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dgmartino
Level 2

Issues with the transaction lists, inventory, project finances, and recurring invoices.

I am trying to create estimates for multiple customers and keep track of inventory.  Is there a way to do this without turning an estimate into an invoice? 

It doesn't appear that accepting an estimate is enough to register it in the inventory, it must be converted to an invoice.  What does accepting an estimate do?  I was hoping it would reflect in the inventory and the project finances, but it doesn't do that.  So what does accepting an estimate do in quickbooks?

 

I have three accepted estimates in a project that were combined into one invoice and scheduled for 5 equal payments beginning in May. Those invoices are not registering in my inventory, nor in the project finances.  I am assuming the quickbooks code is written so that certain types of transactions  in the project transactions list register in both inventory and finances.  My downpayment was entered as a payment and registered in the overall project cost so it has a negative value because these future invoice payments aren't registering in the project numbers yet. 

 

Is there a way the code can be fixed so that when recurring invoices based on estimates are scheduled they populate in the project transactions list just with their future due dates?  This would overcome the fact that only transactions in the transactions lists are counted in inventory and project finances. It's unhelpful if these numbers are added over the course of the next few months as each of the five invoices are sent out to the customer.  The only place these upcoming recurring transactions exist are in the recurring transactions tab not anywhere in the project tab.  Very wonky.  

4 Comments 4
Angelyn_T
QuickBooks Team

Issues with the transaction lists, inventory, project finances, and recurring invoices.

Hi there, @dgmartino.

 

An estimate will only be realized and affect your inventory once it's converted into an invoice. An accepted estimate means that the customer has marked it as accepted. After a customer accepts your estimate, you can convert that estimate directly into an invoice. When you convert an estimate to an invoice, the estimate and invoice are linked, which keeps your books accurate.

 

On the other hand, you can modify your recurring invoices through the Recurring transactions list.

 

  1. Go to the Gear icon, then on Recurring transactions under Lists.
  2. Select the template.
  3. Modify the dates and other setups.
  4. Save the changes.

 

You can also get more hints about this from this article: How to schedule recurring invoices.

 

Aside from your invoices and estimates, you can get more tips while handling your other customer entries in the future from this article: Topics about your company's income and customers.

 

If you have any other follow-up questions about your estimates and inventories, let me know by adding a comment below. I'm always here to help. Have a good one!

Fiat Lux - ASIA
Level 15

Issues with the transaction lists, inventory, project finances, and recurring invoices.

@dgmartino 

You need to have an additional app to "book and hold" your inventory for the order once your client has accepted the Estimate but you don't want to release an invoice to affect your inventory status.

dgmartino
Level 2

Issues with the transaction lists, inventory, project finances, and recurring invoices.

I was hoping to keep everything in house with quickbooks.  I signed up for quickbooks specifically so I could stop inventory tracking in spreadsheets, which was hurting my eyes and leading to errors.

 

It seems silly that accepting an estimate doesn't trigger something to happen in the program.  If I can link an invoice to an estimate it could prevent inventory and finances from being double counted by the system...  As it is, I created a progressive invoice off some accepted estimates, but they aren't populating in my project transaction lists until they come through.  Also silly because the progressive invoice feature not only invoices off a percentage of the cost, but a percentage of an item.  It is charging 16% of my 25 plants, so I am getting fractional inventory.

 

Is there an app that will sync with quickbooks?

 

Thanks for all your responses to my community posts.  They have been insightful and helpful.  I know part of my problem is certain functionalities are given names that I don't know, so I don't have the ability to search by name for these features.  You have been able to translate the function I want into Quickbooks speak and it has been helpful.  Thank you.

dgmartino
Level 2

Issues with the transaction lists, inventory, project finances, and recurring invoices.

So my problem I am having with this as a solution as I mentioned to Fiat Lux Asia, is that progressive recurring invoices do not populate in the transaction list until they come through.  The code for Quickbooks makes it so my progressive invoices scheduled to begin in May are not coming out of my inventory because they are not in the project transaction lists.  Furthermore these progressive invoices not only charge a percentage of the of the money in the estimate, they charge a percentage of inventory.  So I am ending up with fractional inventory.  One of my plants is listed on the invoice as quantity 4.15.  It would be helpful and easiest for the coders if they would have progressive invoices populate in the transaction list for a project just with their future dates.  Banks have ledgers that show transactions before they clear.  I can tell the code is written so that only certain items in the project transaction lists populates in the project finances and inventory.  Besides invoices, manually entered payments can reflect in project finances. I have a downpayment I was able to enter for the project and it is in the project finances.  

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