Home 9 Invoices & Quotes 9 Creating Quotes — Complete Guide

Quote Fields

Number QUO-0001 (separate sequence)
Expiry Date Validity period (30 days default)

Creating Quotes — Complete Guide

This is the comprehensive reference for quote creation. It covers every field, option, and feature available. If you’re creating your first quote, start with the step-by-step walkthrough in Getting Started instead.

Quote-Specific Fields

Quotes share most fields with invoices (client, line items, sections, notes, terms). The key differences:

Quote Number: Uses a separate sequence from invoices (e.g., QUO-0001). Configure the prefix, starting number, and padding in Invoice Numbering Configuration.

Expiry Date: When the quote expires. Defaults to 30 days from creation. After this date, the client should understand that pricing may need to be reviewed. Shown prominently on the PDF.

For all other fields (client, reference, shipping, notes, terms), see Creating Invoices — Complete Guide — they work identically.

Writing Effective Quotes

Be detailed in your line item descriptions so the client understands exactly what’s included. Use sections to break down complex projects by phase or category. Consider adding an “Optional Items” section for things the client might want but hasn’t committed to.

In the notes section, include your timeline estimate and payment terms (e.g., “50% deposit to begin, balance on completion”).

💡 Tip: Use Quick Items to save your commonly-quoted services as presets. This speeds up quote creation and ensures consistent pricing.

Converting to Invoice

When your client accepts the quote:

With Xero: Post the quote to Xero first, then use Xero’s built-in “Convert to Invoice” feature. The new invoice syncs back to LiteWork automatically.

Without Xero: Open the Document Manager, find your quote, and use the Duplicate action to create a copy. Change the document type to Invoice on the new document. All line items, sections, and details carry over.

Tracking Quote Outcomes

If you’re using Xero, quote statuses (Sent, Accepted, Declined) are tracked automatically and sync back to LiteWork.

Without Xero, use the reference field to track status, or assign quotes to projects to keep related quotes and invoices grouped together.

Sending Quotes

Save your quote and email it as a PDF, just like an invoice. The document header says “Quote” instead of “Invoice”, and the expiry date is displayed.

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