Estimates

An estimate is a quote you send before the work. The customer opens a link, reads it, and accepts, at which point you have a job instead of a maybe.

Like jobs and invoices, estimates have no page in the sidebar. You make them from + Create, and the builder opens at /estimate/new.

1. Create then Estimate

2. Pick the customer

The Search by name box at the top. New Customer next to it creates one on the spot.

Their name and service address load onto the estimate.

3 and 4. Line items

3. Item name pulls from your price book as you type. Picking a saved item brings its description and price across.

4. Price arrives from the price book and stays editable for this estimate only.

Each line also has Qty, and unit options of Qty, Sq ft or Linear ft, which matter for work priced by area or run length. There's a Taxable switch per line, so you can mix taxable services and non-taxable ones on one document.

5. Tax

The rate button shows your configured rate, for example 6.25%. The totals block underneath does the arithmetic in front of you:

Subtotal: $189.00 · Tax: $11.81 (6.25%) · Total: $200.81

6. Add discount

Percentage or fixed amount, applied visibly rather than hidden in a line price.

7. AI Write

Drafts the line description from the item name. Read it before sending, because it doesn't know your scope.

The rest of the form

Salesperson attributes the quote for commission. Lead source records where it came from, with options like Direct, Online, Yard Sign and Other. Deposit collects part of the total when they accept, which is how you stop no-shows on big jobs. Notes is free text.

8. Create the estimate

After you send it

The customer gets a link, opens it without logging in, and accepts. Accepted estimates convert into jobs, so nothing gets retyped.

You can also build an estimate straight from a lead, using Create Estimate on the lead detail page. That's usually the right order: quote first, convert to a customer when they say yes.

Tips and gotchas

• Deposits stop no-shows. Worth using on anything large.
• Set the lead source. It's how Reports tells you which marketing works.
• Per-line Taxable matters when you mix taxable and non-taxable services.
• The unit switch handles area pricing. Sq ft and Linear ft are there for a reason.
• Estimates work on leads too, before anyone becomes a customer.

Next up: Estimate settings and layout