Billable work

Keep the business context together

Capture the work date, client, description, time or expense amount and supporting receipt before billing. Keep original source references on invoice lines so the team can explain the charge. Billable and non-billable entries share a history without being mistaken for invoices or completed payments.

When the bookkeeper builds the invoice, source links connect each charge to its time or expense entry. Those links make a customer question answerable: which day the work was done, which rate was used and which receipt supported the expense. The issued line preserves the billed amount even if a future rate changes.

Give each decision a clear owner

Assistant manages their own entries. Bookkeeper reviews customer attribution, rate and any markup before adding them to a draft invoice. Marking a source as billed is tied to the successful creation of its invoice line; the state must not change when the invoice operation fails.

Two people preparing invoices at the same time may both find the same unbilled expense. Only one draft can reserve that source for billing. If the invoice-line creation fails, the source remains available; if an unissued draft line is deliberately removed, its reservation can be released with the reason retained.

Handle exceptions with the original record

Prevent the same expense or time entry from appearing on competing invoices. Removing an unissued draft line releases its reservation with an audit event. Correcting work already billed requires a documented invoice correction; changing the original hours must not silently alter a sent document.

A fixed-fee agreement and hourly work require different descriptions. Recording hours can still support internal review without making every hour billable. The bookkeeper should choose the agreed rate and billing treatment, verify any markup and ensure that non-billable entries remain excluded from the invoice total and customer document.

Find the work that needs attention

Use the billable expense and time views to review work before the billing cutoff. Entries missing a customer, date, description or receipt need attention before invoicing. Filtering the queue by customer helps group the work, but access still follows the assistant or bookkeeper role and the underlying business scope.

Configure it around your business

Configure default items, allowed rates and supporting-document requirements around the services you actually sell. Review one mixed invoice containing time, expenses and a non-billable entry. Its customer total should include only the selected billable sources, and its retained links should explain those charges without exposing another employee’s restricted work.