> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.menaia.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Generate a Proposal from an Estimate

> Turn a finished estimate into a polished, client-ready proposal you can personalize and send — straight from the breakdown.

A **proposal** is the customer-facing version of an estimate. It takes the work you priced in the Calculator and presents it as a clean, branded document the customer can read, review, and sign online. You start it from the estimate's breakdown and then personalize it before sending.

<Note>
  Proposals are available when they're turned on for your branch. If you don't see the **Generate Proposal** button, your branch isn't set up for proposals yet — check with your manager.
</Note>

## Before you start

You generate a proposal from a finished estimate. Build and save the estimate in the Calculator first, all the way to the **Overall Job Breakdown** step. The proposal pulls its services, prices, photos, and branding directly from that breakdown, so the more complete the estimate, the better the proposal looks.

<Tip>
  You don't have to mark the estimate **Sold** to create a proposal. In fact, the proposal is usually what gets the customer to say yes — you send it, they sign, and then you mark the estimate Sold.
</Tip>

<Note>
  An estimate created with the **From Scratch** option skips this step. It opens directly on its proposal, where you add the line items yourself — see [Create an estimate from scratch](/guides/estimates/create-from-scratch).
</Note>

## Generate the proposal

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the estimate's breakdown">
    Open the estimate in the Calculator and go to the final **Overall Job Breakdown** step. This is the complete, itemized summary with the calculated total.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Generate Proposal">
    On the breakdown, press **Generate Proposal**. Menaia builds the proposal from the estimate and opens it for you.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Land on the Proposal Preview">
    You're taken to the **Proposal Preview** — the editable, customer-facing layout of the proposal. This is where you personalize it before sending.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  The **Generate Proposal** button only appears the first time. Once a proposal exists for that estimate, the button becomes **View Proposal**, so you can reopen the proposal any time instead of creating a duplicate.
</Note>

## What's on the Proposal Preview

The preview is the proposal as the customer will see it, with a few editable areas just for you. From top to bottom you'll find:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Header and branding">
    Your company logo and details, plus a **Sent Date** once the proposal has been sent. At the top of the page, a status badge reflects the underlying estimate's state.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="To / From">
    The **To** block shows the customer and the job address. The **From** block shows the salesperson whose name and contact details appear on the proposal — you can change who that is from a dropdown here.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Notes to Client">
    A personal message to the customer. It starts empty — add one to make the proposal feel tailored. (See **Edit the note and price display**.)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="About, reviews, and media">
    Your company's "about" section, customer reviews for your branch, and any photos or videos you attach to the proposal or to individual line items.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Project Allowances">
    An optional section for custom terms, allowances, or notes about the work. It starts empty — add one when you want to spell out something specific for the customer. (See **Edit the note and price display**.)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Service Breakdown">
    The itemized list of work, grouped by work area. You control whether unit and total prices are shown to the customer here.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Price Summary">
    Subtotal, any discount, taxes, total, required deposit, an optional **Payment Schedule** (when it's turned on for your branch), and the payment options the customer can choose from (including financing, when offered).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Set who the proposal is from

In the **From** block, use the salesperson dropdown to choose whose name, phone, and contact details appear on the proposal. It defaults to the person who created the estimate, which is usually exactly right — change it only if someone else should be the customer's point of contact.

## Attach photos and videos

To make the proposal more convincing, you can add media:

* **Proposal-level media** — photos or videos for the job as a whole.
* **Line-item media** — attach photos or videos to a specific service so the customer can see exactly what that work involves. Look for **Attach photos or videos for this line item** under each item, then **Upload Media**.

<Tip>
  Media you add here only shows on the proposal — it doesn't change the estimate's pricing.
</Tip>

## Set up a payment schedule

<Frame caption="Video: How to Set Up a Payment Schedule (1:50)">
  <iframe className="w-full aspect-video rounded-xl" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/uv7m4FiS0Jg" title="How to Set Up a Payment Schedule" frameBorder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerPolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowFullScreen />
</Frame>

When payment schedules are turned on for your branch, the **Price Summary** includes a **Payment Schedule** section, just below **Required Deposit**. A payment schedule breaks the total into named payments — for example a deposit, a progress payment, and a final payment — so the customer can see exactly what they'll pay and when.

<Note>
  If you don't see a Payment Schedule section, it isn't turned on for your branch yet — check with your manager.
</Note>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the editor">
    In the Payment Schedule section, click **Add Payment Schedule** (or the **pencil** icon if a schedule already exists). The **Payment schedule** editor opens, showing the proposal's total price at the top. If your branch requires a deposit, the schedule may already include a **Project Deposit** payment based on your branch's deposit settings.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a payment">
    Click **Add Payment** and give it a name (for example, *Deposit* or *Final Payment*). Enter its amount, then use the **\$ / %** toggle to choose whether that amount is a fixed dollar figure or a percentage of the total. A percentage can't be more than 100.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Attach line items (optional)">
    Use **+ Add Items** on a payment to tie specific services from the Service Breakdown to it, so the customer can see what each payment covers.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Balance the schedule">
    As you edit, a running total shows how much of the proposal is scheduled, with a progress bar. When the payments match the total, you'll see a **Fully Scheduled** badge; if they add up to more than the total, you'll see how much you're **over** and won't be able to save until you bring it back down.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click **Save schedule**. The schedule appears in the Price Summary and travels with the proposal to the customer. If you remove every payment, the button becomes **Remove schedule**. Click **Cancel** to discard your changes.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  If you change the proposal's pricing or line items after building a schedule, the Payment Schedule section shows a reminder to review and update it, so the payments stay in sync with the latest total.
</Note>

<Tip>
  When it's time to bill a payment, create its invoice from the project's **Invoices** tab — see [Invoice a scheduled payment](/guides/billing/create-an-invoice#invoice-a-scheduled-payment).
</Tip>

## Save your work

Your personalization is saved as you go, and you can press **Save as Draft** at any time to keep the proposal as a draft without sending it. A draft is fully editable and the customer can't see it yet.

## What's next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Personalize the note and prices" icon="pen-line" href="/guides/proposals/edit-notes-price-display">
    Add a message to the customer and choose how prices are displayed.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Send the proposal" icon="paper-plane" href="/guides/proposals/send">
    Email the proposal to your customer with a secure link to review and sign.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>