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Guide · Estimates

How to send an estimate or invoice by text

Customers answer texts faster than email. Here is how to send a price by text so it looks professional and gets a yes.

Published November 4, 2026 · by Settle

Quick answer

Send a short message with the total, one line about the job, and either a PDF or a link the customer can open on their phone. Ask for a reply or a tap to approve, so the yes is in writing. Send it before you leave the driveway if you can: the estimate that shows up first is usually the one that gets read. If you follow up, do it once, two or three days later, and give them something easy to answer.

PDF or link?

  • A PDF works on any phone and is easy to forward to a spouse or a landlord. It's a picture of the price, though: the customer still has to text you back to say yes, and you won't know if they opened it.
  • A link opens a page with the estimate. A good one lets the customer tap Approve (so the yes is recorded with a name and time) and tells you when they looked at it; an invoice link lets them pay by card or bank.
  • Both is best: the link to approve or pay, the PDF attached for their records.

What to write in the text

Keep the message itself to three lines. The details belong in the estimate, not in the text.

Hi Dana, it's Mike from Ridgeline Plumbing. Here's the estimate for the water heater swap: $1,840, good for 30 days. You can approve it right from the link. Thanks! [link]

  • Say who you are. They may not have saved your number.
  • Give the total in the text. People open the message to see the number. Make them hunt and they put it off.
  • Say how long the price is good for. It's a quiet reason to decide this week.
  • Tell them the next step. "Approve it from the link" or "reply YES and I'll get you on the schedule."

How to send it from an iPhone

  1. Save the estimate as a PDF (Files, or Share → Save to Files from whatever app you wrote it in).
  2. Open Messages, start a text to the customer, tap the plus button, and attach the PDF from Files.
  3. Type the three-line message above, paste the link if you have one, and send.
  4. Screenshot or save the customer's reply. If they approve by text, that thread is your record.

Settle does all four in one step: describe the job out loud, check the estimate, tap Send, and it opens Messages with the text written, the link filled in and the PDF attached, from your own number. Your customer taps Approve on the link and you see "Approved" with their name and the time.

Following up

One follow-up, two or three days later, is normal and most customers appreciate it. Make it easy to answer: "Hi Dana, just checking you got the estimate for the water heater. Any questions on it?" If you can see they opened it, you know they're thinking about it. If they didn't, the first message may have been buried, and a second one is doing them a favor.

Is a text estimate legally binding?

A text can be a written record of an agreement, but many states set rules for what a home improvement contract must include (license number, payment schedule, cancellation rights, and more) before work starts. Use the text to get the yes quickly, and make sure the estimate or contract it points to has what your state requires. This is not legal advice; your state contractor board lists the requirements.

Can I send an estimate by text instead of email?

Yes. Many customers read texts within minutes and leave emails for later. Send a short message with the total and a PDF or link, and keep email for customers who ask for it.

How do I attach a PDF to a text on iPhone?

In Messages, tap the plus button next to the text field, choose Files (or More, then Files), and pick the PDF. It sends as an attachment the customer can open and save.

How do I get a customer to approve an estimate by text?

Either ask them to reply YES and keep that thread, or send a link to an estimate page with an Approve button, which records who approved and when. Settle's estimate links work that way.

Should I follow up on an estimate?

Once, two or three days later, with a question that's easy to answer. More than that starts to feel like pressure.

Keep reading

Text your next estimate from the driveway.

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iPhone, iOS 17 or later. Questions? Text Nina: (818) 945-9686