An accepted estimate in QuickBooks may still need to be turned into an invoice.
That does not mean the work was done or that the customer owes the estimate amount. It means the record may be worth checking.
What is an accepted estimate?
An estimate sets out proposed work, products, or prices.
QuickBooks can mark an estimate as accepted. You can then use it to create an invoice.
An estimate is a non-posting record. It does not affect your books until it is turned into an invoice.
Why might an accepted estimate have no invoice?
There are several ordinary reasons:
- the work has not started;
- the work is not complete;
- the job was delayed or cancelled;
- only part of the estimate should be invoiced;
- the invoice was made another way;
- the estimate status was changed by mistake;
- someone forgot to create the invoice.
The missing invoice is a reason to check the job. It is not proof that money is owed.
What should I check?
Review the estimate and ask:
- Is its status accepted?
- Was the work approved?
- Was the work started or completed?
- Was any part of it cancelled?
- Was an invoice created outside the estimate?
- Was only part of the job meant to be billed?
- Is there a deposit or progress invoice?
- Do your job records support what happened?
Do not create an invoice only because the estimate says accepted.
Can I convert the estimate into an invoice?
QuickBooks lets you create an invoice from an accepted estimate. The details can move into the new invoice.
Review every detail before saving or sending it. The work, amount, date, and customer must still be right.
If you use progress invoicing, part of the estimate may already have been billed.
Does an accepted estimate mean the customer owes me money?
No.
Acceptance alone does not prove that the work was completed. It does not prove a right to payment. It also does not prove that the full estimate should be billed.
The estimate must be checked against what happened in the real job.
Why can this become hard to check?
One estimate may be easy to review.
A full year may include changes, deposits, part invoices, cancelled work, and jobs billed outside the estimate. Customer names and job dates may also vary.
A missing invoice alone does not prove missed billing or recoverable value.
Where RecurSave fits
RecurSave provides Financial Leakage Reviews for owner-led service businesses.
You send us standard QuickBooks exports. You do not share your login or give us access to your QuickBooks account.
We review what the submitted records support. We do not treat an accepted estimate as money owed by itself.
The review is free. If the records support material estimated recoverable value, you receive a free Findings Summary.