Estimates

An estimate lets you quote a price to a client before you bill them. The client accepts or rejects it online, and you convert an accepted estimate into an invoice. In the Back Office , open Invoicing > Estimates.

Find an estimate

The top of the list shows a count for each status. Select a status count, or pick one from All Statuses, to show only those estimates. Type in the search box to find an estimate by subject or customer name. The search narrows the page of results you are on.

The table shows each estimate’s number, Subject, customer, Date, total, and Status. Select a row to open it.

Create an estimate

Select New Estimate. If Business Name or Reply-To Email isn’t set yet, you see Configure Invoice Settings First instead of the form. See Invoicing Setup.

The estimate number is assigned when you save. Fill in these sections, then save with the button at the top of the form.

Subject and project

• Subject — required. The estimate title, for example “Catering Proposal.”
• Project Name — optional. Shown on the estimate as Project: <name>.

Customer

Select Select a client... to pick a saved client, or New to add one. Then pick the contacts who receive the estimate. Mark one contact as primary. See Clients & Contacts.

Line items

Select Add Product, then search your catalog and pick a product. Its name, description, price, and tax settings fill in. Select Create New Product to add one to your catalog without leaving the form.

Each line has:

• Quantity — the number of units.
• Discount — an optional percentage off this line, from 0 to 100.
• Line total — price times quantity, less the line discount.

Each line shows a Tax: <category> badge, or No tax for a non-taxable product. Drag a line by its grip handle to reorder it. Select the trash icon to remove it.

Discount and shipping

• Discount Type — Flat ($) or Percentage (%).
• Discount Value — the amount or percentage off the subtotal.
• Shipping Cost — added to the total.

Tax exempt

Check Tax Exempt in the Discount & Shipping section to charge no tax on the whole estimate. A Tax Exempt Reason field appears. It is optional and holds up to 60 characters, for example a resale certificate number. Selflane doesn’t check the reason. It is stored and shown as entered.

A tax-exempt estimate shows a Tax Exempt badge, or Tax Exempt: <reason> when you entered a reason. Its totals show Tax as Exempt instead of a tax breakdown. Unchecking Tax Exempt clears the reason when you save.

Details

• Valid Until — the last day the estimate is good for. A sent estimate past this date shows as Expired.
• Terms — pre-filled from Default Terms in your settings, for example “Valid for 30 days.”
• Shipping Carrier — for example “USPS.”
• Notes (internal) — for your team only.
• Content (shown to customer) — extra text the customer sees on the estimate.

Form summary

The summary at the bottom updates as you edit:

• Subtotal — the sum of all line totals.
• Discount — the estimate discount as a dollar amount.
• Tax — each tax rate and its amount, then the total tax.
• Shipping — the shipping cost.
• Total — subtotal minus discount, plus tax and shipping.
• Cost and Margin — your product costs and profit. These are for you only. They show when your lines have a cost.

Tax in the summary is an estimate. Selflane calculates the final tax when you save, from your tax rates and the customer’s address. When an estimate discount applies, each tax amount is reduced by the same share as the discount. See How rates are applied.

If a line’s category has no matching rate where the customer is, the summary shows No <place> tax rate covers <category>. and the save fails. Add an all-categories rate for that place, or mark the item non-taxable.

Form drafts

A new estimate is saved as a draft in your browser while you type. If you leave the page before saving, the draft comes back when you return. Select Clear to discard it and start over.

Send an estimate

Open the estimate and select Send. Add a contact with an email address first. A confirmation lists the emails it goes to. If your business account isn’t active, Send shows “Sending is unavailable for this business” instead. Contact Selflane support.

When you send an estimate:

• Each contact gets an email with the PDF attached and a link to view and respond.
• The status changes to Sent.
• Replies go to your Reply-To Email.

Select PDF to download the estimate. The Public Link section shows the customer link with a Copy button.

Estimate statuses

You can edit an estimate while it is Draft or Sent. You can delete any estimate except an accepted or rejected one.

Customer response

The customer opens the estimate from the email link. No login is needed. They can:

• View every line item, the taxes, and the total.
• Download the PDF.
• Accept the estimate.
• Reject it, with an optional reason.

The estimate’s activity timeline records each step, such as sent, accepted, rejected, and converted.

Convert to an invoice

1. Open an accepted estimate.
2. Select Convert to Invoice.
3. Check the summary: customer, number of items, total, and terms.
4. Select Create Invoice.

The new invoice opens. It gets the next invoice number and keeps a link to the estimate. The estimate’s Valid Until date isn’t copied as the invoice due date.

Converting recalculates tax with your current tax rates. The confirmation says: “Tax rates will be re-calculated with current rates.” It also uses each product’s current Taxable box and Tax Category. If you changed a rate or a product’s tax settings since sending the estimate, the invoice total can differ from the estimate total. A line whose product was deleted keeps the tax it had on the estimate. A tax-exempt estimate stays tax exempt, with its reason, on the invoice.

Each estimate converts into one invoice. A second conversion is refused unless the first invoice was cancelled.

Duplicate an estimate

Open any estimate and select Duplicate. A new estimate form opens with the same customer, items, and settings. Use it for a similar quote to another client.

Related

• Products
• Invoices
• Invoicing Setup

Owner-level access required.