Use estimates

Estimates allow you to create and send estimates to your customers if you have the Accounts Receivable feature. It's similar to creating and sending an invoice, except an estimate doesn't have a payment associated with it. Approved estimates, however, can easily be converted into invoices to send and request payment.

Jump to:

• Create and send an estimate
• Mark an estimate as approved or rejected
• Create an invoice from an estimate
• Edit, clone, send, archive, or restore an estimate
• Things to know about estimates

Create and send an estimate

1. Select Estimates under Receivables in the navigation menu
2. Select Create Estimate
3. Select a Customer
   • Note: If you add or edit a customer's details in this screen, it will save the customer's main record as well
4. Complete the required Estimate details.
   • Estimate number, Estimate date, Quantity, and Price are required at a minimum
5. Add optional details to the estimate.
   • Expiration date, Sales rep, Item name, Message on estimate, and Attachments
6. Select select Review & Send to send now, or Save & Close to send later
7. If you selected Review & Send, edit the email information if necessary, and select Send Estimate

The estimate's status will show as Pending, and if you selected to send now, your customer will receive an email notification with the estimate attached and the direction to reply with their approval. Replies will go to the user selected as Reply to in the estimate email. Once your customer replies, you can mark the estimate as approved/rejected, or create an invoice.

Mark an estimate as approved or rejected

Once you hear back from a customer regarding an estimate, you can mark it as accepted or rejected. This is not required to do before creating an invoice, but is an optional step to use if you don't want to create the invoice just yet, or to let another user know it's ok to create one.

1. Select Estimates under Receivables in the navigation menu
2. Select the three dots menu for the estimate three dots menu, and select Approve or Reject
3. Enter the approval/rejection date and optional notes, then select Save
   • Tip: You can change the status for an accepted or rejected estimate by selecting Change status under the three dots menu and select the new status

Create an invoice from an estimate

Once you hear back from a customer with their approval of an estimate, you can create and send the actual invoice to request payment.

Note: The status of the invoice, whether pending, approved, or rejected, will not prevent you from creating an invoice. Even if an estimate is rejected, you can create an invoice. We suggest archiving the estimate if it is rejected, to help prevent an unwanted invoice from being created.

1. Select Estimates under Receivables in the navigation menu
2. Select the three dots menu for the estimate three dots menu, and select Create Invoice
3. Enter the invoice details just as a regular invoice, and select Review & Send to send now, or Save to send later
4. If you selected Review & Send, edit the email information if necessary, and select Send Invoice

The associated invoice will now show on the Estimates page on the original estimate, under Invoice. The invoice will also show on the Invoices page, as well as the customer's record just as a normal invoice.

Edit, clone, send, archive, or restore an estimate

Once you've created an estimate, you can edit, clone, send, or archive as needed.

1. Select Estimates under Receivables in the navigation menu
2. Select the three dots menu for the estimate three dots menu, and select your option
   • Edit: edit the estimate details as needed, then select Review & Send to send now, or Save & Close to send later
   • Clone: pre-populate a new estimate with the same details as the selected estimate, edit as needed, then select Review & Send to send now, or Save & Close to send later
   • Send: Edit the email information if necessary, and select Send Estimate
     • Your customer will receive an email notification with the estimate attached and the direction to reply with their approval. Replies will go to the user selected as Reply to in the estimate email. Once your customer replies, you can mark the estimate as approved/rejected, or create an invoice.

• Archive: move estimate to the archived list, which you can view on the Estimates page, by selecting the Archived estimate status in filters
• Unarchive: move estimate back to the active list

Things to know about estimates

Do estimates have templates to use, like invoices?

Not at this time, but they are being considered for the future.

Can my customer, the recipient of the estimate, approve or reject it through the email?

Not at this time, but they are being considered for the future.

If I accidentally mark an estimate as approved or rejected, can I fix it?

Yes, you can change the estimate status from approved to rejected and back as needed.

Can I or another user create an invoice for a rejected estimate?

Yes. At this time, the status of the estimate will not actively prevent or allow users to create invoices for the estimate. If a user has a role with permissions to create invoices, they will be able to create them for estimates regardless of their status.