Prices and estimates
What your estimate means and who you pay.
Updated
On this page
- Is it free to get quotes, and does the tradie's fee raise my price?
- How does SureQuote work out my price estimate?
- Is the SureQuote estimate a quote, and why can a tradie's quote be different?
- Do tradies pay SureQuote to contact me, and does that raise my price?
- Who do I pay for the work, SureQuote or the tradie?
- Should I pay a tradie a deposit?
- Where can I see typical costs for common jobs?
Is it free to get quotes, and does the tradie's fee raise my price?
Yes, getting quotes is free and you don't have to hire anyone. Tradies pay us a capped fee to take your job, and we set it before they quote, so nothing is added to your quote.
You pay only the tradie you hire. Your details go only to the tradies who take your job, and you can close your job in Hire any time.
How does SureQuote work out my price estimate?
Your estimate is a ballpark price range, including GST. We base it on your answers about the job, online pricing information, past jobs and ongoing feedback from tradies.
Why it's a ballpark, not a quote
An online estimate can't see your home. A tradie's quote depends on what they find on site, such as access, the condition of what's there now and any extra work you ask for, so quotes will vary from your estimate. An online estimate doesn't have enough information to be precise. Use it to know roughly what a job like yours costs before you talk to tradies.
Why it's a range
The low end is a simpler version of your job and the high end a harder one. For any question you haven't answered, we use a typical answer and mark it "typical". The more questions you answer, the narrower the range.
See the breakdown
Under your estimate, open How we got this range to see the labour, materials and any callout fee. On a phone, it's under Details.
Who else sees it
We email you a copy, and the tradies who take your job see the same estimate.
Is the SureQuote estimate a quote, and why can a tradie's quote be different?
No. Your estimate is a guide price for a typical job that matches your answers. A tradie prices your actual job in their quote, once they've seen things like access, condition, materials and the full scope.
Compare a quote with your estimate
- Ask for an itemised quote in writing, with labour, materials and other costs.
- Check whether it includes GST. Your estimate does.
- Ask what's included and what isn't.
- Get more than one quote so you can see what's typical.
Do tradies pay SureQuote to contact me, and does that raise my price?
Tradies pay SureQuote a small, capped fee when they take on your job, and that's what keeps quotes free for you. We don't add anything to your quote or take a cut of what you pay the tradie. Each tradie sets their own prices, just as they do with any other business cost.
How the fee works
When a tradie takes on your job, they pay us a small fee so they can contact you and quote.
- It's based on our estimate for your job, not the price you end up agreeing.
- It's capped, no matter how big the job is.
- The tradie pays it up front, before they know whether you'll hire them.
Does it change your price?
We add nothing to the quote and take no share of what you pay. Because the fee is set before the tradie quotes, it doesn't grow if the quote does.
Every business has costs to find work, like advertising. This fee is one of those, and for most jobs it's a small part of the total. Each tradie decides how they price their own work.
Why tradies pay, not you
It keeps getting quotes free for homeowners, and tradies only pay for the jobs they choose to take on. See Is it free to get quotes from tradies on SureQuote?
Getting a fair price
Compare written quotes for the same work, use your estimate as a guide, and ask each tradie to itemise labour, materials and other costs. See Why is the tradie's quote different from my estimate?
Who do I pay for the work, SureQuote or the tradie?
You pay the tradie directly, and SureQuote takes no commission. You and the tradie agree the price, any deposit and the payment stages.
Before you pay
- Get a written quote with the work, the price and whether GST is included.
- Check the business name on the quote matches the business you're dealing with.
- Agree any deposit and payment stages in writing.
- Ask for a receipt each time you pay.
Should I pay a tradie a deposit?
Tradies ask for a deposit to buy materials or hold a start date. Agree the amount and what it covers in a written quote first, then pay the business named on the quote.
- Get the quote in writing, with the deposit amount and what it covers.
- Agree when the rest is due, for example in stages or when the work is finished.
- Pay the business named on the quote.
- Ask for a receipt.
Where can I see typical costs for common jobs?
Every trade on SureQuote has a free cost guide with a price calculator. Open the guide for your trade, choose your job and answer a few questions to see a guide price range, including GST.
Popular cost guides
For any other trade, open it from the trades page, then open its cost guide. You can ask for free quotes straight from the calculator, with no obligation to hire.
Need a tradie?
Describe the job in your own words. You see an estimate straight away, and up to 3 local tradies can quote.
Something else? Email [email protected].
Ask the team
Email the address for you and we’ll take it from there.
Mon–Fri 8 am–6 pm AEST