ESTIMATE TO INVOICE TO CONTRACT

§ ESTIMATES + CONTRACTS5 min READUPDATED 2026-08★ POPULAR

What happens after a customer signs an estimate: the auto-drafted deposit invoice, the signed banner, and one-tap contract generation.

The gap between "they said yes" and "we have a signed contract and a deposit" is where deals stall. Revolve Core closes that gap with a chain: the moment a customer accepts and signs an estimate in the portal, a deposit invoice drafts itself and contract generation is one tap away. This guide walks the whole chain, plus the manual → CONVERT path when you want to turn an estimate into an invoice yourself.

WHERE: CUSTOMERS → open a customer → ESTIMATES/INVOICES tab

§Convert an estimate to an invoice manually

Any estimate can become an invoice directly: tap → CONVERT on the estimate row. Converted estimates show under the CONVERTED filter chip, and the new invoice picks up the invoice actions — $ PAY, 📤 EMAIL with a payment link, ✎ DEPOSIT, and ± CO for change orders.

§The automatic chain: portal signature to contract

  1. 01Your customer opens the estimate in their portal, reviews the full line items and total, and taps Accept & sign — typing their name in a script face or drawing a signature. (Declining requires a reason, so you always know why.)
  2. 02The moment they sign, a deposit invoice auto-drafts at your company’s deposit percent — 30% by default. It is drafted only, never sent automatically.
  3. 03Back in the app, the customer shows an ESTIMATE SIGNED BY … banner with two buttons: ⚖️ GENERATE CONTRACT and ✎ DEPOSIT.
  4. 04Review the deposit invoice, adjust it with ✎ DEPOSIT if the standard percent is wrong for this job, then send it with 📤 EMAIL — the email includes a payment link.
  5. 05Tap ⚖️ GENERATE CONTRACT. AI drafts the contract from the signed estimate, using your company’s standing AI contract language.
  6. 06Review the draft, then send it for signature through the send wizard.
HEADS UP
The deposit invoice is never auto-sent. Until you review it and hit 📤 EMAIL, your customer has signed an estimate but has not been asked for money — do not assume the deposit request went out.
NOTE
The default deposit percent comes from CONTRACT DEFAULTS in company settings, which controls whether a deposit is required at all and what percentage it drafts at — change the 30% there once instead of adjusting every deposit invoice. Signing-link expiry days and warranty years live in the same entry.
NOTE
The contract draft is governed by your standing AI contract language — legal language, required clauses, jurisdiction, and tone — which admins manage under Admin Console → DOCUMENTS → AI contract language. Set that once and every generated contract starts from your terms.

You can also start a contract from an estimate at any time with ⚖️ AI CONTRACT on the estimate row — the portal signature is the trigger for the automatic chain, not a requirement for drafting.

§Related

  • See "Send for signature" for the four-step send wizard.
  • See "What your customer sees when signing" for the signer experience.
  • See "Deposits and change orders" in Invoicing + Payments for deposit mechanics.
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