Estimates

An estimate is a quote you send a client before the work — the same line-item document as an invoice, but one the client approves rather than pays. Once accepted it converts into an invoice in a click. Estimates live on the Estimates page and are an owner or admin task; a member sees "Estimates are available to administrators only."

Creating an estimate

1. Open Estimates and select New estimate.
2. In the New estimate window, choose a client under Choose a client….
3. Add an optional Subject, set Tax % and Discount % if they apply, and build the line items.
4. Select Create estimate.

The estimate is created as a draft. Line items and item types work exactly as they do on a free-form invoice.

Sending by email

An estimate carries a status badge — Draft, Sent, Accepted, or Declined. To put it in front of the client:

1. On a draft or sent estimate, select Email.
2. In the Email estimate window, confirm the recipient, subject, and message.
3. Select Send email.

Sending a draft this way also marks it as Sent, and the online link replaces the %estimate_url% placeholder in your message. If you would rather share the link yourself, select Send to mark it sent without emailing, then copy its client link.

The client accept or decline flow

A sent estimate gives the client two buttons on its client-link page, Accept estimate and Decline, so they can respond without an account. Their choice updates the estimate's status and is recorded in its history. If email is configured for your workspace, every administrator is notified of the decision, showing the estimate number, the client, and whether it was accepted or declined. The full recipient experience is described in client links.

You can also record a decision yourself from the Estimates table: on a sent estimate, Decline marks it declined, and a declined estimate offers Reopen to return it to draft.

Converting to an invoice

When an estimate is accepted, it becomes an invoice:

• On a sent estimate, select Accept → invoice to accept and convert it in one step. You land on the new invoice, ready to send.
• An estimate the client accepted through their link shows View invoice once it has been converted, linking to the invoice it produced.

The invoice carries the estimate's client, subject, and line items, so you are not retyping anything. From there it behaves like any other invoice — mark it sent, record payments, and share its client link. See free-form invoices for how invoice statuses and payments work.