A quotation template built for UK venue hire and event catering
A UK client comparing three venues will line up the quotes side by side and look at one number: the total. If yours shows £9,850 and the next one shows £8,300 plus VAT, you lose on a misunderstanding. This template is laid out so the comparison is fair, the VAT is visible per line, and the terms that protect you are on the same page as the price.
Checked against HM Revenue & Customs guidance · last reviewed 2026-09-25
Free quotation template for United Kingdom
Say whether prices include VAT, on every page
Private clients booking a wedding or a birthday think in VAT-inclusive prices, because that is what they pay. Corporate bookers usually want net figures they can reclaim VAT on. Pick one basis for the headline total and state it in words next to the number: 'Total £11,820 including VAT at 20%'. Then show the net and VAT columns underneath for the finance team.
If part of the booking is exempt, say so on the line. A community venue that has not opted to tax may quote the hall itself with no VAT and the bar or buffet at 20%. Putting 'Exempt' next to the hall line stops the client's accountant from querying the invoice later. If you are not VAT registered at all, do not show a VAT line; show a single price and add 'Not VAT registered'.
Quotation Q-2026-0417 (version 2)
Weekday conference for 60 delegates at a converted mill venue in Manchester that has opted to tax its building
| Item | Qty | Rate | Tax | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day delegate rate: main room, refreshments x3, working lunch | 60 delegate | £62.00 | VAT 20% | £3,720.00 |
| Breakout room hire, 09:00 to 17:00 | 2 room | £350.00 | VAT 20% (opted to tax) | £700.00 |
| AV technician on site | 1 day | £420.00 | VAT 20% | £420.00 |
| Drinks reception, 17:30 to 19:00 | 40 guest | £18.00 | VAT 20% | £720.00 |
| Parking permits | 25 car | £8.00 | VAT 20% | £200.00 |
- Subtotal
- £5,760.00
- VAT 20% on £5,060.00
- £1,012.00
- VAT 20% (opted to tax) on £700.00
- £140.00
- Total
- £6,912.00
- Deposit (25%)
- £1,728.00
- Balance due
- £5,184.00
- Prices shown exclusive of VAT; VAT at 20% is added per line.
- Final delegate numbers due 10 working days before the event; a minimum of 50 delegates is charged.
- Quote valid for 21 days and the date is not held until the deposit is received.
Price the booking the way British clients buy it
UK venue sales tend to follow a few patterns. Weddings are sold as venue hire plus a per-head wedding breakfast, a drinks package and an evening food line for the extra guests who arrive after the ceremony. Conferences are sold on a day delegate rate that bundles the meeting room, refreshments and lunch, with breakout rooms and AV priced separately. Private parties in pubs and function rooms often waive room hire against a minimum spend at the bar.
Each of those needs its own line with a unit, a quantity and a unit price, because HMRC wants the quantity and unit price on the invoice anyway. A line that just says 'Wedding package £14,000' saves you ten minutes today and costs you an argument when numbers drop from 120 to 95 six weeks out.
- Venue or room hire, with the hours included and the overtime rate per hour
- Food per head, split into day guests and evening guests
- Drinks package or bar tab limit, and corkage if clients bring their own wine
- Equipment: staging, dance floor, AV, uplighting, marquee if outdoor
- Late licence or extended hours fee, if you charge one
- Service charge, stated as a percentage and whether it is optional
Final numbers, minimums and what happens when guests drop
Almost every UK wedding quote gets revised because the guest list moves. Put the rule in the quote rather than in a later email: final numbers due 14 days before the event, a minimum of 80 day guests charged whatever the attendance, and extra guests added at the per-head rate up to the room capacity. The minimum number is what protects your staffing and food order.
Say how a reduction is treated after the final-numbers date. Most venues charge for the confirmed number even if fewer people arrive. Write down that dietary changes after the cut-off can be accommodated where possible but not guaranteed. That line prevents a lot of Friday-night phone calls.
What your quotation must show in United Kingdom
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Your business name, address and VAT number (if registered) | The same details must appear on the VAT invoice that follows, so start them here.[1] |
| Quote number, version and date of issue | HMRC requires sequential invoice numbers; numbering quotes the same way keeps the audit trail clean.[1] |
| Line items with quantity, unit price and VAT rate per line | A full VAT invoice must show quantity, unit price and rate for each description, and room hire may be exempt while catering is 20%.[1] |
| Statement of whether totals include VAT | Private clients compare VAT-inclusive totals; corporate clients need net figures to reclaim VAT.[1] |
| Room hire VAT treatment (exempt or opted to tax) | VAT Notice 742 makes bare room hire exempt unless opted to tax or sold as a wedding or party package.[2] |
| Service charge percentage and whether it is optional | A service charge you make is standard-rated, and service charges you control must go to workers in full since October 2024.[3] |
| Deposit, payment schedule and cancellation scale | Each payment creates a VAT tax point, and dated leisure and catering services fall outside the 14-day cancellation right.[4] |
| Final numbers deadline and minimum numbers | Protects your food order and staffing when guest lists change. |
Deposits, stage payments and the 14-day myth
A common UK schedule is 25% to secure the date, another 25% six months out and the balance 14 days before. When you receive each payment it is a tax point for VAT, so plan to issue a VAT invoice or receipt with the right VAT figure at each stage rather than one at the end.
Clients who book online sometimes believe they have a 14-day cooling-off period. For a dated event the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 take catering and leisure services with a specific date out of that right. Your quote still needs its own cancellation scale, for example: deposits non-refundable, 50% of the total due if cancelled within 90 days, 100% within 30 days. Keep the scale proportionate to your real loss, because an unfair term can be struck out.
If a client cancels and you keep the deposit, HMRC's guidance on deposits says VAT is still due on the amount you retain. Do not refund the VAT element out of goodwill without adjusting your records.
Service charges and tips since October 2024
Many venues add a 10% or 12.5% service charge to event quotes. Two rules now apply to it. VAT Notice 709/1 says a service charge you make is standard-rated. And the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023, in force from 1 October 2024, requires tips, gratuities and service charges you control to be passed to workers in full, with a written tipping policy available to staff. Quote the service charge honestly: a percentage, whether it is optional, and that it goes to the team.
Validity, date holds and signing
A quote without an expiry date is an open invitation to book next June's Saturday at this year's price. Give it 14 or 30 days and state that the date is not held until the deposit arrives. Add a version number and the date issued, because a couple will often have three revisions in their inbox and forward the wrong one to a parent paying the deposit.
The last block should be the acceptance: client name, signature or typed acceptance, date, and the deposit amount due. Once signed, the quote becomes the base for the VAT invoice, so the line descriptions you write here should be the ones you want on the invoice.
One last check before sending: read the quote as the person paying for it. If a grandparent contributing £3,000 could not tell what that money buys, rewrite the line descriptions.
Send quotations from one system in United Kingdom
Venura keeps bookings, quotes, invoices, deposits and receipts together for venues and caterers, in GBP with your own tax rates. Plans for United Kingdom are priced on request.
Quotation questions from United Kingdom
What should a quotation for venue hire include in the UK?
Your business and VAT details, a quote number and date, each item on its own line with quantity, unit price and VAT rate, a clear statement of whether totals include VAT, the deposit and payment schedule, final numbers rules, the cancellation scale and a validity date. Room hire should say whether it is exempt or standard-rated.
Is a quotation legally binding in the UK?
A quote is an offer. It becomes a binding contract once the client accepts it on its terms, usually by signing and paying the deposit. That is why the cancellation scale, final numbers rule and validity date belong on the quote itself and not in a separate email the client may never read.
Should a UK venue quote include or exclude VAT?
Either is fine if you say which. Private clients booking weddings and parties are usually quoted VAT-inclusive because that is what they pay. Corporate clients generally want net prices. Whichever you choose, write it next to the total and show the VAT per line so exempt room hire is visible.
Do I have to give clients a 14-day cooling-off period on a wedding booking?
Usually not for a dated event. Regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes catering and leisure services provided on a specific date or period from the 14-day cancellation right. You still need fair cancellation terms of your own, and VAT remains due on deposits you keep.
Can I add a service charge to an event quote?
Yes, but show it as a percentage and say whether it is optional. HMRC treats a service charge you make as standard-rated at 20%, and since 1 October 2024 the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 requires service charges you control to be passed to workers in full.
How long should a venue quote be valid for?
Most UK venues use 14 to 30 days. Say that the date is not held until the deposit is paid, and include a version number so a revised quote cannot be confused with an earlier one when a parent or company pays the deposit.
More templates for United Kingdom
Sources
- Record keeping for VAT (VAT Notice 700/21) (checked 2026-09-25)
- Land and property (VAT Notice 742) (checked 2026-09-25)
- Catering, takeaway food (VAT Notice 709/1) (checked 2026-09-25)
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 (checked 2026-09-25)
- VAT: instalments, deposits, credit sales (GOV.UK) (checked 2026-09-25)
- Distributing tips fairly: statutory code of practice (GOV.UK) (checked 2026-09-25)
This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice. Rules change, so confirm with your accountant or the authority linked above.
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