VAT on quotes
VAT on quotes UK — put 20% on the estimate, not as a surprise on the invoice
You priced the bathroom at £2,000. They said yes. Friday the invoice is £2,400. That is not a variation. That is 20% you left off the quote.
If you are VAT-registered, the customer pays the VAT. HMRC’s standard rate is 20%. Put it on the estimate as its own line — net, VAT, gross — so the number they accept is the number they will pay. Then raise the invoice in one press and the lines stay the same.
This is a document generator, not legal or tax advice. For a grey point, speak to your accountant.
The surprise is the 20%, not the job
A quote without VAT looks cheaper than the one from the VAT-registered firm next door. It is not cheaper. It is unfinished.
Household customers read the big number. If that number is net, they have not agreed the job. They have agreed a figure that is 20% light. VAT-registered customers need the split so they can reclaim the VAT — HMRC expects VAT shown separately on the invoice, with your VAT number. The estimate is not that VAT invoice, but the money on it should still add up to the same gross.
Do not write “£2,000 + VAT” in the notes and hope they do the sum. Show the line. For the fields HMRC expects on a VAT invoice, see VAT invoices: what they must include.
“Plus VAT” is not a number they can pay
“Plus VAT” is a habit from B2B paperwork. On a kitchen or a consumer unit for a house, it reads as small print.
Work the total the way HMRC describes a VAT-inclusive price: net × 1.2. £2,000 net is £400 VAT and £2,400 gross. That gross is what belongs on the sheet they take inside. See VAT invoices and record keeping.
You can still show net and VAT as separate lines. You should. Just do not hide the gross.
QuoteCo only adds 20%. It does not do reduced-rate 5%, zero-rate, mixed rates on one sheet, or reverse charge. If the job is not standard-rated, this is not the tool — ask your accountant. Check GOV.UK VAT rates.
If you are not registered, leave it off
You must register if taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or you expect it to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days. You can register below that if you choose. Check the current threshold on GOV.UK — it was £90,000 on 1 September 2026.
Until you are registered, do not add 20%, and do not print a VAT number you have not got. Switch the toggle off. The sheet stays net = gross.
Registration is HMRC’s job, not ours. QuoteCo does not file VAT returns, does not do Making Tax Digital, and does not tell you when you have crossed the line.
On the QuoteCo sheet
Open the builder. No account needed. Switch VAT on and 20% sits under the subtotal as its own line, on the estimate and on the invoice. Leave it off if you are not registered.
When they accept, raise the invoice in one press. Same lines, new INV number. Your bank details or your own pay link go on the sheet. They pay you. We never take, hold or process the money.
Free forever for the sheet. Platinum is £9 a month if you want logo, extra designs, sync, a client book, and a date-range CSV on Insights — net, VAT, CIS, deposits, balance due — for your accountant. Quotes stay free.
Footer on every sheet: Made with QuoteCo · quoteco.co.uk
Questions
Should I put VAT on the quote or only the invoice? On the quote if you are VAT-registered. Then the invoice total matches what they already accepted.
What if I am not VAT-registered yet? Leave the toggle off. Do not add 20% and do not print a VAT number.
Does QuoteCo do the VAT return? No. We generate the sheet. Your accountant or HMRC handles the return.