Creating a progress invoice

Progress invoicing is invoicing from an estimate in stages instead of for the full billing. When you turn on progress invoicing, you can create an invoice for part of an estimate. QuickBooks gives you the choice of invoicing either for a fixed percentage of the entire estimate, or for different percentages of each line item on the estimate. You can also show on the invoice how much of the estimate you have previously billed to the customer.

Before you create a progress invoice for a job, you must do two things:

• Make sure the Progress Invoicing preference is set

• Create an estimate for the job using items

To create a progress invoice

1. From the Customers menu, choose Create Invoices .

2. Select the job from the Customer:Job drop-down list.

   Since you have created one or more estimates for the job, QuickBooks displays a window for you to select the estimate you want to create a progress invoice against.

3. Select the estimate and click OK.

4. When the "Create Progress Invoice Based On Estimate" window appears, select how you want to create the invoice.

   Make your selection based on the type of contract you have with the customer, and click OK.

   Use the Help button on this window if you need more information about your options.

5. If the "Specify Invoice Amounts for Items on Estimate" window appears, enter the amount, percentage, quantity, and/or rate due for each item you want to appear on the invoice, and click OK

   Use the Help button on this window for more information.

6. Choose Preview from the Print menu in the Create Invoices window to see how the invoice will look when it is printed. The printed version of an invoice looks different than the screen version.

7. Click Print to print the invoice.

8. When you're satisfied that the invoice is correct, click Save & Close. The invoice will automatically be added to Accounts Receivable.