Accepted quotes as QuickBooks Online estimates
Some jobs aren't invoiced in one go. For those, a Zap turns the signed QuoteCloud proposal into an accepted estimate in QuickBooks Online, with the lines the client signed for, so you invoice each stage from it the way you already do.
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- Building QuoteCloud since 2013
Build a Zap with QuoteCloud's Zapier app, on Essentials and up. QuoteCloud's Document Signing Complete trigger starts it with the signed line items. QuickBooks Online's Find or Create Customer finds the customer, and Create Estimate creates the estimate with those lines and its status set to accepted. Then invoice each stage from the estimate in QuickBooks.
Last reviewed by the QuoteCloud team
Two overlapping panels with sample data. Behind, Larkspur Garden Co.'s courtyard and terrace garden proposal LG-2431 for Priya and Sam Raman, priced in three stages with the terrace lighting they ticked: $23,795.20 including tax. In front, an illustration of the QuickBooks estimate LG-2431 a Zap created from it, accepted by Priya and Sam Raman on Friday 23 October, same total.
Why an estimate, not an invoice?
Larkspur Garden Co. builds gardens in stages: design, then hardscape, then planting. Noah Field quotes the whole job in QuoteCloud, where Priya and Sam Raman ticked the terrace lighting and signed on Friday evening, paying a 25% deposit.
Larkspur doesn't invoice the whole $23,795.20 on day one. It invoices each stage as it's finished, from an accepted estimate in QuickBooks Online. The Zap creates that estimate with exactly what the Ramans signed for, so nobody re-enters twelve lines.
- The estimate number is the QuoteCloud reference, LG-2431, so both teams talk about the same job.
- The fire pit and privacy screen the Ramans didn't tick aren't on the estimate.
- The deposit paid in QuoteCloud can be recorded too: payments and receipts.
How do I turn a signed proposal into an accepted QuickBooks estimate?
Three steps, one Zap. Every name is the exact event you pick in Zapier.
ZapSigning complete: accepted estimate
-
When
QuoteCloudTriggerDocument Signing CompleteFires once every signer has signed, with the line items, totals and signers.Passes on
- Signer email
- Prepared for
- Document reference
- Line items
-
Then
QuickBooks OnlineSearchFind or Create CustomerSearches on the signer's email.Searches on
- Search Field: Email
- Search Value
- Full Name
-
Then
QuickBooks OnlineActionCreate EstimateLine item support: one estimate line per signed line.Mapped in
- Customer
- Number: the reference
- Line description, quantity, rate
- Transaction Status: Accepted
- Private Note
-
Or
SlackAction · optionalSend Channel MessageTell the crew lead the job is on.Mapped in
- Channel
- Message
The same job can be built in Make, bring your own: Make's built-in OAuth connection to QuoteCloud reads the signed document through QuoteCloud's API, and Make's own QuickBooks modules create the estimate.
Priya and Sam Raman sign LG-2431 on Friday at 8:15 pm. At 8:16 QuickBooks has estimate LG-2431, accepted, with twelve lines and $23,795.20 including tax. On Monday the stage 1 design invoice comes straight from it.
Result
Every signed staged job is an accepted estimate in QuickBooks, ready to invoice stage by stage, with nothing retyped.
QuoteCloud's Zapier app: Essentials and up
Staged garden design proposalsSigned in QuoteCloud, accepted in QuickBooks
The stages the Ramans signed for, and the estimate the Zap created from them.
Accept, sign and pay
2 of 2 signed
- Priya RamanClient SignedFri 23 Oct 2026
- Sam RamanClient SignedFri 23 Oct 2026
Deposit to book the build (25%)
$5,948.80
Paid via StripePay with card or PayPal
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Activity
- Proposal openedPriya Raman · Wed 21 Oct
- Terrace lighting added+$1,628.00 incl. tax
- Signed by Priya and SamFri 23 Oct, 8:15 pm · 2 of 2
- Deposit paid$5,948.80 through Stripe
Zap
- Document Signing Complete
- Find or Create Customer
- Create Estimate
Estimate · No. LG-2431Priya & Sam Ramanpriya.raman@example.com
AcceptedCustomer found by a Zap Status set by a Zap
| Product/service | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concept & detailed designDS-CONCEPT · Stage 1 | 1 | $1,450.00 | $1,450.00 |
| Planting plan & scheduleDS-PLANT · Stage 1 | 1 | $380.00 | $380.00 |
| Site clearingHS-CLEAR · Stage 2 | 1 | $1,280.00 | $1,280.00 |
| Spotted gum terrace, m²HS-DECK-SG · Stage 2 | 22 | $360.00 | $7,920.00 |
| Sandstone steppersHS-STEP-600 · Stage 2 | 14 | $95.00 | $1,330.00 |
| Sleeper retaining wall, lmHS-WALL-SLP · Stage 2 | 9 | $280.00 | $2,520.00 |
| Layered planting, 200 mmPL-200 · Stage 3 | 46 | $32.00 | $1,472.00 |
| Crepe myrtle, 45 LPL-CM45 · Stage 3 | 2 | $260.00 | $520.00 |
| Buffalo turf, m²TF-BUF · Stage 3 | 48 | $26.00 | $1,248.00 |
| Drip irrigation, 2 zonesIR-DRIP2 · Stage 3 | 1 | $1,640.00 | $1,640.00 |
| Mulch, forest blend, m³MU-FOREST · Stage 3 | 4 | $98.00 | $392.00 |
| Terrace & path lightingLT-PATH6 · Extra, ticked by the client | 1 | $1,480.00 | $1,480.00 |
Lines added by a Zap from the signed quote
- Subtotal
- $21,632.00
- Tax
- $2,163.20
- Total
- $23,795.20
Illustration with sample data: a generic accounting record, not QuickBooks Online’s screen.
The estimate is our illustration of a generic accounting record with sample data, not QuickBooks Online's screen. Every business here is fictional.
Field map for the estimate Zap
| QuickBooks Online: QuickBooks Online field | Direction | QuoteCloud: QuoteCloud field | Goes into | Example (sample data) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search Value (Find or Create Customer) | QuoteCloud to QuickBooks Online | Signer email | Search value | priya.raman@example.com |
|
| Customer (Create Estimate) | QuoteCloud to QuickBooks Online | ID from Find or Create Customer | Estimate field | 204 |
|
| Estimate number | QuoteCloud to QuickBooks Online | Document reference | Estimate field | LG-2431 |
QuickBooks allows up to 21 characters. |
| Line description · Line Item Quantity · Rate | QuoteCloud to QuickBooks Online | Line items: label, quantity, price | Estimate field | Spotted gum terrace · 22 · $360.00 |
|
| Transaction Status | QuoteCloud to QuickBooks Online | Fixed value | Estimate field | Accepted |
Check the choices your Zap shows. |
| Private Note | QuoteCloud to QuickBooks Online | Fixed text + reference + deposit | Estimate field | Signed in QuoteCloud · deposit $5,948.80 paid |
All values are sample data.
Variations on this recipe
A pending estimate when the quote goes out
Run a first Zap on Document Status Changed (sent) to create the estimate as pending; on signing, Find Estimate on its number and Update Estimate with Accepted By and Accepted Date.
Lost quotes close the estimate
If you create estimates when quotes go out, a Document Lost Zap can find the estimate and update its Transaction Status, so the open estimates list stays honest.
One invoice instead
If the job is billed in one go, use Create Invoice: signed quotes to invoices.
Build it in Make instead
Bring your own: Make's built-in OAuth connection to QuoteCloud and QuoteCloud's API or Zapier endpoints, beside Make's own QuickBooks modules. No ready-made QuoteCloud app on Make.
Quote the whole job, invoice it in stages
QuoteCloud's Zapier app is on the Essentials plan and up. Start a free 14-day trial and build the estimate Zap with a test customer.
Build the estimate Zap in four steps
Start with Document Signing Complete
Choose QuoteCloud's Document Signing Complete trigger and load a fully signed test proposal as test data.
Find or create the customer
Add QuickBooks Online's Find or Create Customer, searching on the signer's email.
Create the estimate
Add Create Estimate: the customer, the reference as its number, each signed line, Transaction Status set to accepted and a private note.
Test, then turn it on
Sign a test proposal sent to @example.com signers, compare the estimate's total with the proposal's, then switch the Zap on.
Questions about estimates
Can a signed QuoteCloud proposal become a QuickBooks estimate?
Yes, with a Zap. QuoteCloud's Document Signing Complete trigger starts it with the signed line items. QuickBooks Online's Find or Create Customer finds the customer, and Create Estimate creates the estimate with those lines; set its Transaction Status to accepted, since the client has already signed.
Should I create an estimate or an invoice?
It depends on how you bill. If the job is billed in one go, create the invoice on signing. If you bill in stages or progress claims, create an accepted estimate and invoice each stage from it in QuickBooks, as Larkspur Garden Co. does.
Can the estimate be created when the quote is sent, before it's signed?
Yes, with two Zaps. One runs on Document Status Changed when the quote is sent and creates a pending estimate; a second runs on Document Signing Complete, finds the estimate with Find Estimate and marks it accepted with Update Estimate. Most teams only need the estimate once it's signed.
Does the estimate Zap carry a QuoteCloud document fee?
No. It reads a signed document and creates a QuickBooks estimate; it doesn't create a QuoteCloud document. The per-document fee of US$2.00, $1.80 or $1.60 by volume is for documents created through Zapier or the API. The Zapier app is on Essentials and up.
More on QuoteCloud and QuickBooks Online
Five use cases with the exact Zapier steps, then how to connect, test and what it costs.
- Turn signed quotes into QuickBooks invoicesWhen every signer has signed, a Zap finds the customer and creates the QuickBooks invoice, with the signed PDF attached.
- Record QuoteCloud payments in QuickBooksDeposits paid in QuoteCloud become payments on the invoice; jobs paid in full become sales receipts.
- Keep QuickBooks customers and QuoteCloud contacts matchedNew QuoteCloud contacts found or created as QuickBooks customers, and new customers added to QuoteCloud.
- QuickBooks Products and Services and the QuoteCloud product libraryAdd new QuickBooks items to the QuoteCloud product library by SKU, and know where the two lists differ.
- Connect QuickBooks Online to QuoteCloud, step by stepCheck the plans, connect QuoteCloud and QuickBooks Online in Zapier, build the invoice Zap and test it.
- QuoteCloud to QuickBooks Online field mapEvery field the QuickBooks Zaps on this site pass, which way it travels and a sample value.
- Test and troubleshoot the QuickBooks ZapsTest with a sample customer, then fix the usual problems: duplicate customers, tax that doesn't match, no invoice found.
- What QuoteCloud with QuickBooks Online can and can't doWhat the Zaps do, where they stop, Zapier or Make, and what we haven't confirmed yet.
- What the QuickBooks Online connection costsEssentials and up for Zapier. None of the recipes here creates a QuoteCloud document, so none carries the per-document fee.
- FAQAnswers to the questions bookkeepers and owners ask before connecting QuoteCloud and QuickBooks Online.
Signed in full. Invoiced in stages.
Start a free 14-day trial and turn every signed staged proposal into an accepted QuickBooks Online estimate with one Zap.