How-to
How do I turn an approved estimate into an invoice?
Quick answer
Convert the estimate rather than retyping it, so the line items, quantities and totals carry over unchanged. In Daily Invoice Maker an approved estimate converts to an invoice in one action, which removes the transcription step where prices quietly change between what you quoted and what you billed.
The gap between quoting and billing is where small businesses lose money — a line dropped, a price misremembered, a job invoiced for less than it was won at. Converting rather than retyping closes it.
Step by step
Build the estimate properly the first time
Line items, quantities, rates and tax as you intend to bill them. The conversion carries across whatever you put in, including mistakes.
Attach photos of what you are quoting
Estimates support attached pictures. Showing the customer the problem is often what closes the job.
Send it and wait for approval
Estimates can be emailed the same way invoices are, individually or as a batch.
Convert to invoice once approved
Use Convert to invoice on the approved estimate. The line items transfer intact rather than being retyped.
Adjust only what genuinely changed
Extra work found on the job goes on as new lines, so the difference between quote and bill is visible rather than buried in an edited total.
Send the invoice
From there it behaves like any other invoice — email it, track its status, chase it if it goes unpaid.
What usually goes wrong
Retyping the quote
Every retype is an opportunity to bill less than you won the job at. Conversion exists to remove that opportunity.
Silently changing the total
If the invoice differs from the estimate with no explanation, the customer notices. Add extra work as its own line.
Invoicing from memory
"About what we said" is how margin disappears. The estimate is the record; convert it.
Try it on your own jobs
The free demo unlocks every feature for your first 7 invoices, 7 customers and 7 expenses — no account, no card. It runs 100% offline on Windows and Mac. $149.95 once to keep it, no subscription. The Android app is a separate Google Play purchase.
Questions
Does converting delete the estimate?
No. The estimate remains as the record of what was quoted, which is what you refer back to if the customer queries the invoice.
Can I convert only part of an estimate?
Convert it and then remove the lines that were not done. Keeping the estimate intact matters more than the invoice starting minimal.
Can I email estimates in bulk like invoices?
Yes, estimates support the same batch emailing as invoices.
Does this work offline?
Yes. Creating and converting work locally; only the email send needs a connection.