Interior design businessInterior design proposal
Interior Design Proposal Template (India): Scope, Fee, Stages and Timeline
A ready-to-copy interior design proposal for Indian projects: cover letter, scope by stage, exclusions, fee options, payment stages, timeline, GST line and acceptance.
Published on 10/21/202610 min read
A good interior design proposal answers four questions in order: do you understand my home, what exactly will I get, what will it cost, and when. Below is a ready-to-use template for Indian projects, written from the designer's side, with every section you can copy: cover letter, project understanding, scope by stage, deliverables, exclusions, fee options with payment stages, timeline, revisions, site visits, the GST line, and validity and acceptance.
About the numbers below: this template is MOA guidance, not legal advice. The payment percentages, weeks, number of revisions and site visits, and the 30-day validity are illustrative; set your own. The GST classification and rate come from the GST Council and CBIC texts cited, read on 18 Oct 2026. Have a lawyer or chartered accountant review your final version.
This post is the document itself. For choosing a fee model and pricing your hours, read our guide to interior designer fees; for registration and GST thresholds, how to start an interior design business. To see how clients read what you send, try our homeowner guide to 10 contract clauses to read carefully.
How to use this template
Keep it to two or three pages for a home, plus a room-wise annex. Replace everything in [square brackets], delete the fee options you are not offering, and send a numbered, dated PDF. If the client asks for changes, issue a new number rather than editing the old file.
The order matters: a client who has just read their own brief back, in their own words, reads the fee as the price of getting it right.
The template: copy these sections
MOA guidance, not legal advice. Text in the bordered boxes is meant to be copied and edited.
1. Header
[Studio name] · [address] · [phone, email] · GSTIN [number, only if registered]
Proposal no. [STUDIO/2026/014] · Date [dd mm yyyy] · Prepared for [client name] · Site [flat no., building, locality, city]
2. Cover letter
Half a page: thank them, restate the goal, point to similar work.
Dear [name],
Thank you for walking us through your home on [date]. You want [a calm, easy-to-maintain 3BHK for a family of four, ready before [month]], within a works budget of about [₹__ lakh].
Below are the scope, what you receive at each stage, our fee, payment stages and timeline. Our recent [apartment] projects are on our portfolio: [link].
Happy to go through it on a call. [Your name]
3. Project understanding
Write this from your site visit notes, not a standard paragraph.
- Property: [3BHK], [___] sq ft carpet area, [floor], [new / occupied / renovation].
- Rooms in scope: [living and dining, kitchen, three bedrooms, two toilets, balcony]. Not in scope: [utility, servant room].
- Who lives here and how: [working parents, two children, daily cooking, work from home twice a week].
- What you asked for: [more storage, a study corner, an easy-clean kitchen, warm lighting].
- Constraints: [society work hours, existing flooring retained, move-in date].
Name the area measure. "Per sq ft" means nothing until you say carpet, built-up or super built-up; our carpet area explainer covers why the three differ.
4. Scope by stage, with deliverables
MOA groups the work into five stages that suit a typical home fit-out; rename them to match how you work. Each row says what you do and what the client holds before paying for that stage.
| Stage | What we do | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Concept | Brief, site measurement, space planning, design direction | Measured plan, [two] layout options, mood board with palette and materials |
| 2. Design development | Develop the chosen layout room by room | Final furniture layout, [__] 3D views of [rooms], material and finish schedule |
| 3. Drawings and BOQ | Working drawings and quantities for contractors | Civil changes, electrical and lighting, ceiling, flooring, plumbing points, joinery and wardrobe details, bill of quantities, specifications |
| 4. Execution support | Help you appoint contractors, then check work on site | Comparison of [three] contractor quotes, site visit notes, approval of samples and shop drawings |
| 5. Handover | Final inspection and styling | Snag list, sign-off of snags, care and warranty documents passed on from vendors |
If you also execute the work, quote it separately: it is a different supply for GST and carries different risks.
5. Exclusions
Not included in this fee unless added in writing:
- Structural, MEP, HVAC or acoustic consultants, and any structural changes
- Society, builder or authority permissions, deposits and fees
- 3D views beyond the number above, walkthrough videos, physical models
- Shopping visits for loose furniture, art and décor beyond [two] trips
- The cost of materials, labour, appliances and furniture
- Rooms or areas not listed in section 3
6. Fee options
Offer one model, or two at most.
Option A, per sq ft: ₹[___] per sq ft of carpet area for the rooms listed in section 3, [___] sq ft, so ₹[_____].
Option B, percentage: [__]% of the cost of works, calculated on the approved estimate or the actual cost, whichever is lower. Cost of works includes [civil, joinery, ceilings, electrical, finishes] and excludes [appliances, loose furniture you buy directly, GST].
Option C, lump sum: ₹[_____] for the scope in sections 3 to 5.
The cap in option B removes the suspicion that you gain when the client overspends. Our fee guide shows how each option behaves when the budget rises or falls.
7. Payment stages
| Payment due | Share of fee | Paid so far |
|---|---|---|
| On signing this proposal | 15% | 15% |
| On approval of the concept | 15% | 30% |
| On approval of design development | 20% | 50% |
| On issue of drawings and BOQ | 20% | 70% |
| At the midpoint of site work | 15% | 85% |
| At handover | 15% | 100% |
Each payment is due within [7] days of the stage. Work on the next stage starts once the previous payment is received.
The shares are illustrative; the principle is not. Link each payment to a deliverable, not a date, and keep the money ahead of your hours: here 70% is paid by the time the drawings are out.
8. Timeline
Write the client's decision time into the timeline, so it is clear from day one that approvals move dates too.
Brief and measurement: [1] week · Concept: [2] weeks + [1] week for your review · Design development: [3] weeks + [1] week · Drawings and BOQ: [2] weeks + [1] week · Execution: [about 11] weeks, depending on the contractor · Handover and snags: [2] weeks.
Dates move by the time taken for approvals, payments and site access beyond the review weeks above.
9. Revisions and changes
The fee includes [two] rounds of revisions at each design stage. Once a stage is approved in writing, including by email, changes to it are charged at ₹[____] per hour, or quoted in advance for larger changes.
Any change requested during site work will be confirmed with its cost and effect on the timeline before we act on it.
10. Site visits
The fee includes [8] scheduled site visits within [city] during execution, at key stages such as marking, before ceilings close, joinery installation and finishing. Additional visits are ₹[____] each. Outstation travel and stay are charged at actuals, agreed in advance. Day-to-day contractor supervision is [not] included.
A number beats "regular site visits", a phrase that invites argument later.
11. GST line
Interior design falls under service code 998391, "specialty design services including interior design", in heading 9983 (GST Council, scheme of classification of services). That heading is taxed at 9% central tax (Notification 11/2017-Central Tax (Rate), as amended) plus matching state tax, so 18% in all. The September 2025 rate changes touched only petroleum and gas exploration services within heading 9983 (PIB, 56th GST Council meeting).
Professional fee ₹[2,00,000] · CGST 9% ₹[18,000] · SGST 9% ₹[18,000] · Total ₹[2,36,000] · SAC 998391
The bracketed figures are illustrative. If you are not registered for GST, leave the tax lines out: section 32 of the CGST Act bars an unregistered person from collecting any amount as tax. A proposal is not a tax invoice: once registered, issue one for each payment under section 31, within the period the rules set. Ask your CA about registration thresholds and clients in other states.
12. Validity, terms and acceptance
- Validity: this proposal is valid for [30] days from the date above.
- Stopping the project: either side may end the engagement with [15] days' written notice. Fees for stages completed, and for work done on the current stage, are payable.
- Drawings: the designs and drawings remain the studio's work. You may use them to complete this project at this address.
- Photographs: we may photograph the finished home for our portfolio only with your written consent, and we will not show personal belongings or family members.
Accepted on behalf of the client: ______________ Date ______ · For [studio name]: ______________ Date ______
Why a validity date: your calendar fills and costs change. Signed acceptance plus the first payment is the cleanest start; a WhatsApp "OK, go ahead" leaves room to argue later about which version was agreed.
Before you send it: a five-point check
- Does every payment match a deliverable in the scope table?
- Are revisions, visits, 3D views and shopping trips numbers, not "as required"?
- Are the exclusions written for this home? If the kitchen needs a plumbing shift, say who handles it.
- Is the fee for the right area and rooms? Carpet area, and the list from section 3.
- Registered architect? The Council of Architecture's conduct rules on fees apply; our fee proposal explainer sets them out.
Where your portfolio fits
The cover letter links to your past work, and a client may well open it before reaching the fee. Make sure that link shows projects like the one you are quoting for.
MOA is one option. A free MOA profile gives you a portfolio page with up to 5 projects and commission-free client inquiries. Browse interior designers on MOA to see how other studios lay out a project page.
FAQ
What should an interior design proposal include?
Cover letter, project understanding, scope by stage with deliverables, exclusions, fee and payment stages, timeline, revisions, site visits, GST if registered, and validity with signatures.
Is a proposal the same as a contract?
Once signed it can serve as the agreement, so it needs terms on changes, stopping and drawings. For larger or commercial work, have a lawyer draft a fuller agreement.
How many design revisions should I include?
We found no rule. MOA suggests two rounds per stage; what matters is stating the number and the rate for anything beyond it.
Should I show GST in the proposal?
Yes, as a separate line at 18% under SAC 998391, but only if your studio is registered for GST. An unregistered designer must not charge it.
How long should a proposal be valid?
Long enough for the client to decide, short enough for your calendar and costs. We suggest 15 to 30 days; that is MOA guidance, not a legal requirement.
Make the portfolio link in your proposal count. Put your interior projects on MOA, free.
Sources
- GST Council: Scheme of classification of services, service code 998391 (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- GST Council: Notification 11/2017-Central Tax (Rate), as amended up to 1 Apr 2019, heading 9983 (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- PIB, via GST Council: Recommendations of the 56th meeting of the GST Council, 3 Sep 2025 (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- CBIC: CGST Act 2017, section 31, tax invoice (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- CBIC: CGST Act 2017, section 32, prohibition of unauthorised collection of tax (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Member of Architecture: MOA Pro page, Free and Pro comparison (accessed 18 Oct 2026)