If you've told QuickBooks that you want to create job estimates -- you do this during QuickBooks setup -- you can create job estimates of amounts that you'll later invoice to customers.

To create a job estimate, choose the Customers, Create Estimates command. QuickBooks displays the Create Estimates window, which mirrors the Create Invoices window. Just fill out this window as you would the Create Invoices window, which makes sense since an estimate is just an example or guess at the future invoice for a job. Predictably, you need to collect and supply the same information, and you fill in the fields in the same way.

If you didn't originally turn on Estimates when you set up QuickBooks, you can do so after the fact. Choose the Edit, Preferences command, click the Jobs & Estimates icon, click the Company Preferences tab, and then select the Yes radio button next to Do You Create Estimates? You may also want to select the Yes radio button next to Do You Do Progress Invoicing?