---
title: "Change an estimate's status"
description: "Three statuses: Preliminary, Completed, Cancelled. Set status from the status pill in the top-right of the estimate. Cancelling is reversible — Delete (kebab) is permanent."
group: "estimates"
lane: "how-to"
status: "published"
publishedAt: 2026-05-15
sidebarOrder: 140
tags: ["status", "workflow", "how-to"]
relatedSlugs:
  - "estimates/lock-unlock"
  - "estimates/delete-estimate"
  - "reference/status-icons"
  - "reference/filters-and-urls"
sidebarLabel: "Change status"
---

Every Wave estimate has one of three statuses. The **status pill** (top-right of the estimate) is also the way you change it.

## The three statuses

- **Preliminary** — work in progress. The default when you create a new estimate.
- **Completed** — finalized and delivered to the customer or carrier.
- **Cancelled** — no longer pursuing this job. Hidden from the default filter but retained.

These match the filter tabs on **All Estimates** (see [Find and filter estimates](/docs/reference/filters-and-urls)).

## How to change status

1. Click the **status pill** in the top-right of the estimate.
2. Pick the new status from the dropdown: **Preliminary**, **Completed**, **Cancelled**.
3. The pill flashes *"Updating…"* briefly while the change saves asynchronously.
4. The pill settles into the new state — e.g., a red `⊘ Cancelled` after selecting Cancelled.
5. The breadcrumb suffix updates to match: `<Customer Name> - Cancelled`.
6. The top-nav tab counters update atomically — the previous status decrements, the new tab increments.

## Cancelled (British) vs. Canceled (American)

> Wave uses **"Cancelled"** (British, double-L) in the status pill, the dropdown option, and the breadcrumb suffix. The **top-nav tab label** is the only place it shows as **"Canceled"** (American, single-L). The URL filter is British: `?filter=cancelled`.
>
> **It's a real, app-wide inconsistency.** If you're hunting in docs or scripting against URLs, use the British spelling (`cancelled`) everywhere except when matching the literal top-nav tab text.

See [Find and filter estimates](/docs/reference/filters-and-urls) for the full filter / URL details.

## Cancelling doesn't lock the estimate

Setting an estimate to **Cancelled** moves it to the Cancelled filter, but the estimate stays **fully editable** — you can still open it, edit fields, change line items, even change the status back. If you want a "do not touch" signal for the team, use [Lock](/docs/estimates/lock-unlock) instead (or in addition).

## Reverse a Cancelled status

Pick a different status from the pill. The estimate flips back, the breadcrumb updates, the tab counts re-balance. Nothing is lost.

## Permanently delete an estimate

If you want the estimate **gone** — not just Cancelled — open the **breadcrumb kebab** (top-right of the workspace) and choose **Delete**. That opens a confirmation modal and, on confirm, **hard-deletes** the estimate. See [Delete an estimate](/docs/estimates/delete-estimate) for the full flow.

## When to use which

- **Preliminary** — until you've delivered the PDF or scope to the customer/carrier
- **Completed** — once delivered. Marks the estimate as "shipped" for your records and your team.
- **Cancelled** — when the customer goes another direction or the job doesn't move forward. Reversible.
- **Delete (kebab)** — for accidental estimates, test data, and obvious duplicates. **Not reversible** — no undo, no trash.

## Related

- [Lock / unlock an estimate](/docs/estimates/lock-unlock) — soft "don't touch" signal, separate from status
- [Delete an estimate](/docs/estimates/delete-estimate) — permanent, separate from Cancelled
- [Status icons](/docs/reference/status-icons) — list-view visual treatment for each status
- [Find and filter estimates](/docs/reference/filters-and-urls) — how status drives the list view + the spelling quirk