Taxable line items on estimates

Choose which lines on an estimate are taxed and how the tax rate is set. The rate can be a fixed rate, a US location-based rate, or the rate from QuickBooks Online.

Turn on sales tax

Tax is calculated only when sales tax is turned on for your company.

Note: If Cinderblock is connected to QuickBooks Online, your tax rate comes from QuickBooks Online. Tax method and Tax rate are locked, and the Tax screen explains that tax is managed in QuickBooks Online.

1. Go to Company settings > Services & Materials > Tax.
2. Turn on Sales tax.
3. If you’re not connected to QuickBooks Online, under Tax method, choose how your tax rate is set:
   • Fixed rate: Enter your rate in Tax rate.
   • US location-based: Cinderblock calculates the rate from an address on the estimate. See How US location-based rates are set.
4. In Tax name, enter the label your customers see for tax on the estimate PDF and web link, such as “Sales tax” or “VAT.”
5. Select Update.

How US location-based rates are set

With US location-based, Cinderblock calculates the rate from the first address available, in this order:

1. The job address
2. The customer’s address
3. Your company address

To see which address was used for an estimate, or to change it, open the estimate’s settings. See Change the tax rate on an estimate.

Choose which lines are taxed

Select … next to a line, then select:

• Make taxed to apply tax to the line.
• Make non-taxed to remove tax from the line.

A taxed line shows a T next to its Amount.

Changing a line’s tax setting affects only that line. The item in Services & Materials doesn’t change.

Default tax setting for new lines

Items added from Services & Materials use their saved tax setting. Custom lines start untaxed. Use Make taxed to tax them.

Changing an item’s tax setting in Services & Materials doesn’t change lines already on your estimates.

To choose whether new items you create in Services & Materials are taxed by default, go to Company settings > Services & Materials > Tax. Under Materials and Services, choose Taxed by default or Not taxed by default, then select Update. This sets the starting tax setting for items you create afterward, not for items you add to an estimate.

Change the tax rate on an estimate

1. Open the estimate.
2. Select the settings icon on the right side of the estimate.
3. Enter the rate in Tax.
4. Select Save changes.

To return to the rate from your company settings, select Load default.

With US location-based, the estimate’s settings also show the address used to calculate the rate. You can change the address there.

If Cinderblock is connected to QuickBooks Online, you can’t change the rate on an estimate.

Tax on sent and converted estimates

Changing which lines are taxed, or the tax rate, is an edit to the estimate.

Important: Saving changes to an Accepted estimate changes its status back to Pending. If the customer signed it, their signature is removed and they must sign the updated estimate again.

On a Declined or Canceled estimate with a signature, saving changes to tax settings removes the signature.

Once an estimate is Converted or Partially converted, its tax settings can’t be changed.