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Project Estimate Template

A project estimate that prices each phase by hours at an hourly rate, lists fixed-fee items on their own, states the assumptions behind the price and proposes a deposit, with a valid-until date, in PDF, Word and Excel

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Quick answer:A project estimate prices a piece of work for a client before it starts. The template on this page records who prepared it, the client, the project and a proposed start, then prices each phase line by line, as hours at an hourly rate, with a subtotal per phase, and lists fixed-fee items in their own table. "Sales tax, if applicable" is a rate cell on the subtotal, and "Proposed deposit" is a rate cell on the estimated total. The assumptions the price depends on are listed under "Assumptions", and the estimate has a valid-until date and an acceptance block. It comes as a blank PDF form plus Word and Excel files with a sample software project, all set up for A4 paper.

PROJECT ESTIMATE

Prepared by

Business name:
Example Digital Studio
Address:
24 Example Studio Lane, Sampletown
Phone / email:
[Phone or email]

Estimate details

Estimate no.:
PE-0915
Date:
Nov 10, 2026
Valid until:
Dec 10, 2026
Prepared by:
[Project lead]

Client and project

Client:
Example Learning Co.
Project:
Customer portal, first release
Proposed start:
[Start date]

Phase 1: discovery and design

  • Phase / item: Workshops and requirementsAmount: 2,640.00
    Basis:
    Hours
    Qty:
    24
    Rate:
    110.00
  • Phase / item: UX and visual designAmount: 3,800.00
    Basis:
    Hours
    Qty:
    40
    Rate:
    95.00
Phase 1 subtotal6,440.00

Phase 2: build and test

  • Phase / item: DevelopmentAmount: 12,600.00
    Basis:
    Hours
    Qty:
    120
    Rate:
    105.00
  • Phase / item: Testing and fixesAmount: 2,550.00
    Basis:
    Hours
    Qty:
    30
    Rate:
    85.00
Phase 2 subtotal15,150.00

Fixed-fee items

  • Phase / item: Launch support, first 2 weeksAmount: 1,500.00
    Basis:
    Fixed fee
    Qty:
    1
    Rate:
    1,500.00
  • Phase / item: Staff training sessionAmount: 600.00
    Basis:
    Fixed fee
    Qty:
    1
    Rate:
    600.00
Fixed-fee subtotal2,100.00
Subtotal
23,690.00
Sales tax, if applicable (0%)
0.00
Estimated total
23,690.00
Proposed deposit (20%)
4,738.00

Assumptions

  • The client provides content and brand assets by [date].
  • One round of design feedback per screen is included.
  • Hosting and third-party licenses are not included.

Accepted for the client (signature)

Print name and title

Date

Hours are estimates based on the assumptions above; prices are valid until the date shown.

Project estimate: sample preview. Download it below.

Key Features

Everything you need in a professional estimate template.

"Client and project" block for the client, the project and the proposed start
"Estimate details" with the estimate number, date, valid-until date and who prepared it
Phases in their own tables, each line with its basis, quantity and rate, and a subtotal per phase
"Fixed-fee items" table with a "Fixed-fee subtotal"
"Sales tax, if applicable" rate cell on the subtotal, then the estimated total
"Proposed deposit" rate cell on the estimated total
"Assumptions" the price depends on, and an acceptance block
Blank PDF form, plus Word and Excel files with a sample project, set up for A4 paper; the Excel file calculates the totals

Download the estimate template

The PDF is a blank form to print and fill in by hand. The Word and Excel files contain the sample details shown in the preview, ready for you to replace with your own.

PROJECT ESTIMATE

Prepared by

Business name:
Example Digital Studio
Address:
24 Example Studio Lane, Sampletown
Phone / email:
[Phone or email]

Estimate details

Estimate no.:
PE-0915
Date:
Nov 10, 2026
Valid until:
Dec 10, 2026
Prepared by:
[Project lead]

Client and project

Client:
Example Learning Co.
Project:
Customer portal, first release
Proposed start:
[Start date]

Phase 1: discovery and design

  • Phase / item: Workshops and requirementsAmount: 2,640.00
    Basis:
    Hours
    Qty:
    24
    Rate:
    110.00
  • Phase / item: UX and visual designAmount: 3,800.00
    Basis:
    Hours
    Qty:
    40
    Rate:
    95.00
Phase 1 subtotal6,440.00

Phase 2: build and test

  • Phase / item: DevelopmentAmount: 12,600.00
    Basis:
    Hours
    Qty:
    120
    Rate:
    105.00
  • Phase / item: Testing and fixesAmount: 2,550.00
    Basis:
    Hours
    Qty:
    30
    Rate:
    85.00
Phase 2 subtotal15,150.00

Fixed-fee items

  • Phase / item: Launch support, first 2 weeksAmount: 1,500.00
    Basis:
    Fixed fee
    Qty:
    1
    Rate:
    1,500.00
  • Phase / item: Staff training sessionAmount: 600.00
    Basis:
    Fixed fee
    Qty:
    1
    Rate:
    600.00
Fixed-fee subtotal2,100.00
Subtotal
23,690.00
Sales tax, if applicable (0%)
0.00
Estimated total
23,690.00
Proposed deposit (20%)
4,738.00

Assumptions

  • The client provides content and brand assets by [date].
  • One round of design feedback per screen is included.
  • Hosting and third-party licenses are not included.

Accepted for the client (signature)

Print name and title

Date

Hours are estimates based on the assumptions above; prices are valid until the date shown.

Project estimate

A project estimate: phases with hours at an hourly rate, fixed-fee items, the assumptions the price depends on, a sales tax rate cell, the estimated total, a proposed deposit rate cell and a valid-until date.

A priced proposal — not an invoice

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What a project estimate covers

A project estimate prices a piece of work for a client before it starts. This template breaks the project into phases and prices each line by the hours you expect at an hourly rate, lists fixed-fee items in their own table, and states the assumptions the price depends on. It ends with the estimated total, a proposed deposit, a valid-until date and a place for the client to accept.

What's on the project estimate

  • Prepared by: business name, address, and phone or email
  • Estimate details: "Estimate no.", "Date", "Valid until" and "Prepared by" (the project lead)
  • Client and project: "Client", "Project" and "Proposed start"
  • Phases: one table per phase, with "Phase / item", "Basis", "Qty", "Rate" and "Amount", and a subtotal per phase
  • Fixed-fee items: the same columns, with a "Fixed-fee subtotal"
  • Totals: "Subtotal", "Sales tax, if applicable" with its rate, "Estimated total", and "Proposed deposit" with its rate
  • Assumptions: what the hours and prices depend on
  • Acceptance: "Accepted for the client (signature)", "Print name and title" and "Date"

The sample estimates the first release of a customer portal for a learning company, dated Nov 10, 2026 and valid until Dec 10, 2026:

  • Phase 1: discovery and design: workshops and requirements, 24 hours at 110.00, 2,640.00, and UX and visual design, 40 hours at 95.00, 3,800.00, for a phase 1 subtotal of 6,440.00;
  • Phase 2: build and test: development, 120 hours at 105.00, 12,600.00, and testing and fixes, 30 hours at 85.00, 2,550.00, for a phase 2 subtotal of 15,150.00;
  • Fixed-fee items: launch support for the first 2 weeks, 1,500.00, and a staff training session, 600.00, for a fixed-fee subtotal of 2,100.00.

That's a subtotal of 23,690.00. With sales tax at 0%, the estimated total is 23,690.00, and the proposed deposit is 20% of it, 4,738.00. The rates are sample figures, not market rates.

Phases priced by the hour

Each phase has its own table and subtotal, so the client can see what each stage of the project costs. On each line, "Basis" says how it's priced ("Hours" in the sample), "Qty" is the hours you expect and "Rate" is the hourly rate for that work. Rates can differ from line to line: the sample prices development at 105.00 an hour and testing at 85.00.

Rename the phases for your project, and the subtotal lines with them.

Fixed-fee items

Some parts of a project have a set price whatever the time they take. List them under "Fixed-fee items", with "Fixed fee" as the basis, a quantity of 1 and the agreed price as the rate. The sample lists launch support for the first 2 weeks at 1,500.00 and a staff training session at 600.00.

Assumptions

The hours depend on what you assume about the work, so the template lists those assumptions under the totals. The sample's three are:

  • "The client provides content and brand assets by [date]."
  • "One round of design feedback per screen is included."
  • "Hosting and third-party licenses are not included."

Write the ones your estimate depends on: dates the client has to meet, what's included and what isn't. The footnote ties them to the price: "Hours are estimates based on the assumptions above; prices are valid until the date shown."

Deposit, valid until and acceptance

"Proposed deposit" is a rate cell on the estimated total. In the sample, 20% of 23,690.00 is 4,738.00. It shows the deposit you propose, below the total, and doesn't change the total. The 20% is the sample's figure, so set your own, or 0% for none.

"Valid until" is the date you set for how long you stand by these prices. If the client accepts after that date, or the assumptions change, review the hours and rates before you start. The client signs under "Accepted for the client (signature)", with their name and title and the date.

"Sales tax, if applicable" starts at 0% and applies to the subtotal. Whether your services are taxable depends on where you work and where your client is, so check with the tax agency there, then set the rate.

How to fill in the template

  1. Add your details under "Prepared by", then the estimate number, date, valid-until date and the project lead's name.
  2. Enter the client, the project and the proposed start date.
  3. Rename the phases, then enter each line's basis, hours and rate, and list any fixed-fee items.
  4. Set the sales tax rate, or leave it at 0%, and the proposed deposit rate, or 0% for none.
  5. Write your assumptions, then send the estimate for the client to accept.

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 line amount is "Qty" × "Rate", rounded to the cent, and stays blank until both are filled in;
  • "Phase 1 subtotal", "Phase 2 subtotal", "Fixed-fee subtotal" and "Subtotal" are formulas;
  • "Sales tax, if applicable" is its rate × the subtotal, "Estimated total" is the subtotal plus the tax, and "Proposed deposit" is its rate × the estimated total;
  • the file's tip says: to leave out "Sales tax, if applicable" or "Proposed deposit", set the line's 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 "Amount" formula into them, and check that the table's subtotal and "Subtotal" include the new rows.

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

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

Project estimates in Billed

In Billed's estimating software, you can email estimates or share them by link, and the page says your clients can "approve or reject the estimates you send via link." You can see on the estimate dashboard which estimates clients have approved or rejected, and turn an approved estimate into an invoice in one click.

Once the work starts, you can set up an hourly rate project with its rate, and Billed works out each task's charge as you log time. You can then invoice one task or several together from the project dashboard.

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What's included in this estimate template

Line How Sample
Phase 1 Hours × rate 6,440.00
Phase 2 Hours × rate 15,150.00
Fixed fees Fixed 2,100.00
Total Sum + tax 23,690.00
Deposit 20% 4,738.00

When this isn't for you

If you price phases in days at a day rate, with a timeline and a payment schedule, the Google Docs project proposal estimate fits better. To plan what a project will cost rather than price your own work, use the budget estimate.

How To Send Estimates With Billed

Billed lets you create and send estimates, then turn an approved estimate into an invoice.

1

Sign Up Free

Create your free Billed account. No credit card required.

2

Create Your Estimate

Add your logo, your client's details and the line items, with quantities and units for each.

3

Send It, Then Invoice

Send the estimate to your client by link or email. Once they approve it, convert it into an invoice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this estimate template.

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