Quotes
Create estimates and proposals for your clients
Quote Management Overview
Quotes (also called estimates or proposals) allow you to send pricing information to potential clients before finalizing work. Once a quote is accepted, you can easily convert it to an invoice with one click.
Quotes vs Invoices: - Quotes have an expiry date instead of a due date - Quotes can be converted to invoices when accepted - Quotes don't affect your revenue metrics until converted - Quotes follow the same template system as invoices - Quotes have their own set of statuses (Draft, Sent, Accepted, Rejected, Expired, Converted)
Common Use Cases: - Providing project estimates to clients before starting work - Sending proposals for new business opportunities - Getting approval on pricing before billing - Documenting agreed pricing before creating a final invoice
Note: Quotes can be enabled or disabled from Settings → Features. If disabled, the Quotes section is hidden from the sidebar.
Creating Quotes
Creating a quote is nearly identical to creating an invoice. The main difference is the expiry date field and the quote-specific actions available.
Quote Editor: The quote editor shares all features with the invoice editor: - Customer selection with auto-fill - Line items with products and pricing - Tax and discount calculations - Template selection - Live A4 preview
Quote-Specific Fields: - Valid Until (Expiry Date) - When the quote expires and is no longer valid. This replaces the invoice's due date and defaults to 30 days after the issue date.
Recurring Quotes: Like invoices, quotes also support recurring schedules using the same recurring toggle in the editor. This is useful for sending periodic proposals or renewal quotes to clients.
When creating a quote: 1. Set a reasonable expiry period (typically 14-30 days) 2. Include all costs and potential options 3. Add notes explaining terms and conditions 4. Review the preview before saving
- Set expiry dates to create urgency for clients to respond
- Include all potential costs to avoid surprises later
- Use notes to explain what is and isn't included in the quote
- Follow up with clients before the expiry date if no response
Managing Quotes
The quotes list page provides the same management features as invoices, with additional quote-specific actions.
Available Actions: - View - Open quote details page with PDF preview - Edit - Modify quote content - Duplicate - Create a copy of the quote - Download PDF - Get the quote as a professional PDF - Send Email - Send to customer with PDF attachment (sets the quote to "Sent") - Convert to Invoice - Create an invoice from this quote - Delete - Remove the quote
Quote Statuses: - Draft - Quote created but not yet sent - Sent - Delivered to customer, awaiting response - Accepted - Customer has accepted the quote - Rejected - Customer has declined the quote - Expired - Past the expiry date without response - Converted - Has been converted to an invoice
Transform an accepted quote into an invoice with one click, preserving all details
See which quotes are expiring soon on the Calendar and get notifications
Quickly create similar quotes for other clients or updated proposals
Converting to Invoices
When a client accepts your quote, you can convert it to an invoice with a single click. This saves time and ensures accuracy by carrying over all the details. You can convert a quote that is in Draft, Sent, or Accepted status; a quote that has already been converted cannot be converted again.
Conversion Process: 1. Open the quote 2. Click "Convert to Invoice" 3. Review the generated invoice 4. Adjust dates if needed 5. Save and send the invoice
What Gets Copied: - All line items with descriptions, quantities, and prices - Customer information - Notes - Template selection - Tax rates and discounts
What Changes: - A new invoice number is generated automatically - Issue date is set to today - Due date is set 30 days after the issue date - The original quote status changes to "Converted" - A link between the quote and invoice is maintained
- Convert quotes promptly after acceptance to maintain momentum
- Review the invoice before sending in case adjustments are needed
- The original quote is preserved for your records, linked to the invoice it became
- A converted quote keeps its "Converted" status badge in the quote list, so you can see at a glance which quotes already became invoices
Progress Invoicing
For larger or phased projects, you don't have to bill a quote all at once. Progress invoicing lets you bill an accepted quote in multiple stages, generating a separate invoice for each phase while keeping the original quote as the single source of truth. Progress invoicing is available on all plans.
How it works: Each progress invoice draws down part of the quote's total. You can bill each stage by percentage (e.g. 30% deposit, then 40%, then 30%) or by a fixed amount (a specific milestone value). Invotify tracks how much of the quote has already been billed and how much remains.
Over-billing protection: You can never bill more than the quote's total. Once the cumulative amount reaches 100% of the quote, no further progress invoices can be created — the system blocks any amount that would exceed the remaining uninvoiced balance.
Enabling it: Progress invoicing is opt-in per quote. Tick "Allow progress invoicing" in the quote editor (in the quote details section, when creating or editing the quote). If a quote doesn't allow it, its progress view says so and links you straight to the editor to turn it on.
Where to find it: Open the quote's detail page and use its progress invoicing view to add milestones, set the percentage or fixed amount, and generate the invoice for that stage. Each generated invoice behaves like any other invoice (PDF, email, payment tracking).
Steps
- 1
Allow progress invoicing
In the quote editor, tick "Allow progress invoicing" (when creating or editing the quote)
- 2
Open the quote
Go to the quote you want to bill in stages and open its progress invoicing view
- 3
Add a milestone
Give the stage a name (e.g. "Deposit", "Phase 2")
- 4
Set the amount
Choose a percentage of the quote total or enter a fixed amount
- 5
Generate the invoice
Invotify creates an invoice for that stage and records it against the quote
- 6
Repeat per stage
Add more progress invoices until the quote is fully billed (capped at 100%)
- Use a deposit milestone to collect payment before starting work
- Mix percentage and fixed-amount milestones as needed
- The remaining balance is shown so you always know how much is left to bill
- Total progress invoices cannot exceed 100% of the quote — the system blocks over-billing
Expiry Tracking
Quote expiry dates are tracked throughout Invotify to help you follow up with clients in a timely manner. The system actively monitors your quotes and sends notifications before they expire.
Where Expiry Dates Appear: - Quote details page - Calendar view as color-coded events - Notification system with medium-priority alerts
Notification Alerts: - Quote Expiring Soon - A heads-up when a sent quote is close to its expiry date and still unanswered - Quote Expired - Triggered when a quote passes its expiry date without a response
Best Practices: - Check the Calendar weekly for expiring quotes - Send follow-up emails before expiry - Consider extending expiry for engaged prospects - Close expired quotes if no response
- You'll receive notifications when quotes are about to expire
- Follow up 3-5 days before expiry for best results
- An expired quote can't be converted directly — set its status back to Sent or Accepted first if the client responds late
- Use reasonable expiry periods (14-30 days) to encourage timely responses