require a specific form, witness, or wet-ink signature. Keep a dated record. Once the client accepts, the price and scope are set; anything beyond the listed deliverables is a new quote.
Acceptance and signatures
A quote usually works as a commercial offer; if the client accepts it and the essential terms are clear, it will usually form the agreed price and scope, subject to local contract and consumer-law rules. Until acceptance, either side can walk away.
An e-signature or typed approval is usually enough for ordinary commercial jobs, provided local law and the contract do not require a specific form, witness, or wet-ink signature. Keep a dated record of the acceptance. For freelancers, a lightweight acceptance — a reply email or a signed PDF paired with the deposit — is usually enough; the key is keeping a dated record of the scope and price that were agreed.
From accepted quote to invoice
Once the work is done, use the accepted quote as the basis for a separate invoice or tax invoice. For deposits, progress payments, or retainers, issue the required invoice and account for VAT/GST/HST/sales tax under local timing rules. Reference the original quote number on the invoice — it helps the client's accounts team match the bill to what they approved.
The practical switch is small: change the heading from "Quote" to "Invoice", swap "Valid Until" for a payment due date, add a fresh invoice number, and apply your tax treatment. Our free invoice generator produces the matching invoice.
Tax on a quote
A quote can show estimated tax (VAT, GST, HST, or sales tax) so the client sees the likely total, but it is a commercial offer, not a tax invoice or sales-tax document — it does not by itself create a reporting point. If you display tax, mark it as estimated or indicative so it is not mistaken for a tax invoice.
Rates and thresholds differ by country and can change, and deposits or advance payments can affect when tax is due — confirm the treatment that applies to your work with your tax authority or an accountant.