---
title: How to Create An Estimate
description: This article walks through the necessary steps for creating an estimate in the Tough Commerce dashboard.
---

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# How to Create An Estimate

## This article walks through the necessary steps for creating an estimate in the Tough Commerce dashboard.

Estimates, also called quotes, give a customer a detailed breakdown of the services, pricing and timing before the order is finalized. They're perfect for situations where:

- A customer requests a formal quote before committing
- The exact scope or timing of the job hasn't been confirmed yet
- You want internal teams to review a potential order before it goes live

### **Benefits:**

- Gives customers clarity and confidence before booking
- Helps reduce errors and last-minute order changes
- Supports better communication between teams and customers
- Shows you when an estimate was delivered and viewed, so you know when to follow up

### **How to Create an Estimate**

1. In the left-hand menu, hover over **Dispatch** and select **Estimates**.
2. Click the **New Estimate** button in the top-right corner. The **Create an Estimate** toggle is already switched on.
3. Fill in the required estimate details, such as customer, delivery address, product, quantity, and delivery date and time. 
     - Refer to [How to Create a New Order](https://support.toughcommerce.com/how-to-create-a-new-order?hsLang=en) for a full walkthrough of the form fields.
4. Review the **Estimate summary** at the bottom of the form, then click **Add estimate**.

The estimate opens with a status of **Pending**. It's then automatically emailed to the customer as a PDF, and its status changes to **Sent**.

You can still create an estimate from the Orders page: click **New Order**, then switch on the **Create an Estimate** toggle in the upper-right corner.

Finding Your Estimates

All of your estimates live on their own page. To get there, hover over **Dispatch** in the left-hand menu and select **Estimates**.

The Estimates table shows:

| Column | What it shows |
| --- | --- |
| **Invoice ID** | The estimate number. Click it to open the full estimate. |
| **Customer** | The customer company and contact |
| **Address** | The delivery address |
| **Estimate Total** | The total price of the estimate |
| **Delivery Date** | The delivery date entered on the estimate |
| **Estimate Status** | Where the estimate is in the delivery process (see below) |

To narrow down the list:

- **Search:** Type an invoice ID in the search bar to find a specific estimate.
- **Date range:** Use the date selector and arrows next to **Filters** to change the week shown.
- **Filters:** Click **Filters** to filter by status, customer, location or project, or to show test orders.

### **Estimate Statuses**

An estimate's status updates automatically as it's emailed and opened by the customer.

| Status | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| **Pending** | The estimate has been created but not yet sent. |
| **Sent** | The estimate has been emailed to the customer. |
| **Not** **Delivered** | The email couldn't be delivered. Check the email address and re-send. |
| **Viewed** | The customer has opened the estimate. |
| **Declined** | The estimate was marked as declined. |

Once an estimate is accepted, it becomes an order and no longer appears on the Estimates page.

Managing an Estimate

Each row in the Estimates table has action icons on the right for accepting, re-sending or declining the estimate, plus a **⋮** menu with more options.

To make changes to the estimate itself, such as customer info, pricing or delivery times, click its **Invoice ID** to open it. You can edit it just like a regular order.

### Accept an Estimate

1. Click the **Accept** icon (check mark) on the estimate's row.
2. Choose a delivery **Date** and **Time**.
3. Leave **Re-calculate fees** checked to update any fees based on the new delivery time. The fee changes and new **Total Order Price** are shown in the window.
4. Click **Accept**.

The estimate becomes a regular order with a status of **Incoming**. It's removed from the Estimates page and now appears on the Orders page.

### Re-send an Estimate

1. Click the **Re-send** icon (paper airplane) on the estimate's row.
2. In the **Emails** field, keep the existing address or remove it, and type in any new email addresses.
3. Click **Re-send**.

The estimate PDF is emailed to the addresses you entered, and the status updates to **Sent**.

### Decline an Estimate

1. Click the **Decline** icon (circled X) on the estimate's row.
2. Click **Decline** to confirm.

The estimate is marked as **Declined**. To recreate a declined estimate later, use **Clone Estimate**.

### More Options

Click the **⋮** menu on the estimate's row to:

- **Download Estimate (PDF):** Save a copy of the estimate PDF.
- **Estimate History:** See the estimate's full status and email history (see below).
- **Clone Estimate:** Create a new estimate based on this one.

Viewing Estimate History

Estimate History shows every status change and email for an estimate, so you can see when it was sent, who it went to and whether the customer received or opened it.

To open it, click the **⋮** menu on the estimate's row and select **Estimate History**. A panel opens on the right side of the page.

The top of the panel shows the invoice ID, total, delivery date and time, and current status. Below that, events are listed with the newest first:

- **Status changes:** The previous and new status, who made the change, and when. For example, Pending → Sent.
- **Emails:** The recipient email addresses, delivery result, and the time the email was sent.
- **Estimate details:** The original estimate, including delivery time, delivery address, plant, product, quantity and fees.

Tips for Managing Estimates

- **Follow up on Viewed estimates.** A Viewed status means the customer has opened the estimate, which makes it a good time to check in.
- **Fix Not Delivered estimates quickly.** Check the address in Estimate History, then use **Re-send** with a corrected or additional email.
- **Find declined estimates.** Click **Filters**, then select **Declined** under Status.
- **Download or re-send from one place.** Downloading and re-sending estimates now happens on the Estimates page, not in the Portal.

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