National Estimator Quick Start | Estimating with National Estimator

Subtotals Become QuickBooks Cost Categories

It's considered good estimating practice to insert a subtotal and the end of each section in your estimate. For a general contractor, estimate sections might be Demolition, Excavation, Foundation, Framing, etc. Estimate sections for an insurance repair contractor might include Kitchen, Bathroom or Living Room. Section subtotals organize your estimates and make them easier to read understand. Insert section subtotals wherever they make the most sense to you. These subtotals become cost categories when printing bids and invoices. They also become cost category names when exporting to QuickBooks.

Insert subtotal

To insert a subtotal:

1. Click on the last cost line of the section (or on any line below the section).
2. Click on the (Subtotal) button on the toolbar (or on Edit and Insert Subtotal).
3. Type a name or description for the section (such as “Slab”).
4. Press .

Adding Tax
To include sales tax in your estimate:

1. Click on Edit.
2. Click on Tax Rates.
3. Type the tax rate in the appropriate box.
4. Press to advance to the next box.
5. Press or click on OK when done.

In this case, the tax rate is 7.25% on materials only. Tax will appear at the end of the estimate.

Type in the tax rate that applies

Adding Overhead and Profit
Set markup percentages in the Add for Overhead & Profit dialog box. To open the box, either:

• Click on the (Markup) button on the toolbar, -or-
• Click on Edit on the menu bar. Then click on Markup.

Type the percentages you want to add for overhead. For this estimate:

1. Type 15 on the Overhead line.
2. Press twice to advance to Contingency.
3. Type 5 on the Contingency line.
4. Press twice to advance to Profit.
5. Type 10% on the Profit line.
6. Press .

Adding overhead and profit.

Markup percentages can be changed at any time. Just reopen the Set Markup Amounts dialog box and type the correct figure.

Preview Your Estimate
You can display an estimate on screen just the way it will look when printed on paper. To preview your estimate, either:

• Click on the (Print Preview) button on the toolbar, -or-
• Click on File on the menu bar. Then click on Print Preview.

A preview of Estimate One

In print preview:

• Click on Next Page or Prev Page to turn pages.
• Click on Two Page to see two estimate pages side by side.
• Click on Zoom In to get a closer look.
• Click on Close when you’ve seen enough.

Use buttons in Print Preview to see your estimate as it will look when printed.