Billing clients
Client invoices
Turn the billable time your team tracked for a client into an invoice. You set up clients and rates once. After that, each invoice is a draft you check, then issue with the next number and download as a PDF for your client. Find it under Financial → Client invoices.
Set up once
Three steps. The Client invoices page shows them as a checklist until they are done.
- 1
Add a client
Client invoices → Clients and rates → Add client
The name is all you need. Add the billing email, address and tax ID so they print on the invoice, and pick the client's currency, its usual tax (for example VAT 20%) and payment terms in days.
- 2
Link projects and set hourly rates
Client invoices → Clients and rates → Projects and rates
For each project, choose the client it is billed to and its hourly rate. Open Member rates to charge someone differently on that project; their own rate replaces the project's for their time.
- 3
Fill in your invoice details
Client invoices → Settings
Your address and tax number, how the client should pay you, and the number prefix. They print on every invoice you issue.
Projects must be marked Billable for their time to be invoiced. How billing types work is explained in Billable and non-billable time.
What an invoice bills
A new invoice is for one client and one period. Colabio fills it with one line per member per project.
Only billable time
Time on a project marked Billable, or on a task marked billable inside any project. Non-billable time and time whose billing type is Not set are never invoiced.
On the client's projects
A project counts toward the client it is linked to. Time on a task counts toward the task's project.
Inside the period, by the member's own day
Both days of the period are included. Each entry counts on the calendar day it happened for the member who tracked it, in their own time zone.
At the right rate
The member's own rate on the project if they have one, otherwise the project's rate. A line without either cannot be issued until you set one or leave it off.
Hours are the tracked seconds divided by 3,600, rounded to two decimals; the amount is hours × rate, rounded to the cent. Tax is one line on the subtotal, copied from the client and changeable per invoice.
A worked example
Acme Ltd pays in USD with GST at 10%. Website is billed at $100 an hour, and Alice has her own rate of $120 on it. Mobile has no project rate, and Bob has his own rate of $95 on it.
| Line | Hours | Rate | Amount | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website · Alice | 12.50 | $120.00 | $1,500.00 | her own rate on Website |
| Website · Bob | 8.00 | $100.00 | $800.00 | the project rate |
| Mobile · Bob | 2.00 | $95.00 | $190.00 | his own rate on Mobile |
| Loyalty discount | −$100.00 | a line you add |
- Subtotal
- $2,390.00
- GST (10%)
- $239.00
- Total (USD)
- $2,629.00
Alice also tracked 30 minutes on Mobile, which the client agreed not to pay for. Leaving that line off keeps it out of the totals; her timesheet still shows the time.
Reviewing a draft
A draft is safe to change: nothing is numbered or sent, and no tracked time is touched.
- Refresh
- Rebuilds the time lines from what is tracked now, after time was added or corrected or a rate changed. Lines you left off stay off and your added lines are kept.
- Leave off and Put back
- Takes one member's time on a project off this invoice without touching the timesheet. A refresh keeps it off. Put back adds it again.
- Set rate
- Shown on a line with no rate. Set it for everyone on the project or for that member only; the draft is refreshed for you.
- Other lines
- Fixed fees, expenses or a discount (a negative amount). They are added to the subtotal before tax.
- Period, tax and notes
- Change the days the invoice covers (the time lines are rebuilt), the tax for this invoice only, and notes printed for the client, such as a PO number.
- Preview PDF
- Downloads the draft as the client would see it, stamped DRAFT so it cannot pass for a real invoice.
What is checked before issuing
Issue runs a check first. Some things stop it; others need you to confirm, because they can change what you bill.
Must be fixed first
- There is nothing to bill: no billable time in the period and no other lines.
- A line has no bill rate. Set one, or leave the line off.
- Tracked time, a bill rate or the client's currency changed since the draft was built. Refresh it and check the lines.
Need your confirmation
Still under review on the time this invoice bills:
- Open questions
- A reviewer asked about an entry this invoice bills, and it is not settled yet.
- Correction requests
- A member asked to change or move time this invoice bills, and no one has decided yet.
- Manual time requests
- A member asked to add time on the client's projects inside the period, and it is still pending.
Settle them under Timesheets → Time Approvals, or tick “issue anyway”. The invoice then records which items were open.
Questions and correction requests are explained in Time entry corrections and history.
Numbers and statuses
Issuing gives the invoice the next number, for example INV-0007, and freezes it. Numbers are never skipped or reused.
| Status | What it means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | No number yet. Follows tracked time until you issue it. | Refresh, edit, preview, issue or delete. |
| Issued | Numbered and frozen. Its lines and totals no longer change. | Download the PDF, mark it paid, or void it. |
| Overdue | Issued and past its due date with no payment recorded. | Same as Issued; it shows in the Overdue total. |
| Paid | You recorded the day the client paid. | Download the PDF. A paid invoice cannot be voided. |
| Void | Cancelled with a reason. Its number stays used. | Its days are free for a corrected invoice. |
The due date is the issue date plus the client's payment terms; you can change either in the Issue dialog. Issuing, payments and voids are kept in the audit log with who did them.
The PDF your client receives
Plain black on white with your organization's name, not Colabio's.
- Your details and the client's, the number, issue and due dates, and the period.
- One line per member per project with hours, rate and amount, then your other lines. Lines left off never appear.
- Subtotal, tax and total in the client's currency, then your payment instructions and notes.
- Drafts are stamped DRAFT, void invoices VOID and paid ones PAID.
Currencies whose symbol the PDF font cannot draw, such as the rupee, are written with their code, for example INR 1,500.00.
Who can use it
Only organization managers see Client invoices. They manage clients and rates, and create, issue, mark paid and void invoices. Product managers, team leaders and employees do not see rates or invoices. Client invoicing is included on the Starter plan and above; see Pricing. Roles are explained in Roles and permissions.
Questions
Why is some tracked time not on the invoice?
Check four things: the project is linked to this client under Clients and rates; the project, or the task, is marked Billable; the time falls inside the period on the member's own calendar day; and the line was not left off. Then press Refresh, since a draft only changes when it is refreshed.
Time was corrected after I issued the invoice. What now?
An issued invoice never changes, so what you sent stays what you sent. If the client should be billed differently, void the invoice with a reason, which frees its days, and create a corrected invoice for the same period.
Can I issue while a question or correction is still open?
Yes, after confirming it in the Issue dialog. The invoice records that review items were open and which ones, so anyone can see later that it was issued knowingly. Settling them first is safer, because the outcome can change what you bill.
Can two invoices bill the same day for a client?
No. A client's drafts, issued and paid invoices may not cover the same day twice, so no time is billed twice. Delete the overlapping draft, or void the issued invoice, to free its days.
Why are there no gaps in the numbers?
A number is given only when an invoice is issued, in order, and is never reused: drafts have none, and a void invoice keeps its own. Many tax authorities expect this. Changing the prefix affects only invoices issued afterwards.
Can I invoice clients in different currencies?
Yes. Each client has one currency; its project rates and invoices are in it. Totals are shown per currency and never added together, and Colabio does not convert between currencies.
Does Colabio send the invoice or collect payment?
No. Download the PDF and send it the way you usually do. When the money arrives, open the invoice and choose Mark paid with the day you received it.
Is this the same as Invoices under Financial?
No. Financial → Invoices are pay statements for your own members. Client invoices are what your organization bills its clients.
Still have a question about client invoices? Email support@colabio.org.