Create an Estimate and Convert It to an Invoice
Send an estimate, get approval, and turn it into an invoice.
Use this guide when you need a customer to approve pricing before you invoice.
This flow keeps sales approval and payment collection separate: the estimate captures agreement, then the invoice requests payment.
When to Use This Flow
Use an estimate first when pricing needs customer approval, the scope may change, or the customer needs a written proposal before payment. Use a direct invoice when the work is already approved and only payment collection remains.
This flow is especially useful for services, retainers, custom projects, one-time implementation work, and product bundles with negotiated pricing.
Steps
- Confirm the contact or account exists.
- Open Finance > Estimates.
- Create an estimate.
- Add line items, taxes, discounts, expiry date, and notes.
- Preview the estimate.
- Send it or share the public estimate link.
- Wait for customer approval or review.
- Convert the accepted estimate to an invoice.
- Review invoice due date, payment options, and final totals.
- Send the invoice.
Prepare the Estimate
Use customer-friendly item names and descriptions. Include enough detail that the customer understands what they are approving without needing an extra email.
Set an expiry date when pricing, availability, or timeline should not remain open indefinitely. Add terms when the estimate needs acceptance rules, deposit language, or project assumptions.
If the estimate is based on a proposal, project scope, or product package, keep the wording aligned across those records. Customers should not approve one scope and receive an invoice that describes another.
Check Before Converting
- Estimate line items are final.
- Customer details are correct.
- Expiry date and terms are still valid.
- Any required approval or signature is complete.
Do not convert an estimate just because it was sent. Convert only after the customer accepts it or your team has another clear approval record.
After Converting
Review the invoice before sending. Confirm invoice number, due date, payment gateway, offline instructions, tax, discount, attachments, and customer email content. The invoice may need different terms than the estimate.
If the invoice should collect only a deposit, milestone, or partial amount, adjust the line items and notes before sending. Make the relationship to the accepted estimate clear.
If The Customer Requests Changes
Update the estimate before acceptance when the price or scope changes. If the estimate was already accepted, decide whether to issue a revised estimate, create a new estimate, or document the change on the invoice according to your finance process.
Track the Handoff
After conversion, keep the original estimate available for context. It explains what the customer approved and helps resolve later questions about scope, price, or terms.
If the invoice is only for a deposit or milestone, adjust the invoice line items and notes so the customer understands why the amount differs from the full estimate.
After sending the invoice, keep the estimate linked in your internal process so support, sales, and finance can answer later questions about what was approved.
Troubleshooting
If conversion is unavailable, confirm the estimate has a customer, valid line items, and a status that allows conversion.
If the invoice total differs from the estimate, review taxes, discounts, currency, copied line items, and any manual edits made after conversion.
If the customer accepted the wrong estimate version, create a corrected estimate or document the revision before sending the invoice.