Guides
Guides for People Who Bill by the Hour
Practical answers on invoicing, tracking time and getting paid, with examples you can copy.
How to Invoice a Client
From the hours you worked to the payment in your account, in six steps.
What to Put on an Invoice
The details every invoice needs, line items clients understand, and the mistakes that slow payment.
How to Track Billable Hours
What counts as billable, how to capture it as you go, and how to check it before it reaches an invoice.
Billing in Tenths of an Hour
A tenth is 6 minutes. The chart, how rounding works, and how to explain it to clients.
Net 30 and Other Payment Terms
What Net 30, Net 15 and 2/10 Net 30 mean, how to pick terms, and how late fees fit in.
How to Pay Contractors and Bill Clients for Their Work
For agencies and small teams: two rates for every hour, approved timesheets, and the paperwork.
How to Set Your Freelance Rate
Work back from the income you need to a rate per hour, then check it against the market.
How to Write an Estimate Clients Say Yes To
Scope, line items, assumptions and a deposit, laid out so the client can say yes in one step.
Retainers and Deposits: Getting Paid Up Front
How much to ask for up front, how a monthly retainer with an hours cap works, and what to do with unused hours.
How to Follow Up on an Unpaid Invoice
A polite schedule from before the due date to 30 days late, with short emails to copy.
Hourly vs. Fixed Price: How to Choose
Which suits which kind of work, how to price a fixed fee from hours, and the hybrids in between.
How to Bill Travel Time and Mileage
Full rate, a travel rate or a flat fee, mileage, and how to show it on the invoice.
Quarterly Estimated Taxes for Freelancers
Who has to pay, the 2026 due dates, the safe harbor rules, and how much to set aside.
How to Approve Team Timesheets
A weekly routine for small teams: what to check, when to send a week back, and billing from approved hours.
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