How to Bill Tracked Time on an Invoice in CrmLeaf
All editions. Core feature - no add-on required. Billing tracked time through a completed milestone uses milestone invoicing.
Availability: All editions. Core feature - no add-on required. Billing tracked time through a completed milestone uses milestone invoicing.
Overview
Tracked time in CrmLeaf is not only a record of effort; it is billable input. Time logged against a billable task produces billable earnings from an hourly rate, and that time pulls directly into an invoice, so client work does not have to be re-entered by hand.
This article covers how to get from logged time to an invoice line, and the conditions that decide whether time is eligible.
How It Works
Billability is decided at the task, earnings come from an hourly rate, and the invoice pulls the eligible time.
Mark task billable → Log time → Approve → Create invoice from time → Send to client
- The task's billable option is what makes its time eligible. Time on a non-billable task stays internal.
- Billable earnings are computed from an hourly rate applied to the logged time, so hours become an amount.
- An invoice can be created from billable time logs, in the same way it can be created from billable expenses.
- Milestone invoicing collects a milestone's approved but unbilled billable time logs, together with approved but unbilled material requisitions, into one client invoice. Amounts come from the underlying billable work rather than a flat milestone price.
- Once billed, source records are stamped with the invoice, so the same time cannot be billed twice.
- Invoice statuses are
draft,unpaid,partial,paidandcanceled.
Who Can Use This Feature?
User
- Mark a task billable so the time logged on it can be billed.
- Log and review billable time.
- Create an invoice from billable time logs and send it to the client.
- Invoice a completed milestone that has approved but unbilled billable time.
Access depends on the modules and role assigned by your Administrator.
Prerequisites
- The task must be marked billable before its time is expected to be billable.
- An hourly rate must be in place for billable earnings to be calculated.
- The time logs should be approved, because milestone invoicing collects approved but unbilled billable time.
- The project must have a client, and for milestone invoicing the milestone must be complete and not already invoiced.
For Users
Step 1: Confirm the work is billable before it starts
Open the task and confirm it is marked billable. Doing this before the work starts avoids reclassifying time later.
Step 2: Log and get the time approved
Log the time with the timer, or manually where the project allows it, and submit the week for approval. Approved billable time is what invoicing draws on.
Step 3: Create the invoice from billable time
What to do: Select Add and create the invoice for the client, drawing in the project's billable time logs. Complete every mandatory field before saving.
What to verify: Confirm the invoice amount reflects the logged hours and the hourly rate, and that the currency and tax are correct for the client.
Step 4: Bill through a completed milestone where you use milestone billing
What to do: With the milestone complete, use milestone invoicing to gather its approved but unbilled billable time logs and material requisitions into an invoice preview, then create the client invoice.
What to verify: Confirm the milestone is marked invoiced and the source records are stamped with the invoice.
Step 5: Send the invoice and track payment
Send the invoice to the client. Its status moves from unpaid to partial or paid as payments are recorded.
Expected Result
The invoice is created for the client with amounts derived from the logged billable hours and the hourly rate. The billed time logs are stamped with the invoice so they cannot be billed again, and a milestone billed this way is marked invoiced.
Why This Matters for Service Organisations
The most common revenue leak in a service organisation is work that was delivered, recorded and never invoiced. Billing tracked time closes that gap by making the invoice a consequence of the delivery record rather than a separate exercise in a spreadsheet. It also gives the firm a line of evidence from an invoice amount back to the person, the day and the task the hours were spent on, which is what settles a client query without a negotiation.
How It Supports Professional Services
- The task's billable flag decides eligibility, so the classification made when the engagement was planned is the classification that bills. Time on internal or non-chargeable tasks stays out of the client's invoice.
- Billable earnings are computed from an hourly rate applied to the logged time, so hours become an amount without re-keying.
- An invoice can be created from billable timelogs by the same route as billable expenses, which is how a firm bills a month of time-and-materials work plus recoverable costs in one document.
- Milestone invoicing collects a completed milestone's approved but unbilled billable timelogs, together with approved but unbilled material requisitions, and the amount comes from that underlying work rather than a flat milestone price.
- Billed source records are stamped with the invoice, so the same hour cannot reach two invoices - the control that makes time-based billing auditable across a long engagement.
Typical Service Workflow
Time → Approval → Invoice → Client → Payment
This is the billing stage. CrmLeaf links billable timelogs and billable expenses onto an invoice, and links a completed milestone to the approved unbilled work beneath it. For fixed-fee engagements the accepted-estimate route creates an unpaid invoice instead; CrmLeaf does not record a billing model on the project, so a firm decides per engagement which route it uses.
Other Product-Type Use Cases
Contractors and installers use the same milestone route to bill a completed stage from its approved labour and materials, and internal teams can bill time between organisations in the same account where that is how they recharge.
Related PSA Capabilities
- How to Submit and Approve Weekly Timesheets — approval is what makes time available to bill.
- How to Create and Send Invoices — the invoice the billable time lands on.
- How to Invoice a Completed Project Milestone — bills a stage from its approved unbilled work.
- How to Manage Expenses and Reimbursements — recoverable costs billed by the same mechanism.
- How to Use Finance and Income vs Expense Reports — where billed value is reviewed.
Important Notes
- Menu names and their position can differ between product editions and can be customised for your account, so your sidebar may not match these paths exactly. Use Search or your Quick Access items if you cannot find a screen.
- Break time is excluded from tracked hours, so it is not billed.
- Milestone invoicing requires the milestone to be complete, the project to have a client, and the milestone not to have been invoiced already.
- Milestone invoice amounts come from the underlying billable work, not from a flat milestone price.
- Where the Manufacture module is enabled, the milestone invoice preview also shows BOQ utilisation of planned against used and remaining quantities.
- Time already stamped with an invoice will not appear again for billing. Use a credit note if an invoice must be corrected.
Common Scenarios
Example: monthly time and materials billing. An agency marks all client tasks billable, approves timesheets weekly, and at month end raises one invoice per client from the approved billable time.
Example: milestone billing on a build. A contractor completes a milestone, then invoices it. The invoice gathers the milestone's approved but unbilled billable time logs and its approved but unbilled material requisitions in one document.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Logged time does not appear for billing | The task is not marked billable. | Mark the task billable. Confirm with your Administrator how existing logs should be treated. |
| The hours are right but the amount is zero | No hourly rate is in place for the billable time. | Ask your Administrator to confirm the hourly rate used for billable earnings. |
| Time cannot be billed a second time | The time log is already stamped with an invoice, which prevents double billing. | This is expected. Correct the original invoice or issue a credit note. |
| A milestone cannot be invoiced | The milestone is not complete, the project has no client, or the milestone has already been invoiced. | Complete the milestone, attach a client to the project, and check whether an invoice already exists. |
| The milestone invoice is lower than expected | Some billable time logs are not yet approved, so they are not collected. | Have the outstanding timesheets approved, then invoice. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does marking a task billable set a price?
No. It makes the time eligible. The amount comes from the hourly rate applied to the logged time.
Can the same time be billed twice?
No. Billed source records are stamped with the invoice so nothing is billed twice.
Can I bill time and expenses on one invoice?
Invoices can be created from billable time logs and from billable expenses. Confirm the combination you need on the invoice before sending.
Must time be approved before it is billed?
Milestone invoicing collects approved but unbilled billable time, so approve time before billing.
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