Estimates allow you to create and send an approximate outline of your Items or Services to your Client for approval before beginning the work. The client can then Accept the Estimate for approval before converting it into an Invoice, or you can go ahead and convert it yourself to start collecting payment (or apply a Deposit on it).
On the Dashboard, click on the Create New button, then select Estimate
Go to the Estimates section (from the left menu), click on the Create New.. button and select Estimate, or Create from Recent...
Go to the Clients section (from the left menu), click on a Client, then click on the Estimates sub-tab and select the + button (this will create an Estimate assigned to this Client)
From here, you can customize your new Estimate by going through each section below:
Company, Client and Estimate Details
Set up your Estimate by choosing a Client and update any details as needed with the below:
Business - Your Business information is displayed automatically based off what's in your Business settings, click to edit this if needed
Billed To / Prepared For - Click Add a Client and choose an existing Client by typing to search or fill in the blank fields to make a new one. Once a Client is selected, click on it and choose between Edit Client to update their information (which will also update their Client Profile) or Change Client to choose a different one
Estimate Date - The date of your Estimate, this defaults to today’s date, or you can click on it and choose between typing in the new date or using the calendar picker instead
Reference Field - Enter up to 25 characters for any additional information you need to include, like purchase orders / PO numbers, project codes or work order numbers
Estimate Number
The default number for your first Estimate is set to 0000001, or you can click and type your own alphanumeric number instead. When you change your Estimate Number, keep in mind the following:
Numbers are Unique - The same Estimate Number cannot be used twice (regardless of whether the Estimate is archived or deleted)
Numbers Increment +1 - The Estimate Number you set will automatically increment +1 based on the last Estimate created
If the Estimate Number reaches the limit of its increment, an extra character is added at the end so it can continue (e.g., the last created Estimate is #9999, this will increment to #10000 on your next Estimate)
If you want to avoid extra characters being added, include leading zeroes to accommodate increments (e.g., #0009999 instead of just #9999)
When viewing your list of Estimates, you can also choose to sort your Estimates by Date instead of by Estimate Number to maintain chronological order
Items, Services, and Taxes
To send your Clients an Estimate for your goods and services, click on the Add a Line button. From there, you can:
Add an existing Item or Service - Choose from your list by typing in an existing item name. To save you time, go to your Items & Services in your settings to manage your Items and Services to always include a specific Description, Rate and/or Tax so it’s filled out for you next time you add it to an Estimate
Create a new Item - Fill out the blank fields for Item Name, Description, Rate and Quantity(Qty), this will automatically be added to your list of Items for future use
Add Taxes - Once line items are added, click on the Add Taxes link under the Item’s Rate and check up to two existing Sales Taxes to apply, or create new Sales Taxes instead
Other Actions
Hover over the left of any line item, click and hold down the three lines icon to drag and rearrange the order of your line items
Hover over the right of any line item and click on the trash can icon to delete that line item
Notes, Terms, and Subtotal
In the bottom of the Estimate, you can add extra details, including a Discount if needed:
Notes - Notes are unique to each Estimate and will not be remembered for next time, this is useful for any comments, details and temporary information applicable to this specific Client only
Terms - Terms are remembered from the last Estimate created, this is useful for terms of service, contractual obligations or payment instructions that is applicable to all Clients. If you need to change your Terms, ensure your updated Terms are on your most recently created Estimate
These settings control the look of your Estimate and allow you to modify Client-specific settings as needed:
For This Estimate
Customize Estimate Style - Change the template, logo or banner, color and font with the steps here
For Client
Currency & Language - Update your Client’s Currency or Language with the steps here
Save or Send Estimates
Once the Estimate looks the way you want it, you can either click on:
Save
If the Estimate is new, this will save as a Draft
If it’s an existing Estimate, it will save only the updated information, the status remains the same
Send... To
Click on this to send the Estimate by email:
In the To: field, the Primary Client's email is automatically checked off as a sender, along with any Secondary Contacts you’ve sent to on a recent Invoice, Estimate or Proposal (see details here)
If needed, check off any additional Contacts' emails to send the Estimate to
Personalize the email to your Client as needed
Click on the Send Estimate button and you’ll be taken back to the Estimates section. The Estimate will be marked as Sent.
Accept Estimates
When you send an Estimate to your Client, they receive an email with a link to the Estimate and the primary Client will see a button to Accept it with a single click. Only the Primary Client can accept an Estimate.
The Client's view of the Estimate will look similar to below:
To Accept an Estimate yourself, you can use the below steps:
Go to the Estimates section
Check the box off next to an Estimate that has not been Accepted yet
Click on the Actions button
Select Accept and the Estimate will now be marked as Accepted
You can also add comments to an Estimate. Just click on the header above the Estimate, and scroll to the bottom to type a comment. This will send your Client an email with this new comment.
Convert Estimates into Invoices
Once the Estimate has been reviewed by your Client, save time by instantly converting it to an Invoice. Here's how:
With the Estimate open, click on the More Actions button
Click on Convert to Invoice
You will be taken to the New Invoice page, and you can finish building the rest of your Invoice
Click Save (to save as a Draft) or click Send To to email it to your Client.
FAQs
How do I manage my Estimates?
When viewing any specific Estimate, you can click on More Actions and select any of the following:
Accept - Mark the Estimate as Accepted
Send by Email - Send or resend the Estimate by email
Convert to Invoice - Convert the Estimate into an Invoice to bill to a Client
Convert to Project - Convert the Estimate into a Project with any Services on the Estimate automatically assigned to the Project
Duplicate - Copy the Estimate and modify as needed for the same Client or for a different Client
Print - Print the Estimate
Download PDF - Download the Estimate as a PDF file
Archive - Move the Estimate into your list of archived Proposals
Delete - Delete the Estimate
From the Estimates section, hover over any Estimate to quickly perform any of these actions:
Edit - Click on the pencilicon and you’ll be taken to the edit view of the Estimate where you can adjust and save afterwards
Duplicate - Click on the two papers icon to quickly copy your existing Estimate and modify as needed
Archive - Click on the box icon to move the Estimate to your Archived Estimates list
More Actions - Click on the three dots icon to access additional options like:
Accept - Click on the checkmark icon to mark your Estimate as Accepted
Convert to Invoice - Click on the invoice icon to convert your Estimate into an Invoice to bill to the Client
Download PDF - Click on the down arrow icon to download the Estimate as a PDF file
Delete - Click on the trash can icon to delete the Estimate. You can view all deleted Estimates by clicking on the deleted link at the bottom of the list
How do I view Estimate activity? How do I leave a comment for my Client on the Estimate?
You can use the History bar (also known as an autobiography) to view any activity on the Estimate, including when your Client viewed it and any comments. Click on the chat button or View History button at the top of the Invoice to reveal the history. From here you can:
Review activity
Add a message and press Send to send it to your Client as an email with the Invoice link included
How do I unaccept an Estimate?
If an Estimate was mistakenly accepted, you'll need to duplicate the Estimate and delete the original one. Use the below steps:
Go to the Estimates section
Check the box off next to the Estimate you want to unaccept
Click on Actions
Then select Duplicate
Save/send the duplicated Estimate as needed
In the Estimates section, check the box off next to the original Estimate
Click on Actions
Then select Delete to delete the original accepted Estimate.
Can I revert a converted Invoice back into an Estimate?
You'll need to delete the converted Invoice first and then re-convert the Estimate again with the below steps:
Go to the Invoices section
Check the box off next to the converted Invoice
Click on the Actions button
Select Delete
Go to the Estimates section
Check the box off next to the Estimate you want to unaccept
Click on Actions
Then select Duplicate
Save or send the duplicated Estimate as needed
In the Estimates section, check the box off next to the original Estimate
Click on Actions
Then select Delete to delete the original accepted Estimate.
You can now go back to the Estimate and re-convert it.
