Quote to invoice: how to convert a quote, step by step
How to turn an accepted quote into an invoice: the steps, the new number and dates, a worked deposit example, and the QuoteBill button that keeps the quote.
At a glance
Turn an accepted quotation into an invoice
QuoteBill makes a separate invoice draft with its own number and keeps the quotation as it was: what is copied, which dates to check, and the way back.
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Transcript
Example data: Harbor Studio and Bluebell Café are made up.
Open the quotation your customer accepted.
Choose “Make an invoice”.
A new invoice draft opens with its own number. The quotation stays as it was.
The customer, the lines, the notes and the tax settings are copied: check them against the work you are billing.
The issue date is today and the due date starts 30 days later: change it to the date you agreed.
Save the new invoice to your cloud as well.
“Open original quotation” takes you back to the source without undoing the invoice.
Making an invoice does not send it or record a payment.
The short answer: how to turn a quote into an invoice
To convert a quote into an invoice, create a new invoice from the version the customer accepted instead of editing or renaming the quote. Give the invoice the next number in your invoice series, date it the day you issue it, set the due date that was agreed, bill the lines this invoice covers, and name the quotation so both sides can match the two. The quote stays as it was: it is the record of what you offered.
In QuoteBill this is one button. Open the accepted quotation, use "Save to cloud" if it is still a device draft, then choose "Make an invoice": QuoteBill creates a separate invoice draft and preserves the original quotation, copying the customer, lines, notes and tax settings and keeping a link to the source. Check the dates and amounts, then choose "Print / PDF". Making the invoice does not send the invoice or record a payment.
- Quotationthis guide
- Proforma invoice
- Invoicethis guide
- Receipt
- Credit note
- Start from the accepted version, and keep the acceptance email or signature with it.
- Create a new invoice; never overwrite the quote or reuse its number.
- Number it in your invoice series and date it the day you issue it.
- Bill the lines this invoice covers, and write the quotation number on it.
- Set the agreed due date and payment details, check the total, then send it.
Numbers and dates: what changes and what stays
A quotation number identifies an offer; an invoice number identifies a payment request in your invoice series, and tax rules often expect that series to run in order: the European Commission lists a sequential number among the contents of a full VAT invoice in the EU. QuoteBill assigns a new invoice number: its generated reference by default, or the next in the series if you chose "In sequence" under "Document numbers" in Company settings. Do not change it back to the quotation number.
The issue date is set to the day you convert, and the due date starts at 30 days after conversion. That is a starting value: replace it with the agreed payment deadline. The quotation validity date does not carry over; it only said how long the offer stood. The printed invoice does not show the quotation number by itself, so write it in "Notes" if the customer wants it.
| On the quote | On the invoice | |
|---|---|---|
| Number | Its own quotation number | A new number in your invoice series (never the quote number) |
| Issue date | – | The day you convert |
| Due date | – | Starts at 30 days after conversion: replace it with the agreed deadline |
| Validity date | How long the offer stood | Does not carry over |
| Quotation number printed? | – | Not by itself: write it in Notes if the customer wants it |
Worked example: one quote, a deposit and a final invoice
Quotation Q-0142, dated 2026-09-15, offers a website: design at USD 600 and implementation at USD 900, a USD 1,500 subtotal before any applicable tax. The customer accepts it on 2026-09-22 with a 30% deposit and the balance due 14 days after the final invoice. These figures are illustrative, not pricing recommendations or tax instructions.
USD 1,500
- Deposit invoice, 2026-09-22 (30% of 1,500)450
- Final invoice, 2026-10-05, due 2026-10-191,050
- Deposit invoice, made on 2026-09-22
- 30% of 1,500 = USD 450, as one line "Deposit, 30% of quotation Q-0142".
- Final invoice, made on 2026-10-05
- QuoteBill dates it 2026-10-05 and starts the due date at 2026-11-04; change it to 2026-10-19, the agreed 14 days.
- Final invoice amount
- 1,500 − 450 = USD 1,050, as one line that names the deposit invoice.
- Check
- 450 + 1,050 = USD 1,500, the accepted quotation, with no stage billed twice.
Doing it in QuoteBill, step by step
Sign in and open the quotation from your workspace. If it is only a device draft, use "Save to cloud" and confirm a recognizable document name. QuoteBill asks for the name only this first time; after that, a document in your cloud saves itself a moment after you stop typing. The line under the toolbar says where it is kept: "Draft saved on this device" describes browser storage, and "Saved to cloud" means your account holds the latest version.
Choose "Make an invoice". The new invoice draft opens with a new number and draft status, named after the customer, for example "Invoice · Hanbit Design", so your workspace tells it apart from the quotation; if the quotation is in your cloud, the editor offers to save the invoice there too. For a milestone, revise the lines and notes; making the invoice does not deduct deposits or decide what remains payable.
Review the preview, choose "Print / PDF" and save a PDF from your browser print dialog. If your company name is still empty, QuoteBill asks before printing, so the PDF does not go out without a sender by accident.
Return to the original or import into an existing invoice
The linked invoice offers "Open original quotation". When the source is available, this opens it without undoing or deleting the invoice. If the source cannot be found, the editor makes a new quotation draft from the invoice and says so; do not mistake that copy for the accepted original.
An existing invoice also offers "Import quotation" in its "More" menu, for quotations saved to your account. This replaces selected invoice fields, including customer, lines, notes, terms, and tax settings. It is a separate workflow: review the invoice dates, number, and other details afterward.
Check before you send the invoice
Lay the invoice beside the accepted quotation and your earlier invoices for the same job:
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Questions people ask
Can I change the title of the quote to “Invoice” and send it again?
No. The quote is the record of the offer the customer accepted, and an invoice needs its own number and date in your invoice series. Make a separate invoice.
Does the invoice have to match the quote exactly?
It should match what was agreed for the work you are billing now. If the scope or price changed, keep the approval and bill the new amount with a line or note that explains it.
Which date goes on an invoice made from a quote?
The day you issue the invoice, not the quotation date. Some tax systems also ask for the date or period of the supply; check the rules where you are taxed.
Is an accepted quote a binding contract?
That depends on its wording and on the law that applies, so this guide cannot decide it for you. Keep the accepted version and the record of acceptance.
Sample contracts, forms and tools
Sources
Next step: get it signed as an e-contract
536 Free Invoice, Quote & Receipt Templates
Free quotation generator
Download the quotation as Excel or Word with the formulas working (free for QuoteBill members), or edit it online and turn an accepted quote into an invoice.
Free invoice generator
Download the invoice as Excel or Word with working formulas (free for QuoteBill members), or edit it online with your logo and tax settings and save a PDF.
Web design quotation
Build a web design quotation with wireframes, responsive pages and design handoff. Define scope and revisions before turning approved work into an invoice.
Proforma invoice template
Free proforma invoice template: goods, prices, delivery terms and a valid-until date for prepayment or an import licence. Printed as "not a tax invoice".