Who this is for
Anyone who bills by the hour: copywriters, editors, virtual assistants, developers, designers, project managers, voice actors, tutors. If your fundamental unit is "hours worked × rate," this template is for you.
How to bill hourly without losing money
Three habits separate professionals from amateurs:
1. Track in real time, not from memory. A timer running while you work is the only reliable way. Toggl, Harvest, Clockify — pick one and live in it. Reconstructing hours from calendar entries at month-end loses you 15–20% of billable time on average.
2. Round honestly. Common conventions: round to the nearest 15-minute increment, or the nearest 6-minute (0.1 hour) increment. Don't round up every task — clients notice.
3. Invoice weekly or biweekly for hourly work. Monthly hourly invoices are too easy to dispute ("did you really spend 42 hours on that?"). Weekly invoices keep the client's memory fresh.
What to put on each line
One line per work period, not per task. Example: "Week ending May 13, 2026 — 18.5 hrs @ $95." If the client wants detail, offer a time log as an attachment — but keep the invoice itself scannable.
For clients who specifically want task-level detail, put one line per project/task with hours for that task:
- API integration — 6.5 hrs @ $120
- Bug fixes — 2.0 hrs @ $120
- Calls and planning — 1.5 hrs @ $120
Overtime and surge pricing
If you have a client where weekend or late-night work happens, put the surge rate in your terms up front: "Hours over 40 per week billed at 1.5×. Hours on weekends or holidays billed at 2×." Then it's automatic — no awkward conversation, no after-the-fact bargaining.
How to use this template
- Open the hourly template.
- Replace the placeholder date and hours with your actual time period.
- Update your hourly rate. Decimals are fine for partial-hour tracking (e.g., 18.5).
- In notes, mention which time-tracking tool you used so the client can request a log if needed.
- Download the PDF.