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Tax: Indicating the tax rate applied to the cost of the goods or services provided is legally required on estimates.The line items also require a quantity so the customer knows how many goods or services they are being billed for, the price of the line item and tax rate applied to it, and the amount the line item costs. Line Item: Each line item on an invoice should have a name for the goods or services provided, along with a description of those goods and services.
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The "valid until" date is the date until which the estimate is valid and is the last date for signing the contract at the quoted cost. Valid Until Date: Businesses providing an estimate for services generally state a time to sign the contract.This helps you keep track of when you've received payment for goods or services you've provided to customers. Estimate Date: The receipt date indicates when payment for goods and services was received.Invoice numbers can be formatted in different ways such as file numbers, billing codes or date-based purchase order numbers. Estimate Number: Every invoice has a unique identifier in the form of an invoice number, which helps you keep track of multiple invoices.Entering your customer's information ensures you'll send the estimate to the right person, and it helps to avoid misplacing or mixing up estimates. You Customer's Name & Address: It's also important to indicate who is receiving the estimate.Your Company's Name & Address: The name and address of your company is usually displayed at the top of an estimate in order to indicate the company that is providing the estimate for services rendered.Description: A description helps your customer understand the nature of the goods and services that the estimate is for.This helps prevent getting invoices mixed up with estimates, and the document isn't legally binding without a proper title. Title: In order to avoid confusion, it's important that your estimate is titled properly and clearly states "estimate".
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There are 11 elements of an estimate that you should be aware of, some of which are necessary while others can be used for customization.
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