Electrical paperwork, done properly

Electrical estimates carry a license number and a load story. Most residential jobs that get disputed were priced without checking whether the panel could take the load — an EV charger or a heat pump on a full 100-amp service is a panel upgrade wearing a small job's clothing. Say what the service is, say what the job needs, and the customer understands the number before you send an invoice for double it.

Pick your document

  • Electrical estimate

    An estimate is your best professional judgment of what a job will cost, given before the work starts.

  • Electrical quote

    A quote is a fixed price for a defined scope of work — the number does not move unless the scope does.

  • Electrical invoice

    An invoice is the request for payment once the work is done — the document that actually gets you paid.

What belongs on electrician paperwork

  • Your license number, which several states require on the document itself
  • Existing service size and available capacity — the basis for the whole price
  • Code-required protection the job triggers: AFCI, GFCI, tamper-resistant devices
  • Permit and inspection, separately from labor, since utility coordination adds days
  • Whether drywall cut-in and patching is included, because running circuits means opening walls

How electricians price work

Residential electrical is usually flat-rate per device or per circuit, with hourly used for troubleshooting and anything open-ended. Panel and service work is quoted as a job. The variable that moves an electrical price most is not labor — it is whether the existing service has capacity, so price the load calculation as its own step rather than absorbing it.

The builder ships with 11 electrical line items to start from, grouped into 3 sections. Edit the rates once and they save to your own price book.

Open the Electrical builder

Questions

Does my license number have to be on an electrical estimate?
Several states require the license number on contracts and advertising, and some require it on estimates specifically. Requirements vary, so check your own board — but printing it costs nothing and it is one of the fastest credibility signals on the page.
How do I price an EV charger installation?
Price it in two parts: the circuit and the capacity. The run itself is predictable — cable, breaker, disconnect, labor by distance. Whether the existing service can carry a 48-amp continuous load is the part that decides whether this is a one-day job or a service upgrade, so quote the load calculation first and the install second.
Should I charge for a diagnostic on electrical troubleshooting?
Yes — troubleshooting is the work, not a preamble to it. Charge a stated diagnostic rate, put it on the estimate, and credit it against the repair if they proceed. Free diagnostics on electrical faults reward the customer who calls four electricians and hires none of them.