---
title: Quotes / Estimates — step-by-step
description: Send quotes (estimates), let clients accept or decline online, and one-click convert to an invoice. Field-by-field guide with every form input and the why behind each setting.
---
# Quotes / Estimates — step-by-step for first-time users
A **quote** (also called an *estimate*, *proposal* or in some countries a *devis* / *cotización* / *presupuesto*) is a price you send a prospective client **before** the work starts. Easy Invoice's quote builder is almost identical to the invoice builder, with three extra pieces:
1. **Valid Until Date** — when the price expires.
2. **Accept** and **Decline** buttons on the public quote page.
3. **One-click conversion** to an invoice once the client accepts.
The free plugin includes everything below — no Pro upgrade needed for quotes.
---
## When to use a Quote vs. an Invoice
| Use a **Quote** when... | Use an **Invoice** when... |
| --- | --- |
| Negotiating the price | Price is final |
| Client hasn't approved yet | Work is done or about to start |
| You need formal sign-off | Payment is now owed |
| Several pricing options | One agreed amount |
---
## 1. Open the Quote Builder
WP Admin sidebar → **Easy Invoice → Add New Quote**.
Like the invoice builder, the form has tabs:
1. **Quote Details** — title, number, dates, status, notes
2. **Items** — what you're quoting for
3. **Client** — who the quote goes to
4. **Discounts & Taxes** — discount + tax options
5. **Payment** (optional) — preview gateways the client will use after acceptance
---
## 2. Quote Details — every field
### Quote Title
Short label like *"Website redesign — proposal v2"*. Helps you find it in the admin list.
### Quote Description
Free-text paragraph for context. Often used for *"Scope summary"* paragraphs.
### Quote Number
Auto-generated from your prefix + counter (default `EIQN_0001`). Change the prefix under **Settings → Quote → Quote Prefix** (try `QT-`, `EST-`, or `2026-Q-`). Read-only here.
### Quote Date
The day you issued the quote.
### Valid Until Date
**The most important field on a quote.** It's the date your prices expire. Why it matters:
- Communicates urgency to the prospect.
- Protects you from old quotes coming back with stale pricing months later.
- Triggers the "Expired" status when the date passes.
> **Suggested default:** Quote Date + 14 to 30 days.
### Status
- **Draft** — internal only
- **Available** — live, the client can view, accept, or decline
- **Accepted** — client accepted (set automatically when they click Accept)
- **Declined** — client declined
- **Expired** — past Valid Until
- **Cancelled** — withdrawn
### Notes
Visible to the client at the bottom of the quote PDF.
### Internal Notes
Visible only to you. Use for *"customer wants the cheap option but probably needs the premium plan — talk on Tuesday."*
### Terms & Conditions
Defaults to your global *Settings → Quote → Terms & Conditions* (which ships with: *"This quote has a fixed price. Upon acceptance, we kindly ask for a 25% deposit..."*). Override per quote if needed.
---
## 3. Items — same as invoices
Exactly the same line-item table as invoices: Title, Description, Quantity, Price, Adjust (%), Total, Taxable. See [Invoices → Items tab](./invoices#_3-items-tab-what-you-re-billing-for) for the field explanations.
---
## 4. Client tab — same dropdown as invoices
Pick from your **All Clients** list. The client's email is who receives the **Quote Available** email when you click Send.
---
## 5. Discounts & Taxes
Same options as invoices — Percentage / Fixed discount, Before/After Tax calculation method, Tax Rate, Price Includes Tax. See [Settings reference → Tax](./settings-reference#_5-tax-settings) if you're unsure.
---
## 6. Save → mark Available → send
1. Click **Save Draft** if you're still editing, **or**
2. Set Status to **Available** and **Publish** — the quote is now live at a public URL.
3. Click **Send Email** to email the **Quote Available** template (configured under **Settings → Email → Quote Available**).
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## 7. The public quote page — accept / decline
When the client opens the quote URL, they see:
- The full quote (logo, line items, totals)
- An **Accept Quote** button
- A **Decline Quote** button
What happens when they click **Accept** is controlled by **Settings → Quote → Accept quote button action** — six options:
| Action | Behaviour |
| --- | --- |
| **Convert quote to invoice — Draft** | Creates a new invoice from the quote. Status: Draft. You review/send it. |
| **Convert quote to invoice — Available** | Creates an invoice and publishes it. No email. |
| **Convert quote to invoice and send to client — Available** | Creates, publishes, **and emails the invoice** to the client. (Hands-off mode.) |
| **Create new invoice, keep quote as-is — Draft** | Like option 1, but the original quote keeps its Accepted status (rather than being "converted"). |
| **Create new invoice and send to client, keep quote as-is** | Like option 3, but keeps the quote alongside the new invoice. |
| **Do nothing** | The quote is marked Accepted; no invoice is created (manual workflow). |
> **Why six options?** Different businesses convert quotes differently — some send the invoice immediately, others want a manual review step, some never auto-convert at all (e.g. legal, where the contract is the trigger, not the quote acceptance).
### Decline Quote button
By default, the client can decline with no reason. Tick **Settings → Quote → Decline Reason Required** to force them to fill the *"Reason for declining"* textarea before they can submit — useful for win/loss analysis.
### Accept / Decline messages
- **Accept Quote Text** — shown above the Accept button (a confirmation prompt).
- **Accepted Quote Message** — shown after a successful Accept.
- **Declined Quote Message** — shown after a successful Decline.
All three are rich-text editors under **Settings → Quote**. Customize them to match your brand voice.
### Hide the Accept button entirely
Untick **Settings → Quote → Accept quote button** to hide it (you'd then accept the quote in admin manually).
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## 8. The quote list
WP Admin → **Easy Invoice → All Quotes** shows every quote with status filters.
### Filter by client (Free)
The **Filter by client** dropdown next to the search box narrows the list to one specific client's quotes — useful for "what did we last quote this prospect?" lookups. The filter persists across view tabs, status chips, pagination, and search.
### Bulk Send Email PRO
With **Easy Invoice Pro**, the **Bulk Actions** dropdown gains a **Send Email** option for quotes too. Tick the rows, pick **Send Email**, click **Apply** — Pro dispatches the **Quote Available** email to every selected quote's client and reports a "Sent: X ok, Y failed" toast.
### Bulk Export Selected PRO
Same flow as the invoice export: tick the quotes you want, pick **Export Selected**, confirm — your browser downloads `easy-invoice-quotes-YYYY-MM-DD.csv`.
**Columns exported:** Quote Number, Title, Client Name, Client Email, Quote Date, Expiry Date, Status, Subtotal, Tax, Discount, Total, Currency, Accepted Date, Declined Date.
> **Without Pro:** the option shows as **Export Selected (Pro)** and picking it opens the Upgrade-to-Pro dialog.
### Row actions
View, Edit, Duplicate, PDF, Send, Convert to Invoice, Delete.
---
## 9. Converting a quote manually
You don't have to wait for the client to click Accept. From the admin quote list:
1. Find the quote.
2. **Row actions → Convert to Invoice**.
3. A new invoice is created with all the quote's items pre-filled. You can edit it, then send.
---
## Quote-specific Pro features
| Feature | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Quote watermarks** PRO | Overlay `DRAFT`, `EXPIRED`, custom text or image on quote PDFs. |
| **Custom permalinks** PRO | Branded URLs like `/proposal/your-quote/` instead of the default. |
| **Email reply-to** PRO | Quote emails go from a different reply-to than invoices. |
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## Tips
- **Send a Quote first whenever the price is negotiable.** It costs you nothing and gives the client a chance to push back without losing the deal.
- **Set Valid Until Date conservatively** — 14 days is fine for most jobs. If you set it to a year, you'll get quotes coming back with stale prices.
- **Customize the Accept message** so the client knows what happens next ("We'll begin work within 2 business days and email you a Phase 1 invoice for the 25% deposit").
- **Auto-convert mode is hands-off magic.** Set Accept button action to *"Convert quote to invoice and send to client — Available"* once you trust your template — no human in the loop.
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## Next
- [Create your first Invoice](./invoices)
- [Email templates (Quote Available, Invoice Available)](./email-settings)
- [Quote settings reference](./settings-reference#_3-quote-settings)