How to link existing invoices to an estimate

Greetings, @CCIOffice. 

Welcome to the Community. I'd be more than happy to provide you with some more information about linking existing invoices to an estimate. 

I can see how beneficial this could be for your business. However, at this time, you'll either need to do convert the estimate to an invoice going forward or delete and recreate the invoices. 

I recommend submitting feedback to our Product Developers so they can consider this in the near future. Check out our Blog site to keep up with what's new in the system. 

I hope this helps answer your question. Don't hesitate to come back if you have any other concerns. Best wishes! 

Hi Candice, I also have a similar issue in QBO. Invoices were created independently of the estimates and now there are old estimates hanging around in the system. I don't want to delete/recreate because we use the estimates to see track what has been billed and what remains outstanding. Has QuickBooks devised a way to link estimates to existing invoices?

Hello there, Richelle. I can share what I know about the features and options you can use in QuickBooks Online (QBO). 

You have the ability to link estimates to existing invoices if you're using the new layout in QBO. I'll show you how:

1. Open the Invoice and click Manage. 
2. Click the dropdown under Suggestions.
3. Select Suggested transactions. 
4. Click on Add to link the estimates. 
5. Once done, click Save. 
    

However, if you're using the old layout, you have the option to switch to the new experience. 

I can see how the functionality would be beneficial to your business on the old invoice layout. I'd recommend sending a feature request directly to our Product Development team. This helps us improve your experience and the features of the program. 

Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear menu and then select Feedback.
2. Type in your feature request in the description box.
3. Once done, click on Next.
   

You can also track feature requests through the Customer Feedback for QuickBooks Online website.

If you need to make modifications or want to personalize your invoices and other sales forms, follow the instructions in this article: Customize invoices, estimates, and sales receipts in QuickBooks Online.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to resolve any issue you may have. Please let us know if you have additional questions on how to link estimates to existing invoices. I'll be there to save your day. 

Thank you @LeizylM 

I will follow your instructions to leave feedback for the feature change. 

Thanks for the additional helpful information you've provided. 

Sincerely, 

Richelle

Hi there, @RichelleJ.

Thanks for stopping by again. I'm glad my colleague was able to provide answer to your queries. If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask, the Community is always here to help. Keep Safe!

I just tried the suggested fix but it did not work. Instead of showing the invoice as a credit against the estimate, it combined the two and was attempting to increase the amount of the invoice.

Please confirm that your process would show the invoice as a credit against the estimate and in turn the estimate should show the correct balance remaining to be billed/invoiced.

Hello there, Anthony.

If the estimate is added to the invoice, it will not be shown as credit because it is not a payment. That's why the invoice amount will increase. The transaction can be used as credit for invoices to lessen the amount deposited, Journal Entry (JE) posted in A/R or credit memo.

Just confirming, is the estimate intended for use as a credit for the customer? If so, the recording is incorrect. The estimate should not be classified as such because it cannot be used as credit. However, if you created the invoice first and then the estimate, you're unable to link the two. You'll want to delete the invoice and recreate it from the estimate.

You can convert that one directly into an invoice. When you do that, the estimate and invoice are linked. The steps below will show you how to connect them:

1. Go to the Sales menu and choose Customer.
2. In the colorful bar, select Estimate and find the estimate you need invoice attached.
3. In the Action column, click Create Invoice.
4. Make any updates to the invoice, if needed. 
5. Select Save and Close.

Also, if you want to create a partial invoice from the estimate, you can set up and send progress invoicing.

Lastly, I've got this helpful article about managing customer transactions: Income and Expenses.

Let me know if you have any other questions by using the Reply button below. I'll be here to help out.

Thank  you! This worked!  Now just to do that to all ~400 customers.  Sigh. 

Hi, the fix is working great until a customer had been inactivated, but, when you bring up that customer, 

Hi, the fix is working great until a customer had been inactivated, but, when you bring up that customer, and there is no link to make them active! 

We're glad to hear that Lolly's recommendation worked, @Rochelle_! I understand you're now facing a new challenge, particularly with making a few customers active out of the 400.
 

The missing Make active button can be caused by using an unsupported browser or cache issues. Typically, this can be resolved by switching to a supported browser and clearing your browser's cache.
 

QuickBooks Online (QBO) works best with Google Chrome (version 78 or newer), Microsoft Edge (version 76 or newer), and Safari (version 12 or newer for Mac). For full details, refer to our System requirements for QuickBooks Online products article.
 

If you're already using one of the supported browsers, I recommend clearing your cache. Follow Step 1 from the Clear cache and cookies to fix issues article. Through this article, click the hyperlink for detailed instructions.
 

If you're using the new view with filters, click the Return to the original table view link to access the Make active button.

Please let us know if you need more assistance.