Hourly invoice template
An hourly invoice is a small act of accounting transparency: hours × rate, with the multiplication visible. The builder below treats the quantity column as hours — 1.5 is ninety minutes, 0.25 a quarter-hour — so each line shows its own math and the client can re-derive every amount. That re-derivability, more than anything, is what makes hourly invoices get paid without questions.
The craft is in the descriptions. “Consulting — 12 hours” is an invitation to negotiate; twelve dated lines that say what happened — “Jul 8 — onboarding flow rework (3.5)” — are a record. You worked the hours; let the invoice prove it.
Preset: hourly billing — the Qty column is hours (1.5 = 90 minutes)
How it works
- Open this page — the invoice builder is already set up for “Hourly invoice template”.
- Fill in your details, the client, and your line items. The preview updates as you type.
- Everything is computed on your own device — totals, tax, the PDF itself. Nothing is uploaded.
- Click “Download PDF” and send the invoice to your client. Your details stay saved on this device for next time.
Increments, rounding and the honesty budget
Pick a billing increment — six minutes (0.1) is the lawyers’ classic, fifteen (0.25) the freelance norm — and round consistently, ideally as your contract states. Whatever you choose, apply it per work session, not per whole invoice: rounding each of twenty small sessions up to the quarter-hour quietly manufactures hours, and clients who spot it never quite trust an invoice again.
Group lines by day or by task, whichever tells the clearer story, but date them either way. And when a session ran long for reasons that were your fault — a wrong turn, a redo — many professionals shave it and occasionally say so (“3.5 hrs billed of 5 worked”). One visible act of fairness buys more repeat business than any discount.
Good to know
- Agree the rate and increment in writing before the clock starts; the invoice should never be where a client first learns either.
- Cap-aware billing (“not to exceed 20 hrs without approval”) belongs in the line description when you’re near the cap — it shows you watched it.
- Mixed engagements work fine: hourly lines and flat-fee lines can share an invoice, since each line carries its own quantity and rate.
Frequently asked questions
How do I show different rates on one invoice?
One line per rate: development hours at one rate, meeting or travel time at another, each with its own quantity. The subtotal adds them correctly, and the client sees precisely which hours cost what — which preempts the “why is travel billed like coding?” email.
Should I attach a timesheet?
If the lines themselves are dated and specific, usually no — the invoice is the timesheet. For engagements that contractually require detailed logs, keep the invoice lines summarized by day and send the export alongside. The invoice states the claim; the log is evidence on request.
What about minimum billing for tiny tasks?
A stated minimum (say, 15 or 30 minutes per request) is normal and fair — context-switching is real work. Put it in your terms, then bill it as what it is: quantity 0.25 at your rate, not a padded number pretending the task took longer.