Overview
Estimates are a great way to send quotes to your clients for projects or jobs. This feature allows you to set clear expectations before the invoice stage, and lets you seamlessly use the estimate to later invoice your client.
Things to Note
Unlike Invoices, Estimates do not create transactions.
Payments cannot be made on Estimates.
The Notes section in Estimates supports up to 2,000 characters.
Creating and Sending Estimates
Quicken Business & Personal allows you to easily create, save, and send estimates.
Instructions for Web:
Hover over the left panel and click Sales & Billing.
Select the Estimates.
Click the + Estimate button in the upper right.
Select the Business, and then the Client, as well as the Project if applicable.
Enter the Issue Date and the Estimate #.
Add or edit items using + Add Item or by clicking a field to make the necessary changes.
You can delete any of the items listed by clicking the trash can icon at the end of the row.
Mark taxable items by checking Taxable; only one tax rate applies per invoice.
You can also change to a dollar or percentage discount on the estimated total.
Click the Preview tab at the top to view your final invoice..
Click Send to... and then enter or confirm the Email Address, Subject, and Email Message. Click Send when done.
If you are sending the invoice another way, select Mark as Sent (No Email).
Instructions for Mobile:
Tap the Menu (three-line icon).
Tap Sales & Billing, then select Estimates.
Tap the plus (+) button in the upper right.
Tap Create estimate.
Select the Business, and then the Client, as well as the Project if applicable.
Enter the Estimate #, and then select the Issue Date.
To manage the items you want to add to the invoice, use the Edit or Add Items button.
From the Edit or Add Item screen, you can delete any of the items and expenses listed by tapping the 'X' to the upper right of the item.
Mark taxable items by tapping the Tax % field; only one tax rate applies per invoice.
On the mobile app, you can only add a tax rate to an invoice if the item is marked as taxable, either during item creation or from the item’s details screen. If the tax rate isn’t available on an invoice, edit the item’s details and mark it as “taxable.”
You can also provide a dollar or percentage discount on the Estimate.
Once done, you can tap the PDF button at the top to view your final Estimate.
Tap Send To... and then enter or confirm the Email Address, Subject, and Email Message. Tap Send when done.
Note: Only the web app allows you to select "Mark as Sent (No Email)". If you’re using the mobile app, you'll have to send the invoice to an email address.
Estimate Statuses
When you send your client an Estimate, they have the option to view it, as well as accept or decline it. Once accepted or declined, Quicken Business & Personal will be updated to reflect this. You can also manually change the status of your Estimate by following the steps below.
Instructions for Web:
Hover over the left panel and click Sales & Billing.
Select Estimates.
Locate the estimate you wish to update the status for. Hover over it, and then click the three-dot icon at the end of it.
Click Update Status, and then select the new status.
Instructions for Mobile:
Tap the Menu (three-line icon).
Tap Sales & Billing, then select Estimates.
Locate the Estimate you wish to update the status for and tap on it.
Select the new status.
Generating Invoices from Estimates
You can easily generate an Invoice from an Estimate, making it easier than ever to invoice your clients.
Instructions for Web:
Hover over the left panel and click Sales & Billing, and then select Estimates.
Locate the Estimate you want to use to generate an Invoice, hover over it, and then click the three-dot icon at the end of it.
Click Generate Invoice.
Confirm the Issue Date, the Due Date, and Invoice #.
Add or edit items using + Add Item or by clicking a field to make the necessary changes.
You can delete any of the items listed by clicking the trash can icon at the end of the row.
Mark taxable items by checking Taxable; only one tax rate applies per invoice.
You can also change to a dollar or percentage discount on the invoice total.
Click the Preview tab at the top to view your final invoice.
Click Send to... and then enter or confirm the Email Address, Subject, and Email Message. Click Send when done.
If you are sending the invoice another way, select Mark as Sent (No Email).
Instructions for Mobile:
Tap the Menu (three-line icon).
Tap Sales & Billing, then select Estimates.
Locate the Estimate you want to use to generate an Invoice and tap on it.
Select Generate Invoice.
Confirm or select the business, client, and project, and invoice #.
To manage the items you want to add to the invoice, use the Edit or Add Items button.
From the Edit or Add Item screen, you can delete any of the items and expenses listed by tapping the 'X' to the upper right of the item.
Mark taxable items by tapping the Tax % field; only one tax rate applies per invoice.
On the mobile app, you can only add a tax rate to an invoice if the item is marked as taxable, either during item creation or from the item’s details screen. If the tax rate isn’t available on an invoice, edit the item’s details and mark it as “taxable.”
You can also provide a dollar or percentage discount on the invoice total, and you can add a note.
Once done, you can tap the PDF button at the top to view your final invoice.
Tap Send To... and then enter or confirm the Email Address, Subject, and Email Message. Tap Send when done.
Note: Only the web app allows you to select "Mark as Sent (No Email)". If you’re using the mobile app, you'll have to send the invoice to an email address.
Editing an Estimate
Although you can edit an already sent Estimate, you will want to re-send it with the new information. Resending the new Estimate will not change the status, so you can manually change it following the steps above first, so your client can re-accept it.
Instructions for Web:
Hover over the left panel and click Sales & Billing.
Select Estimates.
Locate the Estimate you want to edit, hover over it, and then click the three-dot icon at the end of it.
Click View Estimate.
Click on the Edit tab at the top.
Make the desired changes to the Estimate.
Click Save at the top to save the Estimate, or Send to... to send the corrected Estimate to the client.
Instructions for Mobile:
Tap the Menu (three-line icon).
Tap Sales & Billing, then select Estimates.
Locate the Estimate you want to edit and tap on it.
Select View Estimate.
Tap the blue Edit button on the right.
Make the desired changes to the Estimate.
Click Update at the bottom to save the Estimate, or Send To... to send the corrected Estimate to the client.
Deleting an Estimate
If you need to delete an Estimate, you can do so by following the steps below.
Instructions for Web:
Hover over the left panel and click Sales & Billing.
Select Estimates.
Locate the Estimate you want to delete, hover over it, and then click the three-dot icon at the end of it.
Click Delete estimate.
Click Delete Estimate to confirm.
Instructions for Mobile:
Tap the Menu (three-line icon).
Tap Sales & Billing, then select Estimates.
Locate the Estimate you want to edit and tap on it.
Select Delete Estimate.
Tap Delete to confirm.
Cloning an Estimate
By cloning an estimate, you can easily generate a new one that retains the same business, client, or project, items, and total, simply with the click of a button!
Instructions for Web:
Hover over the left panel and click Sales & Billing.
Select Estimates.
Locate the Estimate you want to clone, hover over it, and then click the three-dot icon at the end of it.
Click Clone Estimate.
Confirm the information and make any edits as needed.
Click Save at the top to save the Estimate, or Send to... to send the Estimate.
Instructions for Mobile:
Tap the Menu (three-line icon).
Tap Sales & Billing, then select Estimates.
Locate the Estimate you want to clone and tap on it.
Select Clone Estimate.
Confirm the information and make any edits as needed.
Click Update at the bottom to save the Estimate, or Send To... to send the corrected Estimate to the client.
If you have any questions or need help using Estimates in Quicken Simplifi, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team!