How to write a proposal

Great news, @Leo!

You can write a proposal in QuickBooks Online by creating an estimate. Let me show you how.

1. Go to the Plus icon.
2. Under Costumers, select Estimate.
3. Enter information as needed such as customer's name, product or service and date.
4. Click on Save and close.

You can check and read this article to learn more about estimates: Estimates/Quotes - Setup and Function.

You can also check this link to know more about QuickBooks: Getting Started at QuickBooks Online.

It'll be my pleasure to help if you have an other questions.

How do you change the name on the document from “Estimate” to “Proposal”?

Hi there, @hawaiiarchitect.

It looks like you've posted twice in this forum. Allstar KimMcCPA already provided steps on how to change the name on the estimate document to the proposal. You can go to this link for your reference: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/reports-and-accounting/re-i-want-to-send-my-client....

Feel free to leave a message below if you have follow-up questions about your sales forms. I'm always here to help you again. Keep safe. 

This isn't a proposal, this is just an estimate. A proposal has other information in it like details about the company, the work involved, etc. It might even have links to another website, or images and videos.

I take it that Quickbooks does not have this functionality?

Thanks for joining the thread, @albsononfire. I'd be glad to share some steps on how we can get this feature included in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

Yes, I agree with you. The option to enter a proposal in QBO is currently, unavailable. I'd recommend sending feedback to our product developers for this feature, to help improve your experience.

Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Choose Feedback.
3. Enter your product suggestions, then click Next to submit feedback.
   
   

You can visit this website to track the status of your submitted feedback:  QuickBooks Online Feature Requests.

I've also added this article in case you'll want to personalize and add specific info to your sales forms in the future: Customize invoices, estimates, and sales receipts in QuickBooks Online.

Ping me a reply if you have any other QuickBooks-related concerns. I'll be happy to assist you. Take care!

@albsononfire 

You should explore a proposal management app to integrate with QBO.

Is this option available on QB Desktop?

I'll share some guidelines to help you write a proposal in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

In QuickBooks Desktop, an estimate is used to create a bid, proposal, or quote and can later be changed into a sales order or invoice. Ensure to turn on the feature to be able to create an estimate. Here is how you tick on the option:

1. Sign in to the QuickBooks company file as Admin.
2. From the QuickBooks Edit menu, select Preferences.
3. On the left pane, choose Jobs Estimates, then go to the Company Preferences tab.
4. Click Yes to the question "Do you create estimates?"
5. Pick OK.

From there, you can now start creating an estimate. Please refer to this article for more detailed steps: Create an estimate in QuickBooks Desktop.

I will leave these articles you can use in the future:

• Use and customize form templates.
• Accounts Receivable workflows in QuickBooks Desktop.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us again if you have any additional concerns regarding QuickBooks. We are always here to assist you with any questions you may have. Stay safe!

@Jimmy HBC 

What kind of business do you run?

A proposal is different than an estimate or an invoice.

We could use an Invoice Template, if Quickbooks finds a way to add a selection button for 50% deposit, not just the whole job total.  Instead of the confusing process of needing to  "Enter Sales Receipts" then "Upfront Deposits" system.  I can not figure out how to get that work work for a client who needs an invoice for just the 50% deposit amount.     UGH.

Thanks for joining the thread, ang. 

While a proposal and an estimate differ, you can still consider utilizing progress invoicing to split an estimate into a 50% deposit of the job's total amount. I'm here to outline the process and suggest an alternative option to accomplish this in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT). 

If you haven't turned on progress invoicing in your QBDT, you can follow these steps:

1. Go to the Edit menu. Then, Preferences.
2. Select Jobs & Estimates. 
3. Choose the Company Preferences tab. 
4. Click on the Yes radio button for the Do you create estimates? and Do you progress invoicing? sections.
5. Hit OK.

After this, create an estimate for the job. Then, create an invoice based on it.

1. Go to the Customers menu and select Customer Center.
2. Select your client on the list and open the estimate.
3. Click on Create Invoice from the toolbar.
4. Decide how much you want to charge on the invoice. 
5. Choose Create invoice for a percentage of the entire estimate. Then, enter 50%. 
6. Hit OK.

Alternatively, consider utilizing a third-party proposal management app, as Fiat Lux - Asia suggested. You can look for one in the Apps for QuickBooks Desktop Marketplace. 

To help in your accounts receivable workflow, let me add this article as a guide: Get started with customer transaction workflows in QuickBooks Desktop. 

Keep us posted if you have further updates about creating proposals or creating invoices for 50% of the job's total amount. We'll do our best to assist. Take care.