Invoices and payments
Bill the work you did. Watch the payment land.
Turn reviewed billable time into a clear invoice, then follow it until the payment arrives.
Paid
Paid through the payment linkThe sum should be the easy part.
Every hour on the invoice traces back to a time entry someone finished and marked billable.
- $2,52018 design hours at $140
- $1,2006 strategy hours at $200
- $37210% tax on the subtotal
- $4,092Invoice total
Illustrative figures. The rates and the 10% tax are examples. Confirm the tax treatment that applies where you work.
Group it the way the client reads it.
Group by team member when the agreement is built around people and their rates. Group by task when the client wants to see the work.
Same hours, same total. Try both.
Generate Invoice
- Project
- Grouping
- Line Items
- Review
The invoice
Every line has a source.
Only finished, billable work reaches the invoice, and each entry is tied to the invoice once it is generated.
Finished and billable only
Running timers and non-billable entries stay out of the time-based invoice.
Grouped for the reader
By task or by team member, whichever matches the contract.
Billed once
Entries attached to a generated invoice are not offered again as unbilled time.
24 h of billable time linked to this invoice
Currency and tax on the page
Set the client currency and tax details beside the lines and terms.
A link they can pay
Stripe payment workflows, including hosted payment links.
Status you can trust
Follow the status, or mark an invoice paid yourself when payment arrives another way.
Close the month in four moves.
A routine beats a rushed end-of-month export. One person prepares the invoice, another resolves the commercial exceptions.
Close
The team finishes its entries and the dates match the billing agreement.
Time trackingPreview
Check billable entries, grouping, caps and anything already invoiced.
Invoice previewReview
Read the lines, client details, currency, tax and payment instructions.
InvoiceCollect
Follow the status, confirm the payment and reconcile it in accounting.
Payments
Clear about where billing ends.
What invoicing does
- Prepares invoices from eligible billable time, or starts one from a proposal.
- Groups lines by task or by team member.
- Tracks invoice status with Stripe payment workflows or manual updates.
- Links each generated invoice to the time entries it billed.
What it does not do
- Replace your accountant or bookkeeping platform.
- Decide your tax treatment.
- Add project expenses on its own. Add agreed charges as their own lines.
- Raise a fixed fee because more hours were logged.
Reconciliation, statutory reporting and revenue recognition stay in your accounting workflow. See where the hours come from ↗
The details.
Everything above, in depth. Open what you need.
Begin with a defensible billing record
Choose finished, billable time entries that have not already been invoiced. Select the scope and period, then preview the lines. Running timers and non-billable entries stay out of the time-based invoice.
Grouping changes how the work is explained. Group by task when the client wants to understand the work performed. Group by team member when the agreement is organized around people and their rates. Choose the representation that matches the contract and remains understandable to the person approving payment. A technically correct total still needs a commercially clear explanation.
Keep invoice creation and collection distinct
Follow an invoice from its billing record to its payment status. Flowboard supports Stripe payment workflows, including hosted payment links, and manual status updates. Use the invoice status and payment record together to see which amounts are still outstanding.
Set the client currency and tax details alongside the line items, dates, and agreed terms. Use your accounting process to confirm the applicable tax treatment and reconcile the invoice after sending.
An illustrative hourly billing cycle
Suppose an agency has 18 eligible design hours at $140 and six eligible strategy hours at $200 for the chosen period. The service subtotal is $3,720. If an illustrative 10% tax applies to the entire subtotal, the tax is $372 and the invoice total is $4,092. The rate and tax assumptions are examples, not a recommendation for any jurisdiction.
Before generating, the account lead notices that two design hours were an internal correction the agency agreed not to charge. Resolve their billable treatment in the work record and preview again. Once the selected entries are attached to the generated invoice, they are not simply offered again as unbilled time. This relationship helps keep invoice preparation anchored to a specific set of work.
| Review point | Question | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Is the entry finished and billable? | Correct the source record |
| Agreement | Does the client expect this charge? | Resolve caps or exceptions |
| Invoice | Are tax, currency, and recipient right? | Review before sending |
| Collection | Has payment actually arrived? | Confirm payment evidence |
Introduce an invoice close routine
A predictable close routine is more reliable than a rushed end-of-month export. Assign a person to prepare and another appropriate person to resolve commercial exceptions when necessary.
Close the time period
Ask the team to finish entries and review unusual durations or missing context. Confirm the selected dates match the billing agreement.
Preview the eligible work
Inspect the billable entries and grouping. Check exclusions, caps, and work already invoiced before generating the new record.
Review the client-facing document
Check line descriptions, client details, currency, tax treatment, and payment instructions. Ensure someone outside the delivery team can understand it.
Track the next collection action
Follow the invoice status, confirm payment through the appropriate workflow, and reconcile the result with accounting.
Where the billing workflow ends
Review delivery margin and payment collection together. The project economics show how the fee compares with logged costs; invoices show what has been billed and payment records show what has been collected. Keeping both close makes the next follow-up easier to identify.
Start an invoice from eligible billable time or a proposal, then review the final lines before sending. Add expense reimbursements and other agreed charges separately when needed. Keep bookkeeping, recurring-billing rules, and statutory accounting requirements in your accounting workflow.
Understand the source hours
Build a reliable time record before it reaches billing.
Explore this workflow ↗Start from the agreed proposal
Prepare scope and commercial terms before generating a related invoice.
Explore this workflow ↗Questions
Before you send the first invoice.
Can the same time entry be billed twice through the generator?
Generated invoices link the selected time entries to the invoice. The time-based preparation workflow selects eligible entries that have not already been invoiced. Review any later corrections or invoice changes carefully rather than assuming every billing adjustment should create a second invoice.
Can clients pay through Stripe?
Flowboard supports connected Stripe invoice and hosted payment workflows. Payment availability depends on the agency's Stripe setup and applicable provider requirements. Confirm the client-facing payment route and actual payment status as part of your collection process.
Does an invoice automatically include project expenses?
The time-based generator uses eligible billable time. Review expense reimbursements and other agreed charges separately, then include the appropriate line items before sending the invoice.
Can we invoice a fixed-fee engagement?
The invoicing workflow is broader than time conversion, and proposals can provide an invoice starting point. For fixed-fee work, check the agreed installment or milestone amount. Logging more hours should not silently change a fixed commercial commitment.
Is this a replacement for our accountant or bookkeeping platform?
No. Flowboard supports operational invoice preparation and payment follow-up. Your accounting process still needs to address reconciliation, statutory reporting, tax treatment, general-ledger entries, and the distinction between an invoice, recognized revenue, and collected cash.