How to make a estimate in one minute
- Fill in From (your business) and Prepared for (the customer). Saved clients autocomplete, so a repeat customer takes one click.
- Check the Estimate number and Estimate date, then set Valid until. Thirty days is common where materials are involved; make it shorter if your prices move quickly.
- Add line items with Description, Qty, Unit and Rate: labour by the hour or day, materials by the piece. Drag the handle to reorder, or Duplicate a similar line.
- Set any Discount and Tax lines under Totals so the Estimated total matches what the invoice will say later.
- Write assumptions and exclusions in Notes, turn on the Signature line so it reads Accepted by, then press Download PDF.
What to include on an estimate
An estimate, or quote, tells a customer what a job will cost before you do it. It is not a request for payment, so it has no due date and no balance due; what it needs instead is enough detail that both sides know what was promised.
The heading and a number. The document is titled Estimate by default and carries a number from its own EST- series. Rename the title to Quote if you are committing to a fixed price. Either way, the number is what the customer will quote back when they say yes.
Dates. Estimate date is when you priced the job; Valid until is how long that price holds. After that date, materials may cost more and your diary may be full, so a fresh estimate is fair.
Who. Your business details go in From, including a tax registration number if you have one. The customer goes in Prepared for; for a job at a different address, put the site address in the first line’s description or in Notes.
The work, itemised. One line per task or material, with Qty, Unit and Rate, so the customer can see how the figure is built: “Remove and dispose of existing door, 1 each” rather than a single lump sum. Optional extras can be listed as separate lines, which makes them easy to remove when converting.
Taxes and the estimated total. Add the same tax lines the invoice will carry so the customer sees the real figure. The totals block is labelled Estimated total rather than Balance due.
Assumptions, exclusions and acceptance. Notes is the place for what the price assumes (access, working hours, who supplies materials) and what it excludes (structural repairs found on the way). Terms and conditions holds deposit and payment terms. Turn on the Signature line and it prints Accepted by, with room for a name and a date.
From estimate to invoice with the estimate generator
An estimate has three possible fates: accepted, declined or forgotten. The editor is built around the first. When the customer signs, open the estimate in Recent documents and choose Convert to invoice. The customer, lines, discount and tax lines are copied into a new invoice that takes the next INV- number; the estimate itself is untouched, so what was agreed stays on record.
If you took a deposit at acceptance, enter it in Amount paid on the invoice and the Balance due shows the remainder. For a job billed in stages, Duplicate the invoice for each stage and delete the lines that do not apply. For a revised price, Duplicate the estimate instead, so the revision has its own number and the original can be set to Void.
Statuses in Recent documents (Draft, Sent, Void) are set by you, and searching by customer name shows every estimate and invoice for that customer together.
Your data stays on your device
Estimates and the customer details on them are kept in your browser's local storage, never sent to a server. The PDF is generated in your browser by a small worker; nothing is uploaded, and there is no account to create. Drafts, clients and your business profile live in your browser's local storage (IndexedDB), and one button under "Your data" deletes all of it. To verify, open your browser's developer tools, watch the Network tab while you fill in and download a document, and note that no request carries your details. Read the privacy policy and how it works for the details.
Templates, currencies and PDF output
| Templates | Classic, Modern, Minimal, Compact, Ledger, Receipt (6 layouts; accent colour and logo are yours). Prefilled invoice and receipt templates by trade open in the same editor. |
|---|---|
| Currencies | 68 ISO currencies with the right symbol and decimals, for example USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, AUD, INR and JPY. Country presets also set the tax lines and ID labels. |
| Paper sizes | A4 and US Letter; page numbers on multi-page documents |
| Numbering | Sequential per type, default prefix EST-0001, editable |
| Output | PDF download (text stays selectable), print, or a prefilled email with the PDF attached by you; file name Estimate-number-client.pdf |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an estimate and a quote?
An estimate is your best approximation of what a job will cost; a quote is a fixed price you are offering to hold. The editor treats them as one document type, so change the Document title to Quote when you mean a firm price, and say in Notes what could change the figure when you do not.
How long should an estimate be valid for?
Long enough for the customer to decide, short enough that your costs cannot move under you. Thirty days is the usual figure for trades and services; fourteen suits materials with volatile prices. Set it in Valid until and it prints on the PDF, so a customer who comes back later knows a new estimate may be needed.
Do I add tax to an estimate?
Show tax the same way the invoice will, so there are no surprises when the bill arrives. Add your GST, VAT or sales tax lines under Totals, or pick a country preset to load them with the right labels. If you are not registered for a sales tax, leave the lines off. Presets are starting points; confirm rates with your tax authority.
How do I turn an accepted estimate into an invoice?
Open the estimate from Recent documents and choose Convert to invoice. The customer, line items, discount and tax lines carry over, the new document takes the next INV- number, and a due date is set from your default terms. The estimate stays in history unchanged, so you can see what was agreed.
Is an estimate legally binding?
It depends on what it says and on the contract rules where you work, which is a question for a lawyer rather than a page like this. In practice, a signed Accepted by line, a Valid until date and clear exclusions in Notes are what most disputes come down to, and the editor makes room for all three.
How do I send an estimate to a customer?
Press Download PDF and attach it to an email or message, or press Email to open your mail app with the subject and a short message written for you. The file is named after the estimate number and customer. On site, Print gives the customer a copy to sign on the spot.
Can I change an estimate after sending it?
Yes, but give the revision its own number. Use Duplicate, adjust the lines, and the copy takes the next EST- number; set the old one to Void in Recent documents so the two are not confused. The customer then has one live estimate, which is the one they sign.
How should I number estimates?
Keep a separate sequence for estimates, EST-0001, EST-0002 and so on, distinct from invoices, because most estimates never become invoices and the invoice series should have no gaps. The editor holds one counter per document type and warns if you reuse a number. Change the prefix if you prefer QUO- for quotes.
Related
- Free invoice templates by trade, plus receipts and quotes
- Invoice requirements by country: what each preset changes
- Free invoice generator
- Free receipt generator for businesses and landlords
- Free purchase order generator with vendor and ship-to blocks
- Quote template with a valid-until date and an Accepted by line
- Contractor invoice template with labor, materials and retention
- Invoice generator UK: VAT invoices at 20%, 5% or 0%
Last updated 2026-09-27. Presets are starting points — confirm current rates and requirements with your tax authority. PDF engine: pdfmake (MIT); fonts: Inter and Noto Sans (SIL Open Font License).