Invoice clients from tracked time and expenses
Sumhour is time tracking and invoicing software that turns uninvoiced hours and billable expenses into a draft invoice you can edit. You send it as a PDF and a client link, reminders follow up when it is late, and a recurring rule repeats it for clients you bill the same way each month.
In every plan. 30 days free, no card.
What the client sees
INV-1043 · Fieldwork · Due 26 Nov 2026
| Description | Qty | Price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field app · Design | 10:00 | 125.00 | 1,250.00 |
| Field app · Development | 14:00 | 125.00 | 1,750.00 |
| Field app · TravelTrain to the client workshop, 21 Oct | 1 | 86.40 | 86.40 |
| Amount due (USD) | 3,086.40 |
Fieldwork’s November invoice, from tracked time and one expense
Maya picks Fieldwork and the period to 12 November. The hours not yet invoiced and Rina’s billable train ticket become editable lines on INV-1043.
Those hours and the expense are now on an invoice, so they leave the unbilled list and cannot be billed twice.
| Design10:00 × 125.00 | 1,250.00 |
|---|---|
| Development14:00 × 125.00 | 1,750.00 |
| Train ticket, Rina Akter21 Oct, billable expense | 86.40 |
| INV-1043, due 26 Nov | 3,086.40 |
Demo workspace: Birch & Row Studio, USD
Invoicing in Sumhour, step by step
- 01
Build the draft
Click “New invoice”, pick the client and the dates, and press “Build draft”. Uninvoiced billable time and expenses become lines.
- 02
Edit it
Change any line, add a discount and up to two named taxes, and check the live preview that matches the PDF.
- 03
Send it
Email it with the PDF attached, or copy the client link. The status turns Viewed when the client opens it.
- 04
Get paid
Record payments by hand or let the client pay online through your own account. Reminders follow up if it runs late.
Hourly billing from tracked time, at the rate saved on each entry
Pick the client and a date range and press "Build draft". Sumhour takes every billable entry up to the Through date that is not on another invoice, not written off and not a running timer. You group it by project and task, by person, by date, by project or entry by entry. Each line is rate times hours, at the rate that was in force when the entry was logged.
Fixed fee projects add their fee, or the payment that is due. Retainer time stays off, because the retainer invoice bills it. Billable expenses come along as their own lines.
- Turn on "Invoice only approved time" to bill approved weeks only
- A draft locks its entries, so nobody bills them twice
| Projects | Uninvoiced hours |
|---|---|
| Field app | 24:00 |
Include billable expenses
Put entry notes in the descriptions
Send a PDF and a link the client can open
"Send" emails the client’s billing address, copies your billing contacts and attaches the PDF if you want it. Every invoice also has its own unguessable link with the amount due, a PDF button and, if you set it up, "Pay online". The status moves to Viewed the first time the client opens the link or the PDF. No tracking pixel is used.
Numbers run INV-2026-0001 onward by default, and you can change the prefix (this workspace uses INV-), the digits and the next number. A number is never used twice, not even after a void.
- "Void" cancels a sent invoice and returns its time and expenses to uninvoiced
- "Export" gives an invoices CSV, a payments CSV and a zip of PDFs for the year
- Three layouts, Classic, Modern and Compact, and an option that places the address for a window envelope (DIN 5008) when you post invoices
Invoices
| Invoice | Status | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| INV-1043Fieldwork | Sent 12 Nov | 3,086.40 |
| INV-1042Fieldwork | Paid 12 Nov | 4,500.00 |
| INV-1041Cedar Works | Viewed 3 Nov | 1,500.00 |
| INV-1040Linden & Co | Paid 6 Oct | 7,200.00 |
| INV-1039Harbor Health | Overdue | 6,000.00 |
| INV-1037Fieldwork | Void |
Automatic invoice reminders and recurring invoices
Tick "Send reminders" and pick the days after the due date; the default is 3, 7 and 14. Every day at 08:00 UTC, overdue invoices that are Sent or Viewed get an email with the client link. Each step goes out once.
For work you bill the same way every time, press "Make recurring" on a sent invoice, or "Repeat this invoice" on a draft, and choose Week, Month, Quarter or Year. Sumhour copies the lines, taxes and notes, then emails each new invoice or saves it as a draft for you to check.
Set up a recurring invoiceLate payment reminders
Recurring
| Rule | Every | Next issue | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch site careCedar Works · emailed to the client | Month | 1 Dec | 300.00 |
| Field app hostingFieldwork · saved as a draft | Year | 15 Jan | 480.00 |
Estimates the client accepts online
Write an estimate the way you write an invoice, numbered EST-0001 onward, and send it. Until the valid-until date, the client’s link shows "Accept estimate", "Decline" and a PDF. When they accept, "Create project" makes a fixed fee project with the subtotal as fee and budget, or "Create invoice" drafts an invoice with the same lines.
Work the client asks for later, beyond the agreed scope, goes on a change order instead.
Change orders the client accepts online| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Design, five page templates | 2,500.00 |
| Build and launch | 1,500.00 |
| Total (USD) | 4,000.00 |
Invoicing: limits to know about
- Once an invoice is sent, its lines and totals are fixed. To change them, void it, which puts the time back, and draft a new one.
- A recurring invoice copies the lines of the invoice it started from. It does not pick up time tracked since then.
- There is one invoice layout. You can change the logo, accent colour, footer line and field labels, but not the layout itself.
Missing something you need? Write to [email protected]. The person who builds Sumhour reads every message.
Invoicing: common questions
How do I create an invoice from tracked hours?
Go to Invoices, click “New invoice”, pick the client and the date range, and choose how to group the time: by project and task, person, date, project only or every entry. “Build draft” adds the billable hours that are not on another invoice, plus billable expenses, as lines you can edit before you send.
Drafting an invoice in the guideCan clients accept an estimate online?
Yes. Sending an estimate emails the client a link with “Accept estimate”, “Decline” and a PDF. Owners and admins get a notification of the answer. An accepted estimate becomes a fixed fee project or a draft invoice with one click.
Can I send recurring invoices to retainer clients?
Yes. Click “Make recurring” on a sent invoice, or “Repeat this invoice” on a draft. Pick Week, Month, Quarter or Year and the first issue date, and the next three dates show before you save. Each run copies the lines, taxes and notes, and either emails the invoice to the client or saves it as a draft for you to check. If the client has a retainer project in Sumhour, you do not need a rule, because the retainer invoice bills each period’s fee and any overage.
Retainer invoicingCan one client have its own payment terms, discount or taxes?
Yes. Open the client and expand “Invoice defaults”. Set the payment terms in days, a discount, the client’s own taxes (or none) and notes for its invoices. New invoices, retainer invoices and estimates for that client start with them instead of your workspace settings, and a project’s own terms and notes still win. Every invoice can change them.
Clients in the guideCan I send automatic reminders for overdue invoices?
Yes. Under “Late payment reminders”, tick “Send reminders” and set the days after the due date (3, 7 and 14 by default). Every day at 08:00 UTC, Sumhour emails each overdue invoice’s link to the client’s billing address. Reminders are off until you turn them on.
Is invoicing included in every Sumhour plan?
Yes. The Solo plan has the same invoicing as Scale, with reminders, recurring invoices and estimates. Owners, admins and accountants use it; other roles do not see the Invoices menu.
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