Estimates
An estimate is a quote you send a customer before they commit. Estimates don't post to the ledger, don't affect Accounts Receivable, and don't appear on the trial balance until you convert one to an invoice. Open Estimates from the sidebar (under Money In) or Customers → Estimates.
Estimate or invoice?
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| The customer hasn't agreed yet | Estimate |
| The customer agreed and the work is happening or done | Invoice |
| The customer asks "what would this cost?" | Estimate |
| You've already delivered — bill them | Invoice (skip the estimate) |
Estimates let you track quotes without putting maybe-revenue in your books.
What's on an estimate
An estimate has a number (from a sequence you can override), a customer, a date, an optional expiration date, a memo, terms and conditions, and one or more lines. Each line has an item or description, quantity, unit price, and amount — the same shape as an invoice line, so conversion carries every line straight across. Picking an item fills in its description and price from Items & Services.
Status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Being written |
| Sent | Delivered to the customer, waiting for an answer |
| Accepted | The customer agreed (Mark accepted) |
| Rejected | The customer declined (Mark rejected) |
| Converted | Turned into an invoice |
| Expired | Past its expiration date without an answer |
You don't have to go in order. If the customer agreed on the phone, mark it accepted — or convert it — without sending it first.
Sending
Email estimate (in the estimates list) saves the estimate as a PDF and opens your email program with it ready to attach. Export PDF saves the PDF only, for printing or sending another way. Customers don't need a Solid Accounting account to read an estimate.
Converting to an invoice
When the customer agrees and you're ready to bill:
- Check the estimate is final — quantities, prices, and lines. Edit it first if anything changed.
- Open the estimate and choose Convert to Invoice.
- Solid Accounting creates the invoice with every line from the estimate and posts it to Accounts Receivable.
The estimate stays in the company file marked Converted and linked to its invoice, so you can always see the original quote. An estimate converts once. For work you bill in stages, create one estimate per stage, or convert once and bill the remaining stages as separate invoices.
Common gotchas
Status still says Sent after the customer agreed. Status doesn't change on its own. Mark it accepted, or convert it when work starts.
The customer wants a different price after conversion. The invoice is already posted. Issue a credit memo for the difference, or void it and invoice again.
An expired estimate the customer now wants. Change the expiration date, or create a new estimate with today's date. A new estimate keeps the original terms on record in case of a dispute.
The estimate isn't on A/R aging. Correct — it's a quote, not money owed.