As a painter you may charge more than your quote says, but only under conditions. You may exceed an estimate by no more than 10% without a warning. Extra work, meaning work that was not included when you quoted, may only be charged if you told the client about the higher price in time. This is set out in the Dutch Civil Code. If you record it properly, with a photo, a price and the client's approval, you also get paid for the extra work.
In short
- An estimate may come out at most 10% higher, unless you warn the client as early as possible that it will cost more.
- You only charge extra work after reporting the higher price in time. Record it in a message with a photo and a price, and ask for “approved” in reply.
- List wood rot as a separate item in the quote. Repair with epoxy is subject to 9% VAT, a new piece of timber to 21%.
About the amounts: the prices in this piece are worked examples at €70 per hour excluding VAT and a 15% mark-up on materials. They are assumptions, not market figures.
In this article
- May the bill come out higher than your quote?
- When may you charge for extra work?
- How do you record extra work?
- When must you warn the client about the surface?
- How do you put wood rot in the quote?
- Does the client have a cooling-off period if he signs at home?
- How long do you keep the quote, photos and approval?
May the bill come out higher than your quote?
That depends on what you agreed. With a fixed price the client pays what the quote says, even if the job takes you longer. With an estimate, a guessed price, you may exceed that price by no more than 10%. If you want to go above that, you have to warn the client as early as possible (article 7:752 of the Dutch Civil Code).
If you agreed no price at all, the client pays a reasonable price. That sounds generous, but in a dispute you then have to show yourself that your amount is reasonable. A quote with a clear price, or a clear estimate, avoids that discussion.
An example. For a stairwell with doors you give an estimate of €2,400 excluding VAT. Without a warning, the bill may then be at most €2,640. If your final count comes to €2,900, you may only charge the €260 above the limit if you warned the client in time. If you did not, you work that part for free.
When may you charge for extra work?
Only if you told the client in time about the price increase the extra work brings. The law says that for requested additions or changes the contractor may only ask for more if he told the client in time that a price increase is needed (article 7:755 of the Dutch Civil Code). As a painter you are the contractor, your client is the principal.
There is one exception. You do not have to warn if the client should have understood by himself that it would cost more. That is not a question of what the client actually thought, but of what he should reasonably have grasped. In 2024 the Supreme Court sent a case back because the appeal court had not considered that exception (Supreme Court, 12 July 2024).
Do not rely on that exception. Whether a client should have understood something is only decided by a court, after a lot of time and cost. If a client asks halfway through for the doors or the ceiling as well, state the price straight away. That is the simplest way to get your money.
How do you record extra work?
With a short message before you start: what you see, why it is needed, what it costs including VAT, and the request to send “approved” back. Attach a photo. A verbal agreement also counts, but is hard to prove afterwards.
Example message
“While sanding the kitchen window frame I found wood rot in the sill (photo). Repair with a new piece of timber costs €154.88 including 21% VAT. Without repair the paint will not hold there. Could you reply ‘approved’ if I may go ahead?”
Show the client what you do. In five experiments with travel and dating websites, researchers found that people value a service more when they see how much effort goes into it. They call this the labor illusion (Buell & Norton, 2011). That research was not about painting. Even so, it fits practice: a photo of rotten wood makes clear why the price goes up.
Put the extra work on the invoice as a separate line, with the date of the approval. That way the client sees it is what he approved, and your bookkeeper can apply the correct VAT.
When must you warn the client about the surface?
When you see that the surface or the client's choice will lead to a poor result. The contractor must warn about errors in the order and defects in the client's items, as far as he knew or should have known about them (article 7:754 of the Dutch Civil Code). For a painter this is about rotten wood, damp, old layers that come loose, or a paint the client chooses himself that is not suitable.
Always warn in writing. For a building, since 2024 the law requires a written and clear warning that tells the client in time about the consequences. A phone call is then not enough (IPLO). Whether ordinary painting work on a home counts as a building is not stated in the law. With an email or a text message you are covered either way.
Example of a warning
“During the survey I saw that the bedroom window frame lets in damp. If we paint over it, the paint will flake off within a short time. My advice is to have the damp dealt with first. If you choose not to, that part falls outside my guarantee.”
If the client still wants you to go ahead, that is allowed. Your warning in the job file shows later that you did not cause the defect. If you do not warn, the flaking can become your defect, even though the cause lay in the frame.
How do you put wood rot in the quote?
As a separate item, never as “including minor wood rot”. During the survey, probe sills, corners and the bottom of frames with an awl, and take photos. State in the quote how many spots you see, with a price per spot. Add that you will first report any further wood rot with a photo and a price, and only carry on after approval.
Split wood rot for VAT as well. On a home older than 2 years, painting is subject to 9%, including the materials used. Routing out rotten wood and filling it with epoxy or wood filler as preparation for painting is also subject to 9%. Inserting a new piece of timber or replacing a sill is subject to 21% (Decree on Table I, sections 4.2 and 4.4). The tax authority also lists timber inserts in frames and new sills as 21% work (Belastingdienst).
| Wood rot (example) | Excluding VAT | VAT | Including VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two spots with epoxy, 2 hours, materials €30 plus 15% | €174.50 | 9%: €15.71 | €190.21 |
| Two timber inserts in a sill, 3 hours, materials €40 plus 15% | €256.00 | 21%: €53.76 | €309.76 |
That way you do not sell wood rot afterwards as a surprise. The client sees in advance what it costs, and you have no argument about extra work that was already in the quote.
Does the client have a cooling-off period if he signs at home?
Yes, if he receives your quote at home and signs it straight away. He may then cancel the order without a reason within the first 14 days. If you come by for a survey and the client only signs later, he has no cooling-off period. He could then look at the quote in his own time (ConsuWijzer).
If the client wants you to start within those 14 days, have him ask for it in writing. If he then cancels, he does pay for the work already done and the costs you made (ConsuWijzer). Extra work you agree during the job is recorded the same way as the quote: on paper or in a message.
How long do you keep the quote, photos and approval?
Keep them for at least ten years after completion. A client can take a defect to court up to two years after his complaint, and at the latest ten years after completion. For the construction of a building that is twenty years (article 7:761 of the Dutch Civil Code). The law does not say whether painting work on a home falls under that. Check with a lawyer if it concerns a large project.
For the tax authority you must keep your records for 7 years (Belastingdienst). The extra-work messages are part of that, because they support your invoice. So do not keep them only in the app on your phone. Put them in a folder per job, together with the quote, the photos, the warnings and the snagging list.
Sources
- Buell, R.W. & Norton, M.I. (2011). The labor illusion: how operational transparency increases perceived value. Management Science, 57(9), 1564-1579. doi.org
- Dutch Civil Code Book 7, articles 7:752, 7:754, 7:755 and 7:761, in force from 8 October 2026. wetten.overheid.nl
- Supreme Court of the Netherlands (Hoge Raad), 12 July 2024, ECLI:NL:HR:2024:1073. uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl
- IPLO, Waarschuwingsplicht Wkb (duty to warn under the Quality Assurance Act), accessed 24 October 2026. iplo.nl
- Besluit omzetbelasting toelichting tabel I (Decree explaining VAT Table I), 22 December 2025, no. 2025-30110, Stcrt. 2025, 39463, item B 8, sections 4.2 and 4.4. officielebekendmakingen.nl
- Belastingdienst, Btw-tarief schilderen (VAT rate for painting), accessed 24 October 2026. belastingdienst.nl
- ConsuWijzer (ACM), Klus, opleiding of opdracht annuleren (cancelling a job, course or assignment), accessed 24 October 2026. consument.acm.nl
- Belastingdienst, Administratie bewaren (keeping your records), accessed 24 October 2026. belastingdienst.nl