Learn how to request an e-signature on estimates in QuickBooks Online, so your customer signs before they accept or pay a deposit.

Note: e-signature on estimates is currently available inQuickBooks Online Simple Start, Essentials, Plus, Advanced.

Turn on/off e-signatures for an estimate

  1. Go to + New, then select Estimate.

  2. Fill in the estimate as you normally would — add the customer, products or services, and any deposit request.

  3. On the right side of the form, expand the Customization panel.

  4. Turn on/off the Require e-signature toggle.

  5. Select Save to save your changes, or Review and send to email the estimate to your customer.

Tip: Your last choice is remembered on the estimate form. If you turn Require e-signature on for one estimate, new estimates you create will default to on until you turn it off.

What your customer sees

Your customer receives the email, opens the estimate link, and lands on the checkout portal. When Require e-signature is on, they see a signature field they must complete before they can accept.

Estimate approval (no deposit)

  1. Your customer opens the estimate link from their email.

  2. They review the estimate total and details.

  3. In the Signature field, they type their full legal name.

  4. They select Accept to sign and approve the estimate.

Estimate approval with a deposit

If you've requested a deposit on the estimate, the signature is captured in the same step as the payment. Your customer signs and pays in one flow — you don't need a separate signature toggle for the deposit portion.

  1. Your customer opens the estimate link.

  2. They review the deposit amount and select a payment method (debit, credit, or bank).

  3. They enter payment details.

  4. In the Signature field, they type their full legal name.

  5. They select Pay to sign, approve the estimate, and pay the deposit in one action.

Note: If your customer declines the estimate, no signature is captured and no PDF is emailed. If the deposit payment fails, the signature isn't stored—your customer will need to retry.

Where to find the signed PDF

Once your customer signs (and pays, if a deposit was requested), QuickBooks will:

  • Generate a signed PDF that includes the customer's signature, their full legal name, and the acceptance date.

  • Email a copy of the signed PDF to your customer.

  • Email a copy of the signed PDF to the From address on the original send.

    • Any Cc or Bcc recipients on the original send also receive the signed copy.

  • Store the signed PDF on the estimate record so you can retrieve it anytime.

To retrieve the signed PDF later

  1. Go to All apps, then Customer Hub, then Estimates.

  2. Find the estimate.

  3. In the Action column, select View PDF to open the signed copy.

Note: The signed PDF is a point-in-time record. It reflects the estimate exactly as it was when your customer signed—even if you later edit the estimate, the original signed PDF is saved.

FAQ

Sometimes the scope of work changes after your customer has already signed. Because the signed PDF is a point-in-time record, any change to the estimate's pricing or line items resets the estimate to Pending and requires your customer to sign a new version.

When editing triggers a re-sign

QuickBooks prompts you to resend the estimate if you make any of these changes after the estimate has been accepted:

  • Add, edit, or delete a product or service line item.

  • Change the amount on any existing line.

  • Change the deposit request amount or percentage.

Editing the customer name, address, or purely cosmetic fields doesn't reset the estimate. Only changes that affect what the customer agreed to require a new signature.

The re-sign flow

  1. You open a signed estimate and change a line item, amount, or the deposit request. A window appears titled "Your customer will need to sign again."

  2. Select Continue to proceed with your changes. The estimate status resets to Pending. Or select Go back to cancel and keep the estimate as it is.

  3. After you continue, make your edits and select Review and send to resend the updated estimate.

  4. Your customer receives a new email with the updated estimate and signs the new version. QuickBooks generates a new signed PDF.

Important: If a deposit was already paid on the original estimate, editing, the amount also affects the deposit. You'll need to refund the paid deposit before requesting a new one, since an estimate can't receive two separate deposits. Your customer will then sign the new version and pay the updated deposit.

Your customer can view a signature-required estimate on any device with a web browser, including their phone. Refer to Capture signatures using the QuickBooks mobile app for more information. 

E-signature is currently available on estimates only. 

The signed PDF captures your customer's typed full legal name, the exact estimate they agreed to, the date and time they signed, and a signed acknowledgment that they accepted the terms. This is an electronic signature under the U.S. ESIGN Act and UETA. As with any contract, whether it's enforceable in a specific dispute depends on the underlying agreement and circumstances—consult your own attorney if you have questions about a specific case.

The estimate is signed by a single recipient—typically the primary customer contact. If you need multiple signatures on a single agreement, use a dedicated e-signature tool for that document.