Quote it once. Bill it without retyping.

An estimate and the invoice that follows carry the same line items. Typing them twice is the most pointless admin in small-business life, and it is where a dropped digit turns into an underpaid job.

One tap, everything carries

Open an accepted estimate and tap Convert. The client, the line items, the rates, the tax treatment and your notes all move across. The new invoice takes the next number in the invoice series, gets today's date and a fresh due date, and the estimate stays in the record as evidence of what was agreed.

Why the estimate has to survive

When a client says "I didn't agree to that", the accepted estimate is the answer. It keeps its own number in its own series, so converting never overwrites it. The difference between an estimate, a quote and an invoice — and why it matters legally.

Quotes that win work

A clear quote sent within a day beats a cheaper one sent next week more often than people expect. What to put in it, including the exclusions that prevent arguments later.

One consistent look, quote through to payment

Estimate, invoice, receipt and statement all render from the same PDF design, so a client sees one business rather than four different-looking documents. Your logo, your accent colour and your signature carry across all of them. Two designs are included; exported PDFs carry a small "Made with EstimateBill" line at the foot.

Converting does not lose the history

The estimate keeps its own number and its own date after conversion, and the invoice records which estimate it came from. Six months later that chain — quoted on the 3rd, accepted on the 11th, invoiced on the 12th — is the whole answer to a dispute about what was agreed and when.

If the client accepts only part of a quote, convert it and delete the lines they declined. The original estimate still shows what was offered.

Deposits and staged work

Bespoke and staged jobs usually need money before the work finishes. Convert the estimate into a deposit invoice for the agreed percentage, then raise the balance when the job completes — the final document shows the deposit already paid, so the amount owing is unambiguous.

A deposit is normally taxable when it arrives rather than when the work does, which is where the tax point catches people out.

When a quote expires

Estimates carry a validity date. Material prices move, and a quote you gave in March is not a price you are bound to in September unless you said so. Thirty days is the usual answer — the important part is that the date is on the document.

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