How do I Create an Estimate? Step-by-Step Guidance

To create an estimate in Billed, start a new estimate from the dashboard, the Estimates section or a client's page, then check your business details, choose the client, set the issue date, add line items, discounts and tax, add notes or attachments, and save. Then send it by email or share it by link so the client can approve it.

Billed publishes this page. The steps and button names are quoted from Billed's help center article How do I Create an Estimate? (updated April 26, 2026) and Billed's estimating software page, both opened on October 30, 2026. For what to put in an estimate, see how to write a winning estimate. To send, edit or convert an estimate you've saved, see how do I manage my estimates.

Step 1: Start a New Estimate

Billed's help center gives three ways to start. The button names below are as the help center writes them:

• From the dashboard: click Dashboard in the left menu, press the New button "at the top-right corner of the screen" and select Estimate.
• From your estimates: open Estimates from the left menu and use the New Estimate button "at the top-right corner of the screen."
• From a client: open Clients from the left menu, pick a client, choose Create New, then Estimate.

On a phone, Billed's mobile app page says: "Billed for iOS and Android syncs with the web dashboard in real time, so you can invoice the moment a job is done."

Step 2: Check Your Business Details

Billed's help center says: "The information updated on the business profile will be automatically added to every estimate." To add or change it, click settings and then Business Profile.

Step 3: Choose the Client

"You can create estimates against new or existing clients. The client's details will be displayed on the estimates." To add a client first, the help center says to choose the Create Client option in the Clients section.

Billed's estimating software page says you can send "estimates in their preferred currency" and create "estimates in different currencies for each customer".

Step 4: Check the Issue Date and Estimate Number

• Issue date: "The estimate's issue date is today's date by default. However, you can edit it by clicking on the date option."
• Number: "Users can set and edit the default estimate number prefix from general settings." The help center adds: "Each new estimate's number will be one number greater than the previous estimate's number."

Step 5: Add Line Items

• A new item: use Add a line item to start a new line.
• A saved item: in settings, items and services is where you "add, edit and save the items and use them in estimates." The help center adds: "Add them to estimates by writing the item's name and selecting it to autofill the entire section."
• Units and quantities: the estimating software page says you can "customize units and quantities for each product".
• Order: "You can press and hold the two lines on the right side of each line item to rearrange the items." To remove a line, the help center says: "You can delete any line item by pressing the trash icon on the left side of any line item."

Step 6: Add Discounts and Tax

• Discount: "Choose an option among no discount, flat amount, or percentage."
• Tax: "After filling all the information, apply the tax amount." The estimating software page says: "Set up your tax settings once and let Billed handle all the complex calculations".
• Total: "Total balance after tax addition or discount deduction will be shown at the bottom of the estimate."

Which tax applies to your work is a question for your accountant.

Step 7: Add Notes, Terms, Attachments and a Signature

• Notes and terms: add them under Additional Notes. The help center says: "You can also add any terms and conditions in this section."
• Attachments: "You can add attachments in the form of photos, PDFs, spreadsheets, or files in an estimate."
• Signature: the help center says: "Click on "Signatures" in an estimate to sign it. The signature section can be used to identify the creator of the estimate."

To change how the estimate looks, Billed's help center article How do I Change Estimate Templates? says to click Estimate Template "to see the template options" while you create or edit an estimate.

Step 8: Save, Then Send

• Save: click the Save button. The help center says: "The estimate will be immediately saved in drafts."
• Send: open the estimate, click the More Actions button "at the top-right corner" and choose Send by Email to email it, or Share via Link to copy a link.
• Status: "The estimate's status changes as soon as you share the estimate with someone. You will be notified as soon as someone views an estimate through a public link or email."

Step 9: Get the Client's Approval

Billed's estimating software page says clients can "approve or reject the estimates you send via link." The help center says: "You will be notified whenever a client accepts an estimate. The particular estimate will be marked as accepted." Once it's accepted, Billed's invoice software page says you can "convert an approved estimate into an invoice"; see how do I manage my estimates.

Sample: The Line Items for One Estimate

The business and figures here are a sample, invented for this example. A painter prepares an estimate for an interior job:

• Wall painting: 3 rooms × $450.00 = $1,350.00
• Trim and doors: 1 × $380.00 = $380.00
• Paint and materials: 1 × $270.00 = $270.00
• Subtotal: $1,350.00 + $380.00 + $270.00 = $2,000.00
• Flat discount: $100.00
• Total: $2,000.00 − $100.00 = $1,900.00

This sample has no tax. If you add tax, check the total Billed shows at the bottom of the estimate before you send it.

Related Articles

• How do I Manage my Estimates?
• How to Write a Winning Estimate
• Estimate vs Quote vs Proposal: What's the Difference?
• How to Create a Project Estimate
• Estimate vs Invoice Best Practices

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I start a new estimate in Billed?

Billed's help center gives three ways: from the Dashboard with the New button, from Estimates with the New Estimate button, or from a client's page with the Create New button.

Can I reuse items I've saved before?

Yes. Billed's help center says you can save items under items and services in settings, then add one to an estimate by typing its name and selecting it to fill in the line.

Can my client approve an estimate online?

Yes. Billed's estimating software page says clients can accept or decline an estimate you share by link, and the help center says you're notified when a client accepts one.

What happens to an estimate after I save it?

Billed's help center says it's saved in drafts. Its status changes when you send it by email or share it by link.