Estimate to PO to Invoice Workflow with Desktop Pro Plus 2023

Hello there, @Langsford. I'm glad that you took the time to stop by here in the Community forum and allowed us to be your assistant in accomplishing your desired workflow for your business within QuickBooks Desktop.

First off, I want to appreciate you for trying to relay your goal in as detail as possible. This gives me a broad perspective of your scenario so we can together, find a way to make this possible.

Let's start by creating a purchase order from an estimate:

1. Go to the Customers menu then select Create estimates.
2. Select the customer then fill in other necessary details.
3. When done, hit on Create Purchase Order located in the upper-left part of the estimate page.
   
   
4. Select the Vendor.
5. Complete filling up other important fields.
6. Once done, hit Save & Close or Save & New.

Additionally, while the ability to create an invoice from a purchase order is unavailable, we can however bypass the process by going into the estimate and creating an invoice from it. I can see that you're already doing it so I will be providing you then the complete process of doing it the other way around which is to directly go to the invoice and link the estimate. 

Here's how:

1. Go to the Customers menu then select Create invoices.
2. When you select the customer, the estimates associated with that certain customer will pop up.
3. Select the estimate.
4. Fill in other necessary details.
5. When done, hit Save & Close or Save & New.

Additionally, when a customer pays you for an open invoice, you need to enter the payment in QuickBooks. To help you through the process, feel free to check out this article: Record an invoice payment in QuickBooks Desktop.

You may also browse through this article to learn the different ways you can track customer transactions: Get started with customer transaction workflows in QuickBooks Desktop.

Thank you for choosing QuickBooks Desktop in managing your business. We're here to help you every step of the way. If you have any additional questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to hit the Reply button. Our dedicated team is ready to provide the support you need to ensure your customer and vendor transaction management experience is seamless. Your satisfaction is our priority, and we're committed to helping you succeed.

Thank you.  I am stuck at creating a PO from an Estimate.  When I'm in an Estimate, I see the Create Invoice.  I don not see a Create PO.  Thanks.

Hi there, @Langsford.

Thanks for getting back to us and providing updates when creating a purchase order from an estimate.

You'll have to enable the Purchase order feature on the Preferences page, so the create purchase order button on the estimate will show.

To do this, here's how:

1. Go to the Edit menu at the top.
2. Select Preferences.
3. In the left menu, choose Items & Inventory and click on the Company Preferences tab.
4. Check the Inventory and purchase orders are active checkbox.
5. Click OK.

Once done, you can now create a purchase order from an estimate. For more details, see this article: Create purchase orders in QuickBooks Desktop.

For future reference, you can read through these articles to learn more about the workflows for tracking your income and expense transactions:

• Get started with customer transaction workflows in QuickBooks Desktop
• Accounts Payable workflows in QuickBooks Desktop

Don't hesitate to comment down below if you have other QuickBooks concerns. I'll be glad to help you more. Have a pleasant day.

Hello.  That box was checked.  And I can go to Vendors and Create Purchase Orders.  However, I still do not have a "button" to create purchase order from an Estimate.  thanks.

Hello, @Langsford. 

I appreciate you coming back and letting us know how those steps went. 

Since you're still unable to see this option, I recommend contacting our Customer Support Team for further assistance. Here's how: 

1. Go to the Help menu. 
2. Press the QuickBooks Desktop Help option. 
3. Click on the Contact Us button/hyperlink. 
4. Enter your question and hit Let's talk. 
5. Scroll down and select to Get a callback. 

It's that easy! 

Keep us updated on how the call goes. I'm only a post away if you need me again. Take care! 

I've contacted support twice - no solution.  The last suggestion from tech support was to reinstall Quickbooks to see if that gets the Create Purchase Order option to show on the Estimate window. 

I have Quickbooks Desktop Pro Plus 2023.  Can anyone confirm that they have the Create Purchase Order under the Create Invoice on their Estimate page/window???

I completely understand how crucial it is to have this option, especially when it comes to managing customer transactions effectively, Langsford.

I regret to hear that despite your efforts and numerous interactions with our customer service, the issues have not been completely resolved.

I want to assure you that we are committed to resolving this matter as swiftly as possible and to your utmost satisfaction. To ensure that your case receives the attention it deserves, I'll personally escalate your case to our Next Level Help Team. They'll carefully examine your recent support case notes and address any unresolved concerns or complaints thoroughly.

You can expect to hear back from our representative within the next 1-2 business days. They'll reach out to you directly to discuss the process of converting an estimate to a purchase order.

In the meantime, if any other concerns arise or if you have additional questions, please don't hesitate to add a reply below. I'm here to ensure that you receive the help you need and to be your advocate throughout this process. 

As it turns out, I spent 2 hours on the phone with tech support, got transferred to next level support who told me my version of QB didn't have the feature...