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Feature Guide - Clients & Billing (3.40MB)

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An estimate billing is an invoice created using the job's estimate amounts, and not costs

Otherwise, it looks and acts like progress/final billings. An estimate billing is a fast, easy way to invoice a job’s estimate. Like progress/final billings, it’s an express way to bill a job without having to know -- or type in -- each job task. It’s fast (and accurate) because billing amounts are created automatically from the job’s tasks and their estimate amounts. It’s easy because all you need to enter is the job’s number.

If you always bill jobs based on a fixed estimate, then you’ll use the estimate billing option often. If you generally bill jobs at completion, the estimate billing option is useful when you sometimes need to bill a job -- or any part of it -- up front (such as a big printing job, or the first job for a new client). When you add an invoice using the estimate billing option, Clients & Profits looks at the job’s tasks. Every task on the job with an estimate amount is copied to the invoice. The task’s estimate amount (or any percentage) becomes the invoice’s billing amounts.

Estimate billings look like regular job invoices (the client won’t know that it’s an estimate billing unless you say so somewhere on the invoice). Unlike advance billings, estimate billings affect the job’s billed totals. Estimate billings can’t be applied to later job invoices as payments. Also, estimate billings are considered income and appear on the Income Statement. Once an estimate billing is created, you can add, remove, and change its billing amounts as needed. The changes you make will update the job’s totals when the invoice is posted.

	Learn more about estimate billing in this Clients & Profits classroom video training session. Running time: 1:33

To add an estimate billing

1 From the Accounts Receivable window, choose Edit > Add New Invoice > Estimate Billing.

The Add Estimate Billing Invoice window opens.



2 Follow the remaining steps to add an estimate billing:

Number New invoices are numbered automatically (using the invoice number entered in Preferences). Invoices are numbered sequentially. You can change the invoice number by selecting it and then entering your own number. You’ll be notified if the invoice number has been used before.

Job number The last-used job number is entered automatically as a time-saver, but can be changed. If you’re not sure about a job number, leave the field blank then press Tab to open the jobs lookup list. Double-click on the job to copy it to this invoice. You can enter any job number you wish, including jobs that are new, in progress, or closed.

If the job has a status alert, you’ll see it as you tab past the job number field.

The job’s estimate amounts are copied to the invoice automatically. The job’s estimate amounts are billed by default at 100%, but can be easily changed by modifying the bill estimate percentage or actually editing the billing amounts on the tasks themselves.

Client number Every invoice is billed to only one client. This client is the one who will eventually pay for the invoice. The client number is copied automatically from the job, but can be changed -- which lets you bill the job to a different client. Tabbing past the client number copies its name, payment terms, and sales tax information to the invoice. Any active client can be used on an invoice.

The job ticket and invoice can have different clients. There may be instances where several departments of a large corporation open jobs, but invoices are billed to a third-party. This third-party, such as the corporate headquarters, would be added as a separate client and get all of the billings.

3 Enter the invoice date, due date, accounting period, the client’s PO number, terms, and charge number.

Debit account The default A/R account, which is copied from Preferences, can be changed to a different G/L account. This account is debited for the invoice’s total, including sales tax, when the invoice is posted.

Notes The work you’re billing can be fully explained in the invoice notes. These notes, which appear near the top of the printed invoice (above the billing amounts), can summarize what’s being billed on this invoice.

Bill estimate percentage You can automatically change the billing amounts for the entire invoice by changing the bill estimate percentage then press Tab. The new percentage will be used to calculate the invoice’s billing amounts. Any percentage of the estimate can be billed.

4 If needed, edit the invoice’s billing amounts then click Save.

Only checked tasks will appear on the estimate invoice. To remove a task from this invoice, uncheck the “X” checkbox. The description, billing amount, and income G/L# can be changed for each job task on the invoice without affecting the job itself.

Once the invoice is added and saved, it must be posted. Posting makes the invoice permanent, updating the job ticket, the client account, and the General Ledger. The invoice can be proofed before posting, then changed as needed (e.g., amounts added or removed, descriptions changed, etc.).