Invoicing Software for Freelancers
How freelancers can bill clients with Billed: hourly work from tracked time, fixed-price projects from an approved estimate, monthly retainers on recurring invoices, and card, PayPal, check or cash payments recorded against each invoice.
Key Takeaways
- Hourly work: log your time in an hourly rate project, and Billed's time tracking page says "Billed tracks the charge for each task as you log it."
- Fixed-price work: agree on the price on an estimate first, then turn the approved estimate into the invoice.
- Retainers: put a monthly fee on a recurring invoice, which Billed can send for you or save as a draft for you to check.
- Tax time: export Billed's invoice and expense reports for the period your accountant asks about. This page doesn't give tax advice.
Three ways a freelancer bills in Billed
Hourly work. Billed's time tracking page says: "Create an hourly rate project, set its hourly rate, and Billed tracks the charge for each task as you log it. From the project dashboard you can invoice one task or several at once." Give each hourly client a project and log your time against its tasks as you work.
Fixed-price projects. Put the price on an estimate before you start. Billed's features page says you can "Convert your estimate to invoice with a single click after getting approval from your client." For work you'd rather run as a project, the time tracking page says "A flat rate project holds the tasks you add to it and is invoiced as one project, at any stage you choose."
Monthly retainers. Billed's invoice software page says: "For clients you bill on a schedule, set up a recurring profile once. Choose the billing frequency (daily, weekly, monthly or yearly) and how many invoices to send, or keep sending until you stop." Its FAQ adds: "You can choose to send them automatically or save them as drafts to check first."
Worked example: one month, three clients
These are sample figures. A freelance web developer bills three clients for May.
Client A, hourly: an hourly rate project at 90.00 an hour. The developer logs 6 hours building a feature (540.00) and 2.5 hours on fixes (225.00), so the project shows 8.5 hours, or 765.00, and both tasks go on one invoice from the project dashboard.
Client B, fixed price: an estimate for a site migration at 1,800.00. The client approves it, and the developer converts it to an invoice.
Client C, retainer: the monthly recurring invoice for 1,200.00.
Across the three invoices, the developer bills 3,765.00 for May. The sample leaves out sales tax and expenses. Whether your work is taxable depends on what you sell and where, so ask your accountant.
When the work grows past the agreed price
When a client asks for something the original price didn't cover, price the extra work on a new estimate before you start it. Billed's features page says "your clients can approve or reject your estimates online", and lists "Estimate Attachments": "Attach important files and images with your estimates." A short note of what the extra work includes can go with the estimate.
Once the client approves it, convert the estimate to an invoice. The original price and the extra work then sit on separate documents, each with its own approval.
Getting paid and following up
Billed's invoice software page answers "How do my clients pay invoices online?" with: "Connect Stripe and each invoice gets a pay button for card payments, or connect PayPal to add a PayPal option. Payments made by check or cash can be recorded in Billed as offline payments." The same page says "After a client pays, you can send them a payment receipt."
Set a due date on every invoice. Billed's help center says you turn on payment reminders on the invoice, and "You can set a schedule of payment reminders before and after the invoice's due date." It also says "You can send up to three reminders." To see what's outstanding, Billed's invoice software page says "Invoice reports show which invoices are paid, partially paid or past due."
Records for estimated taxes
In the US, the IRS says on its estimated taxes page (page last reviewed or updated September 25, 2026): "Individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, and S corporation shareholders, generally have to make estimated tax payments if they expect to owe tax of $1,000 or more when their return is filed." Its recordkeeping page (page last reviewed or updated May 1, 2026) says: "You may choose any recordkeeping system suited to your business that clearly shows your income and expenses."
Billed's reporting page says: "Billed offers several built-in reports: Invoice Reports (paid, partially paid, and overdue), Expense Reports, Income vs Expense Reports, Top Selling Products, and Time Tracking Reports. Each report can be filtered by date range and exported." Billed's features page lists "Expense By Category": "Get expense report by category to help your accountant in filing taxes."
This page doesn't give tax advice. Ask your accountant whether you need to pay estimated tax, how much and when.
Challenges Freelancers Businesses Face
Hours you worked that don't reach an invoice because they weren't logged
A fixed-price project that keeps growing without a new price being agreed
Retainer invoices that go out late because each one is made by hand
Income and expense records pieced together when an estimated tax payment is due
Tasks and the Billed feature for each
| You bill | In Billed |
|---|---|
| Hourly work | Hourly rate project |
| Fixed-price project | Estimate, then invoice |
| Monthly retainer | Recurring invoice |
| Check or cash | Offline payment |
Invoicing for Freelancers
Hourly work from tracked time
Log your hours against each task in an hourly rate project, and bill the project's tasks from its dashboard.
Related Invoice Templates
Invoice templates related to this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
When this isn't for you
If you keep your books in accounting software, treat this page as a guide to invoicing only: hourly work, fixed-price projects, retainers and the payments against them.
Start Invoicing With Billed
Set up your account and send your first invoice with Billed.