Free electrical estimate template that wins jobs

By Gavin Harris, Staxen. Updated 2026-09-08.

This is a free estimate template for electricians, organized the way electrical work actually breaks down: service and panel, rough-in and wire, devices, fixtures, and labor. Every line carries a real unit, by the each for devices and breakers, by the foot for NM cable and feeder. A downloadable PDF version is on this page, and the structure below is ready to copy into whatever you bid with.

Service and panel

Rough-in and wire

Devices and trim

Fixtures and safety

Labor and coordination

Example scope

Finish a 1,400 sf basement: 24 recessed downlights, 16 duplex receptacles, 2 GFCI receptacles at the wet bar, 6 3-way switches, one 60A sub-panel with dual-function breakers, and interconnected smoke/CO detectors to code. Includes permit, rough and final inspections. Excludes drywall patching, paint, and owner-supplied fixture returns.

What a electrical estimate must include

Scope written by opening count

State the number of openings by type: receptacles, switches, fixture boxes, data drops. An opening count is how the client, the inspector, and your own rough-in crew all read the job. A vague scope like wire the basement is how you end up eating six extra recessed cans.

Line items with the unit shown

Devices, breakers, and fixtures price by the each. Wire prices by the foot, and the gauge matters: 12/2 runs about $0.60 per foot in material while 14/2 runs about $0.42, so a bid that does not name the circuit sizes is guessing. Feeder is its own animal: 4/0 aluminum SER is around $5.50 per foot before labor.

Code adders called out separately

The NEC now pushes AFCI or dual-function AFCI/GFCI protection into most habitable rooms, and a dual-function breaker costs about $58 against $9 for a standard breaker. Put those on their own line so the client sees the code cost instead of thinking you padded the panel.

Exclusions for the other trades' work

Drywall cutting is yours, drywall patching and paint are not. Say so. Also exclude trenching for exterior runs, fixture supply when the owner is buying their own, and repairs to any concealed knob-and-tube or aluminum branch wiring you discover.

Permit and utility coordination

Service upgrades need a permit, an inspection, and a scheduled disconnect and reconnect with the utility. That coordination is real hours and sometimes a utility fee. Put it on the estimate as its own line so a two week utility backlog is not read as you running late.

Expiration date and change order language

Copper moves. Give the price 30 days, then state that added openings, panel changes, or concealed conditions get priced on a signed change order before the work happens. That one sentence is what keeps a walkthrough upsell from becoming a free upgrade.

Estimating mistakes that cost electricians money

Pricing every opening the same

An old-work box fished through a finished plaster wall is not the same opening as a new-work box in an open stud bay. Carry two opening rates, or the remodel jobs will subsidize themselves right out of your margin.

Forgetting the AFCI/GFCI adder

A 20-circuit panel with dual-function breakers carries roughly $1,000 more breaker cost than the same panel with standard breakers. Bid the panel from the code book, not from what the last panel cost you in 2019.

Leaving patching ambiguous

Every fished wire leaves holes. If the estimate does not exclude drywall repair and paint, the client assumes walls come back perfect. One written exclusion line costs nothing and settles the argument before it starts.

Bidding a service upgrade without the utility

The panel swap is a day. The utility disconnect window, the meter release, and the inspection sign-off are the schedule. Estimate the coordination time and any utility fee, and give the client a timeline you do not control in writing.

No line for fixture supply

When the owner buys their own chandeliers, half of them arrive missing canopy hardware. State labor-only pricing for owner-supplied fixtures and a per-trip charge for returns, or you are the free fixture concierge.

Frequently asked questions

What should an electrical estimate include?

An opening count by type, wire priced by the foot with the gauge named, panel work as its own section, code-required items like AFCI/GFCI protection on separate lines, labor, permit and utility coordination, exclusions, and an expiration date. If the client cannot count what they are buying, the estimate is not done.

How does per-opening pricing work?

Electricians count every box on the job, receptacles, switches, and fixture points, and carry a rate per opening that covers the box, the device, and its share of wire and labor. Panel work, feeders, and fixtures are then separate lines. It is fast to count and easy to adjust when the client adds cans on the walkthrough.

Should the client see unit prices or one number?

Show quantities and units on the client copy, and keep your internal unit costs to yourself if you want. Quantities are what make a change order painless later: when the client adds four recessed lights, the price of four is already established by the structure of the estimate.

How long should an electrical estimate stay valid?

30 days is the common outside limit, because copper and breaker prices move. Feeder is the volatile line: 4/0 aluminum SER around $5.50 per foot today can jump between bid and signature. Put the expiration date on the estimate and honor it both directions.

How do I fill this template out fast?

Describe the job out loud and let Eddie, Staxen's estimator, draft this same structure with quantities and prices filled in, ready to text to the client for e-signature. Eddie costs $59 per month per AI employee, and your first job is free, no card required and no time limit on it.

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