Budget Estimate Template

• Prepared by: business name, address, and phone or email
• Budget details: "Estimate no.", "Date", "Valid until" and "Prepared by" (the planner's name)
• Client and purpose: "Client", "Purpose" and the planned date, "Planned move" in the sample
• Cost categories: one table per category, with "Category", "Details", "Qty", "Unit", "Unit cost" and "Budget", and a subtotal per category
• Totals: "Subtotal", "Contingency" with its rate, and "Total budget"
• Budget notes: where the unit costs come from and what the contingency covers
• Approval: "Approved by (signature)", "Print name" and "Date"

The sample is a budget for a community center moving to a new office of about 2,000 sq ft, dated Nov 2, 2026 and valid until Dec 2, 2026:

• Moving and setup: professional movers, a crew of 4 for one day, 1,800.00, and packing materials, 240.00, for a moving subtotal of 2,040.00;
• Furniture and equipment: 8 sit-stand desks at 450.00, 3,600.00, and 8 ergonomic office chairs at 280.00, 2,240.00, for a furniture subtotal of 5,840.00;
• IT and network: 12 network cabling drops at 95.00, 1,140.00, and 2 installed Wi-Fi access points at 310.00, 620.00, for an IT subtotal of 1,760.00.

That's a subtotal of 9,640.00. The contingency is 10% of the subtotal, 964.00, for a total budget of 10,604.00. The unit costs are sample figures, not market prices.

"Contingency" has its own rate cell, and it applies to the whole subtotal. In the sample, 10% of 9,640.00 is 964.00. The second note says what it's for: "The contingency covers costs not yet known; change its rate in the rate cell."

The 10% is the sample's figure, not a recommendation. How large a contingency to carry is your decision, so set the rate that fits how much of the plan is still uncertain, or 0% for none.

1. Add your details under "Prepared by", then the estimate number, date, valid-until date and the planner's name.
2. Enter the client, the purpose of the budget and the planned date.
3. Rename the cost categories, then enter each line's quantity, unit and unit cost.
4. Set the contingency rate, or 0% for none.
5. Edit the budget notes, then send the budget for approval.

The PDF is a blank form for filling in by hand. The Word and Excel files have the same layout with the sample filled in, for you to overwrite. All three are set up for A4 paper, so if you print on US Letter, check the scaling setting in your print dialog so the whole page fits.

In the Excel file:

• each budget line is "Qty" × "Unit cost", rounded to the cent, and stays blank until both are filled in;
• "Moving subtotal", "Furniture subtotal", "IT subtotal" and "Subtotal" are formulas;
• "Contingency" is its rate × the subtotal, and "Total budget" is the subtotal plus the contingency;
• the file's tip says: to leave out "Contingency", set its rate to 0%, and don't delete these rows, because the totals refer to them;
• each table has one blank row. For more lines, insert rows above a table's blank row, copy the "Budget" formula into them, and check that the category subtotal and "Subtotal" include the new rows. If you rename a category, rename its subtotal line to match.

In Word or on the PDF, work out the amounts yourself.

For a general layout rather than a budget, see estimate templates by format: Word, Excel, PDF, Google Docs and Google Sheets, or browse all estimate templates.

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