Set up and send progress invoices

by Intuit •

406 •

Updated 8/24/2026 05:16

Learn how to send invoices over time as you work off an estimate in QuickBooks.

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Progress invoicing lets you split an estimate into as many invoices as you need. Instead of asking for full payment at the beginning of a project, you can invoice customers for partial payments. As you complete work, add items from the initial estimate to progress invoices. This keeps project payments organized and connected from start to finish.

This video will go over how to turn on progress invoicing, invoice for part of the estimate, and then run a report to monitor the progress of all your open estimates.

Video transcript

[0:00] With QuickBooks Online, you can use progress invoicing to send an estimate to a customer and then invoice them over time as you complete the work. Let's go over how to turn on progress invoicing, invoice for part of the estimate... and then to run a report to monitor the progress of all your open estimates. First, make sure progress invoicing is on for your company. Select Settings.

[0:24] Account and Settings. Then select the Sales tab. Progress Invoicing. Toggle on Progress Invoicing. Then Select Save. Before you can record a progress invoice, you must have an open estimate for the customer. Check out this video to learn more about estimates. After you've entered and sent an estimate, it's time to invoice your customer for the work you've completed. Select Create... Invoice.

[0:50] Then enter your customer's name. Open the Manage drawer and select Suggestions and then Suggested Transactions. Here you'll see any open estimates, billable expenses, and time or other items you can invoice your client for. You'll see basic information about the estimate, like the date you issued it and the total dollar amount. Select this if you want to take a closer look at the estimate.

[1:16] To invoice your customer for the estimate, select Add. QuickBooks asks whether you want to invoice for the entire estimate, for a percentage of the work done, or by line item to select specific products and services. Let's select the option to invoice for a percentage of the work done and then invoice for fifty percent. Select Copy to invoice.

[1:39] From the invoice you can see how much you're invoicing now... compared to what you estimated. You can also adjust these amounts on the invoice. When you're finished filling out the invoice, select Save and Close. You can monitor your estimates and what percentage you've invoiced. Select Reports then run the Estimates and Progress Invoicing Summary by Customer Report.

[2:02] From here you see each customer that has an open estimate... the open estimates you've sent them... the amounts on the estimates you sent... versus the amount you've invoiced... And finally, the amount you have left to invoice. Use progress invoicing to invoice your customers for work as you complete it over time.

Prerequisites to creating a progress invoice

Before you can create a progress invoice:

Turn on progress invoicing.
Create an estimate.

Once progress invoicing is turned on, you can use the premade Airy style template, or create your own.

How to turn on progress invoicing

Go to Settings , then select Account and settings.
Select the Sales tab.
In the Progress Invoicing section, select Edit ✎.
Turn on the Create multiple partial invoices from a single estimate switch.
Select Done.

Now you can create multiple invoices from your estimates.

Step 1: Create progress invoices from an estimate

You can use an estimate to create a progress invoice that has been marked Accepted. This doesn't change the original estimate, which remains in your records. You can create multiple progress invoices from the same estimate.

Go to All apps , then Sales & Get Paid, then Sales transactions (Take me there).
Select the estimate you want to use to create a progress invoice.
Under Accepted, select Convert to invoice.
Fill out the rest of the invoice.
Select Review and send, Save and new, or Save and close.

Additional methods and rules:

You can also create an invoice and assign it to a customer with an open estimate.
Then find the estimate in the Add to Invoice or Suggested transactions sidebar and select Add.

Step 2: Keep track of your progress invoices

Progress invoices include an estimate summary with the total invoiced. There are also links to the original estimate and all relevant progress invoices.

To see the original estimate from the invoice:

Go to All apps , then Sales & Get Paid, then Invoices (Take me there).
Select the invoice.
Select Linked transactions.
Select to the estimate you want to see.

After you’ve invoiced for the total estimate, the estimate status automatically changes to Converted. If you try to invoice for more than 100% of the total estimate, you’ll only be able to add what’s left of the remaining balance.

How to unlink a progress invoice from an estimate

Go to All apps , then Sales & Get Paid, then Invoices (Take me there).
Select the invoice you want to unlink.
Select Linked transactions.
Next to the estimate you want to disconnect, select Remove.

How to run reports

The Estimates & Progress Invoicing Summary by Customer report gives you a complete list of all estimates and connected progress invoices.