Estimates | Billing Now Help Center

The Estimates section in BillingNow allows you to create, send, manage, and track professional quotations.
Estimates can be approved, rejected, expired, or converted into invoices all with real-time preview and inline editing.

From this module, you can:

Create professional estimates
Edit estimates inline with real-time preview
Send estimates by email
Track approval and lifecycle status
Convert approved estimates into invoices
Download PDFs at any stage
Manage estimate actions based on status

📂 Estimate Management Dashboard

Note

Navigate to Sidebar → Estimates

The Estimates dashboard displays all quotes in a structured, sortable table.

estimates

Table Columns

Column	Description
Estimate No	Unique identifier (clickable)
Client	Linked customer
Status	Current estimate lifecycle status
Created At	Creation date
Estimate Date	Date of issue
Valid Until	Expiration date
Total	Total quoted amount
Actions	Contextual actions menu

🔍 Filters & Search

The Filter panel allows you to quickly narrow down estimates using structured criteria or free-text search.

estimate-filter

Click Filter at the top of the Estimates page to open the dropdown.

Available Filters

Filter	Description
Estimate No	Search by estimate reference (e.g. EST-1, EST-23)
Client	Filter by client name
Status	Filter by estimate status
Created At	Filter by estimate creation date
Estimate Date	Filter by estimate issue date
Valid Until	Filter by estimate expiration date

You can combine:

One or more filters
The Search input
Sorting on table columns

to quickly locate specific estimates.

Tip

Use Status + Valid Until to quickly identify expired or pending estimates
Use Client + Estimate No for fast customer follow-ups

🏷️ Estimate Statuses

Status	Meaning
⚪ Draft	Still being prepared, not finalized
🟠 Not Sent	Finalized but not yet sent
🔵 Sent	Sent to client, awaiting response
🟢 Approved	Accepted by client, ready for invoicing
🔴 Rejected	Declined by client
🟣 Expired	Validity date passed
⚫ Cancelled	Cancelled by the user

🔍 Estimate Detail Page

Click on an Estimate No to open the detail view.

estimate-detail

Available Sections

📄 Estimate Details

Client
Estimate date
Valid until
Sent date (if applicable)

🕒 Activity Timeline

estimate-timeline

Tracks:

Estimate created
Estimate sent
Approval or rejection events

📎 Linked Invoices

When an estimate is Sent or Approved, you can create an invoice directly from the estimate detail page.

estimate-invoice

This section:

Displays invoices created from this estimate (if any)
Shows invoice number, status, date, and total
Allows quick navigation to the linked invoice

Note

An estimate can be linked to one or more invoices, depending on your workflow.

Tip

Creating an invoice from a Sent estimate is useful when approval is implicit
Creating an invoice from an Approved estimate ensures explicit client validation

⚙️ Actions by Estimate Status (Detail Page)

Actions depend on the current estimate status.

📝 Draft

Available actions:

Edit
Save
Save as Draft
Save and mark as sent
Save and send
Download PDF
Delete estimate
Cancel

🟠 Not Sent

Available actions:

Edit
Mark as sent
Send
Download PDF
Delete estimate
Cancel

🔵 Sent

Available actions:

Approve
Reject
Download PDF
Delete estimate
Cancel

🟢 Approved

Available actions:

Download PDF
Delete estimate
Cancel
Create Invoice

🔴 Rejected

Available actions:

Download PDF
Delete estimate
Cancel

🟣 Expired

Available actions:

Download PDF
Delete estimate
Cancel

⚫ Cancelled

Available actions:

Download PDF
Delete estimate

➕ Creating a New Estimate (Inline Editor)

Click ➕ Create Estimate from the top-right corner.

create-estimate

✨ Inline Estimate Editor

Important

BillingNow uses an INLINE estimate editor.
You edit directly inside the estimate document, and all changes are applied instantly.

There is no separate form the document itself is the editor.

inline-estimate

🧾 Estimate Header (Inline)

Field	Behavior
Estimate Number	Auto-generated or editable inline
Estimate Date	Click to edit
Valid Until	Click to edit
From	Auto-filled from company profile
Bill To	Select or edit client inline

🧮 Line Items (Inline)

Click ➕ Add Line Item inside the estimate.

Each line supports:

Item or service name
Quantity
Unit price
Discount
Tax rate
Auto-calculated amount

Totals update in real time.

📝 Additional Texts

Editable directly in the estimate:

Section	Usage
Text before items	Introductory message
Text after items	Notes, conditions, payment terms
Footer	Legal or company information

⚙️ Right Panel Settings

The right panel controls estimate configuration.

estimate-panel

Available options:

Currency
Exchange rate
Show items with tax
Estimate model
Primary color
Preview mode

estimate-preview

💾 Saving & Exporting

Available save actions:

Save as Draft
Save
Save and mark as sent
Save and send
Download PDF

Actions are available:

From the editor
From the estimate list
From the detail page

💌 Sending Estimates via Email

Click Send from the estimate actions.

send-estimate

You can edit:

To / CC / BCC
Subject
Message body

Example Email


Subject: Estimate EST-1

Dear Mr John Smith,

Please find attached your estimate EST-1.

Thank you for your business.

Best regards,
Cappsule

After sending:

You can customize the subject and message body before sending.
The client’s email address is automatically taken from their profile.
Status changes to 🔵 Sent
Timestamp is recorded
PDF is attached automatically

Send Manually from Your Personal Email

If you prefer to use your own mailbox (e.g., Outlook, Gmail):

Click Download PDF on the estimate.
Attach the downloaded file to your personal email.
Write your own message and send it manually.
After sending manually, return to the estimate and click Save and mark as Sent to update its status in BillingNow.

🔁 Convert Estimate to Invoice

Note

Only Approved estimates can be converted.

Steps:

Open an approved estimate
Click Create Invoice
A new invoice is generated with all data copied
Review and send the invoice

💡 Best Practices

Tip

✔ Always define a validity date
✔ Use Draft for internal review
✔ Send estimates directly from BillingNow for tracking
✔ Convert approved estimates to invoices to avoid re-entry
✔ Review Preview mode before sending

✅ Summary

This documentation reflects the latest BillingNow Estimates system, including:

Inline estimate editor
Status-based actions
Filters and search
Email sending drawer
Approval and conversion workflow
Real-time preview and PDF export