How to write a task that gets good offers (and accurate prices)
Vague tasks get vague offers, and vague offers turn into arguments on the day. Ten minutes of detail changes both the price and who applies.
What to include, always
What exactly needs doing. Not "help with garden" but "cut back a 12-metre overgrown hedge to shoulder height and take the cuttings away".
Measurements and quantities. Sizes, weights, how many items, which floor.
Access. Which floor, is there a lift, is there parking, is it a permit zone, are there stairs, will you be there.
What you have and what they need to bring. Tools, materials, a drill, a ladder, a van, dust sheets.
Photos. The single biggest improvement to quote accuracy. Take three: the whole space, the specific thing, and anything awkward.
Timing. A real date, or genuine flexibility. "ASAP" reads as "will be difficult about timing".
The budget question
Put a real number in. Posters who leave it blank or lowball get fewer offers and worse ones.
A useful method: look at the typical range shown on the cost guide for that job, pick the middle, and say what would make you pay the top of it. Taskers pricing against a sensible budget quote sensibly.
A template you can copy
Title: Assemble IKEA PAX wardrobe (2 frames, 4 doors), Fulham SW6
What: Two PAX frames (236cm) with four hinged doors and internal drawers, flat-packed and already delivered to the room. Boxes are in the bedroom on the first floor.
Access: First-floor flat, no lift, 14 stairs. Free parking on the street after 10am, no permit needed.
You'll need: Your own drill and standard tools. I have a stepladder. Old packaging to be taken to the bins downstairs.
When: Any weekday this week, morning preferred.
Budget: £120
That task will get accurate fixed prices within an hour, and nobody will arrive to a surprise.
Before you accept
- Check the completion rate, not just the star rating.
- Read the offer message: did they engage with your actual job?
- Ask one question in the public thread and see how fast and how well they answer.
- Check the badges if the work is regulated, electrics, waste removal, anything around children.
After you accept
Keep the conversation and the payment on the platform. Off-platform payment removes your protection entirely, and it is the single most common thread in complaints about every marketplace in this category.
Related guides
- How much do taskers actually earn in the UK? (2026 figures)Realistic earnings for handymen, cleaners, van drivers and assemblers doing task work in the UK, after fees, with the maths on hours, travel and costs.
- How to win more task jobs: 12 things that actually move the needleWhat separates taskers who win one job in three from those who win one in twenty: response speed, offer writing, pricing, photos and reviews.
- How to check a tradesperson before you hire (UK, 2026)The registers to search, the documents to ask for, and the jobs that legally require certification in the UK.
- Side-hustle tax in the UK (2026): what you owe and when to tell HMRCThe £1,000 trading allowance, when to register for Self Assessment, what you can deduct, and what platforms now report to HMRC about your earnings.
Prices and rules change. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it. How we research and check these guides.