Hi there, Lori. I wanted to address your question regarding linking invoices to estimates in QuickBooks Desktop.
The functionality to link an invoice to an estimate after the invoice has already been created is unavailable in the program. To ensure they’re properly connected from the start, follow this workflow: first, create your estimate, and once it’s finalized, convert it into an invoice.
To effectively link these documents, I recommend enabling the Progress Invoicing feature in QuickBooks Desktop. This feature allows you to split an estimate into multiple invoices as needed, creating a clear connection between them and simplifying your accounts receivable management.
If you haven't activated this feature yet, don't worry! You can easily turn it on by following these steps:
- Sign in to QuickBooks Desktop as an admin.
- Go to the File menu and click Switch to Single-user mode.
- Select the Edit menu, then Preferences.
- Click Jobs & Estimates from the list of menus.
- Go to the Company Preferences tab.
- Select Yes in the DO YOU CREATE ESTIMATES? section. Then, click Yes in the DO YOU DO PROGRESS INVOICING? section.
- To save and close your preferences, select OK.
Once done, I recommend reviewing any previous invoices that may not be linked to estimates. If necessary, you can delete these invoices and then reopen your estimates to recreate the corresponding invoices directly from them. This will help ensure that everything is properly aligned in your records.
Creating an estimate is part of your usual A/R workflow in QuickBooks Desktop. To see the complete list of workflows and other customer-related transactions, refer to Accounts Receivable workflows in QuickBooks Desktop.
If you have any other questions or need further assistance beyond linking estimates to invoices, please feel free to post them here in the thread. My Community Team, along with other QuickBooks experts, is here to help you with any tasks
