Free Hourly Rate Quote Template
Create a professional hourly rate quote in minutes
Show your hourly rate and how many hours you expect the work to take. Customers can follow the cost without guessing and feel ready to hire you.
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Hourly Rate Quote Template Examples
These layouts show ways to present your offer. Each preview opens the same Docelf quote editor, where you can add the hourly work, rates, and terms.
What Does an Hourly Rate Quote Offer?
An hourly rate quote offers your time at a stated rate. It describes the work, the hours you expect it to take, and the billing terms the customer can accept. The total based on those expected hours helps the customer plan their budget.
Make the pricing basis clear: will you bill actual approved hours, reserve a fixed block of time, or work within an agreed spending cap? For actual-hour billing, say how you will record time and ask for approval before going beyond the agreed limit.
How to Create an Hourly Rate Quote
Break the work into tasks before entering the hours. Use the quantity for time and the unit price for the hourly rate; the terms explain how the final bill will be calculated.
- Your Business: Add your business name and contact details.
- Your Logo: Use the logo from your other business documents.
- Your Customer: Enter the customer who will approve the hourly work.
- Number and Dates: Check the quote number, issue date, and valid-until date.
- Hours and Rates: List each task with its estimated hours and hourly rate.
- Check the Total: Review the line amounts, applicable tax, and quoted total.
- Terms and Send: Add billing and approval rules in Terms and Conditions. Review, then email the quote.
How to Fill In Hourly Rate Quote Line Items
Give each task a description that explains the work behind the hours. Use separate lines for different rates, roles, or billable activities. A quantity of 1.5 means one hour and 30 minutes when the item is priced per hour.
This fictional customer-list cleanup uses an hourly rate of $90.00 and 10 estimated hours. The US dollar amounts and 8% tax on all three services are illustrative; use the tax treatment that applies to your work.
| QTY | Description | Unit Price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Review customer-list structure and agree cleanup rules — estimated hours | $90.00 | $180.00 |
| 6 | Remove duplicate entries and standardize contact details — estimated hours | $90.00 | $540.00 |
| 2 | Check cleaned list and hand over results — estimated hours | $90.00 | $180.00 |
| Subtotal | $900.00 | |
| Sales Tax (8% illustrative) | $72.00 | |
| Quote Total | $972.00 |
The $972.00 quote total is based on 10 estimated hours. The offer is for actual approved time at $90.00 per hour, plus applicable tax. Agree on more time before exceeding the 10-hour approval limit in the sample terms below.
What to Include in Hourly Rate Quote Terms
Use Terms and Conditions to explain what counts as billable time, how you count part-hours, and when payment is due. If you use a minimum charge or spending cap, say whether it applies to each visit or the whole engagement and whether tax and expenses are included.
The sample keeps the customer-list work within an agreed number of hours. Adapt it to your own billing policy and replace the date before sending; include only terms your business actually uses.
Example: Terms and Conditions
- This quote is valid until [date]. We will agree on the work dates after acceptance.
- The hourly rate is $90.00. The listed 10 hours are estimated; billing follows actual approved time in 15-minute increments, plus applicable tax.
- The scope covers the supplied customer list, cleanup rules agreed at the start, and handover of the cleaned file. Adding missing contact information is excluded.
- We will ask for approval before exceeding 10 hours or adding work outside this scope. No separately charged expenses are included.
- Payment is due within 7 days of the invoice date.
Put Your Hourly Offer in Writing
Enter the tasks, expected hours, and rates. Docelf calculates the total so you can check the offer before emailing it to your customer.
Set a Clear Cost Limit Without Hiding the Hourly Rate
An hour estimate helps the customer budget, while a cap limits what you can charge without further approval. Choose the arrangement you can stand behind and explain it before work starts.
Estimated Hours
Show your best prediction of the time needed. Explain that the final charge follows the actual approved hours.
Not-to-Exceed Amount
State the maximum charge and whether it includes tax and expenses. Ask for approval before work would take the bill over that amount.
Minimum Charge
A minimum covers a short visit or reserved time. State when it applies and count it as the lowest charge, rather than adding it again on top of the same hours.
Multiple Hourly Rates
Use separate lines when people or services have different rates. Do the same for equipment, overtime, or after-hours work.
Make Billable Time Easy to Check
Agree on whether planning, meetings, travel, and documentation count as billable time. If overtime or after-hours work has a different rate, name that rate before the customer accepts.
Keep a time record with the date, task, person, and hours worked. That gives you a useful breakdown to check against the invoice. When the expected hours are no longer enough, explain what changed and agree on the extra time before continuing.
Hourly Rate Quote, Timesheet, or Invoice?
Use the quote before the work, record the time during the work, and send the invoice when payment is due.
Hourly Rate Quote
Use the quote to show the scope, rate, estimated hours, and quoted amount before work begins. Add the approval rule for more time.
Timesheet or Time Record
Use a time record to track the actual billable hours, dates, tasks, and people who performed the work.
Invoice
Use the invoice to bill the actual approved hours, expenses, and other charges when payment is due.
After You Send the Hourly Quote
Your customer can accept or decline an emailed Docelf quote online without an account. The document history shows delivery and viewing information, and Docelf emails you when the customer responds.
When payment is due, create an invoice from the quote. Docelf copies the customer and item details; replace estimated quantities with actual approved hours and check any agreed expenses before sending. For a later billing period, duplicate the invoice as a new draft and update the dates and time entries.
More Hourly Rate Quote Layouts
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Blank Hourly Rate Quote Template
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Simple Hourly Rate Quote Template
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Downloadable Hourly Rate Quote Template
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Editable Hourly Rate Quote Template
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Fillable Hourly Rate Quote Template
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Professional Hourly Rate Quote Template
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Other Quote Template File Formats
Prefer to work in a file? Word and Google Docs suit descriptions and terms; Excel and Google Sheets suit hours and rates. These pages provide separate file templates. Docelf downloads the finished online quote as a PDF.
Related Quote Templates
Browse related templates when the work is better priced as a project, job, or professional service engagement.
Hourly Rate Quote Template FAQs
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Does an hourly quote promise a fixed total?
Only when your offer says so. For actual-hour billing, the rate is the agreed price per hour and the displayed total may be based on estimated time. State whether you are offering a fixed block, estimated hours, or a not-to-exceed amount.
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How do I enter part of an hour?
Use a decimal quantity: 1.5 hours is one hour and 30 minutes, and 0.25 hours is 15 minutes. State your billing increment in Terms and Conditions so the customer knows how time will be counted.
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How do I estimate hours for an hourly quote?
Break the work into tasks or stages and estimate the time for each one. Use past work, known requirements, and reasonable allowances. State the assumptions that could change the hours.
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Can I put a maximum amount on an hourly quote?
Yes. State a not-to-exceed amount and whether tax and expenses are included in it. Ask for approval before continuing with work that would take the bill over that amount.
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Should I use a minimum charge?
Use a minimum when a short job still requires setup, travel, or reserved time. State whether it applies per visit or to the whole engagement. Explain it as the lowest charge for that work so it is not mistaken for an extra fee on top of the same hours.
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Can I use different hourly rates in one quote?
Yes. Give each person, service, or time period its own line when the rate differs. Show the hours and unit price for each. Describe separately charged equipment or expenses on their own lines so they are included in the subtotal.
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What counts as billable time?
That depends on the service and agreement. Say whether planning, meetings, travel, and documentation are included in the hourly work. State any separate rate for after-hours work before the customer accepts.
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What should I do if the work needs more hours?
Pause before exceeding the approved hours or cap. Explain what changed and ask the customer to approve additional hours or a revised quote before you continue.
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Can I turn an accepted hourly quote into an invoice?
Yes. Docelf copies the relevant quote details into a new invoice. Check the quantities against your time record and use actual approved hours. Include only the work and expenses being billed for that period.
Ready to Send Your Hourly Rate Quote?
Set out the hourly arrangement clearly before the customer approves the work.
- List each task or role with its hourly rate
- Explain the billing basis and extra-time approval
- Email the hourly rate quote or download a PDF
