Billing & Expenses

Invoicing clients, tracking payments, and managing agency expenses

Keep your finances organized with built-in billing and expense tracking. Create invoices, monitor payments, track expenses, and ensure you get paid for your work.

Billing Section Structure

💰 Billing
   ├─ Billing (Payment/invoice list)
   ├─ Billing Dashboard (Financial overview)
   └─ Client Billing (Per-client breakdown)

💳 Expenses (Separate page)

Billing (Payments List)

Purpose: Track all client invoices and payment status

What You'll See

List of all payments/invoices showing:

• Invoice number

• Client name

• Amount

• Due date

• Status (Draft, Sent, Overdue, Paid)

• Payment date (when received)

• Outstanding amount

Payment Statuses

Draft

• Invoice created but not sent

• Still being prepared

• Can edit freely

Sent

• Invoice delivered to client

• Awaiting payment

• Client can view in their portal

Overdue

• Past due date

• Not yet paid

• Needs follow-up

Paid

• Payment received

• Invoice closed

• Recorded in accounting

Payment Record Structure

Click into a payment to see full details:

Header Information

• Invoice number (auto-generated or custom)

• Client (linked)

• Project (optional link)

• Invoice date

• Due date (typically 30 days from invoice date)

• Amount (total)

• Currency

Line Items Detailed breakdown of charges:

• Description

• Quantity

• Rate/Price

• Amount (calculated: quantity × rate)

• Category (hourly, fixed-fee, expense reimbursement, etc.)

Linked Records

• Time Entries: Billable hours included

• Expenses: Reimbursable costs included

• Project: What project this billing is for

Payment Information

• Payment method

• Payment date

• Transaction ID

• Notes

Comments

• Communication with client about invoice

• Payment reminders

• Client questions

Creating an Invoice

Method 1: From Project

1. Open project record

2. Go to Payments tab

3. Click Create Payment

4. Invoice pre-links to project and client

Method 2: From Billing List

1. Go to Billing

2. Click + New record

3. Select client and project

4. Add line items

Fill in Details:

1. Client & Project: Select from dropdowns

2. Invoice Date: Usually today

3. Due Date: Typically 30 days out

4. Line Items: Click "Add line item"

   • Description: "Website Design - 40 hours @ $150/hr"

   • Quantity: 40

   • Rate: 150

   • Amount: $6,000 (auto-calculated)

5. Pull Time Entries (if available):

   • Click to import billable hours

   • Review and adjust as needed

6. Add Fixed Items:

   • Flat-fee deliverables

   • Monthly retainer

   • Project milestones

7. Add Expense Reimbursements:

   • Pull from Expenses table

   • Stock photos, software, travel, etc.

8. Review Total: Sum of all line items

9. Save as Draft: Review before sending

Sending Invoices to Clients

Mark as Sent:

1. Review invoice one final time

2. Update status from "Draft" to "Sent"

3. Client can now see in their portal

Client View:

• Clients see invoice in their Billing section

• Full line item breakdown

• Payment instructions

• Download as PDF (if configured)

Follow Up:

• Add reminder workflow (e.g., email 7 days before due)

• Send overdue notification if unpaid

• Add comments to track communication

Automate Reminders: Set up a workflow to automatically email clients when invoices become overdue. Save hours of manual follow-up!

Recording Payments

When client pays:

1. Open the payment record

2. Update status to "Paid"

3. Add payment date

4. Add payment method and transaction ID

5. Save

This updates:

• Client's outstanding balance

• Billing Dashboard metrics

• Project profitability

Billing Dashboard

Purpose: Financial overview and accounts receivable tracking

What You'll See

Revenue Metrics

• Total revenue this month/quarter/year

• Revenue vs target

• Revenue trends over time

• Revenue by service type

Accounts Receivable

• Total outstanding (invoices sent but unpaid)

• AR aging (how long invoices outstanding):

  • Current (0-30 days)

  • 30-60 days

  • 60-90 days

  • 90+ days overdue

• Average days to payment

• Collection rate

Payment Status Breakdown

• Number of invoices by status

• Draft invoices not yet sent

• Sent invoices awaiting payment

• Overdue invoices needing attention

• Paid invoices (recent)

Top Clients by Revenue

• Who's bringing in the most

• Year-to-date by client

• Trends over time

Project Profitability (if time tracking enabled)

• Revenue vs time costs by project

• Margin percentages

• Most/least profitable projects

Common Use Cases

Cash Flow Management

• Weekly: Check outstanding invoices

• Monitor when payments due

• Project incoming cash

Collections

• Identify overdue invoices

• Follow up with clients

• Escalate as needed

Financial Planning

• Monthly revenue tracking

• Quarterly forecasting

• Annual planning

Client Health

• Payment patterns by client

• Slow-pay clients

• Credit decisions

Client Billing

Purpose: Per-client financial breakdown

What You'll See

Dashboard showing:

• Total invoiced per client

• Total paid per client

• Outstanding balance per client

• Average payment time per client

• Revenue trends per client

Use Cases

Account Review

• Preparing for client check-in

• Reviewing financial relationship

• Identifying payment issues

Client Segmentation

• Top revenue clients

• High-maintenance accounts

• Payment behavior patterns

Forecasting

• Expected revenue per client

• Renewal likelihood

• Upsell opportunities

Expenses

Purpose: Track agency and project expenses

What You'll See

Expense list showing:

• Date of expense

• Amount

• Category

• Project (if project-related)

• Team member who incurred it

• Receipt (attached)

• Billable status (will you charge client?)

• Reimbursement status

Expense Categories

Pre-configured categories (customizable):

• Software & Tools: SaaS subscriptions, licenses

• Travel: Flights, hotels, transportation

• Meals & Entertainment: Client dinners, team events

• Office Supplies: Equipment, materials

• Contractors/Freelancers: External help

• Marketing: Ads, promotions

• Professional Services: Legal, accounting

• Stock Assets: Photos, fonts, illustrations

Expense Record Details

Expense Information

• Date incurred

• Amount (with currency)

• Category (from Expense Categories)

• Description

• Receipt/proof (file upload)

Project Association

• Project (if project-related)

• Client (if client work)

• Billable? (Yes/No)

Team Member

• Who incurred the expense

• For reimbursement tracking

Payment

• Linked to Payment record (if billing client)

• Reimbursed to team member (if applicable)

Common Workflows

Project Expense (Billable)

1. Team member incurs expense (e.g., stock photos for client project)

2. Create expense record:

   • Amount: $500

   • Category: Stock Assets

   • Project: Link to client project

   • Billable: Yes

   • Upload receipt

3. When creating invoice, pull in this expense

4. Client pays, reimbursing your cost

Team Reimbursement

1. Team member pays out of pocket

2. Create expense record

3. Mark for reimbursement

4. Finance team processes

5. Update reimbursement status

Agency Overhead

1. Monthly SaaS expenses

2. Create expense records

3. Not linked to specific project

4. Track for profitability calculations

Expense Tracking Best Practices

Daily Habits:

• Log expenses same day

• Upload receipt immediately

• Link to project if applicable

• Mark billable status

Weekly Review:

• Check for missing receipts

• Approve team reimbursements

• Identify billable expenses not yet invoiced

Monthly Close:

• Reconcile with bank/credit cards

• Process all reimbursements

• Review spending by category

• Update budgets

Project Profitability

Combining time, expenses, and billing gives you true profitability:

Profit Calculation

Revenue (from Payments)
- Labor Costs (team member hours × rates)
- Expenses (project-related costs)
= Project Profit

Tracking Profitability

On Project Record:

• Budget (estimated revenue)

• Time logged (hours × rates = labor cost)

• Expenses (actual costs)

• Invoices (actual revenue)

• Profit Margin = (Revenue - Costs) / Revenue

Dashboard Views:

• Most profitable projects

• Least profitable projects

• Profitability trends

• Margin by client or service type

Using Profitability Data

Pricing Decisions:

• Are you charging enough?

• Which services are most profitable?

• Client pricing adjustments

Resource Allocation:

• Focus on profitable work

• Reduce unprofitable services

• Improve efficiency

Proposal Estimates:

• Learn from past projects

• More accurate estimates

• Better scoping

Financial Workflows

Monthly Billing Cycle

Week 1-4: Project Delivery

• Team logs time on tasks

• Expenses recorded as incurred

• Work progresses

End of Month: Invoice Creation

1. Review billable hours per project

2. Check for billable expenses

3. Create invoices

4. Review with project managers

5. Send to clients

Days 1-30: Collections

• Monitor invoice status

• Send reminders as due date approaches

• Follow up on overdue

• Record payments received

Quarterly Financial Review

1. Revenue Analysis

   • Total revenue by quarter

   • Compare to targets

   • Identify trends

2. Profitability Review

   • Project margins

   • Service line profitability

   • Client profitability

3. AR Review

   • Outstanding balances

   • Collection patterns

   • Client payment behavior

4. Expense Analysis

   • Spending by category

   • Budget vs actual

   • Cost reduction opportunities

Integration with Accounting

Agency OS handles operational billing, but you may want to sync with accounting software:

Common Integrations

QuickBooks / Xero

• Export invoices

• Sync payments

• Match transactions

• Financial reporting

Stripe

• Accept credit card payments

• Automatic payment recording

• Client self-service payment

PayPal / Other Payment Processors

• Payment links on invoices

• Auto-reconciliation

Learn more: Integrations

Tips by Role

For Finance Team

Daily:

• Record received payments

• Process expense reimbursements

• Review new invoices

Weekly:

• Follow up on upcoming due dates

• Check AR aging

• Process expenses

Monthly:

• Create and send invoices

• Close previous month

• Financial reporting

• Budget vs actual review

For Project Managers

During Project:

• Track billable hours

• Monitor against budget

• Log project expenses

• Flag scope changes

At Milestones:

• Create milestone invoices

• Review profitability to date

• Adjust if over budget

For Agency Leaders

Weekly:

• Review Billing Dashboard

• Check cash flow

• Monitor collections

Monthly:

• Review financial performance

• Approve adjustments

• Strategic planning

Quarterly:

• Deep profitability analysis

• Pricing strategy review

• Client portfolio assessment

Customization Options

Custom Fields

On Payments:

• Payment terms (Net 30, Net 60, etc.)

• Purchase order number

• Contract reference

• Tax rates and calculations

On Expenses:

• Cost center

• Approval status

• Reimbursement batch

• Accounting codes

Automations

Invoice Reminders:

• 7 days before due: "Friendly reminder"

• 1 day overdue: "Payment is past due"

• 14 days overdue: "Urgent: Please pay"

Payment Notifications:

• Notify finance when payment received

• Alert project manager

• Update project status

Expense Approvals:

• Route to manager for approval

• Notify when approved

• Flag unusual amounts

Learn more: Customizing Your Agency OS

Related Guides

• Projects & Delivery - Time tracking for billing

• Managing Clients - Client financial relationships

• Client Portal - How clients view invoices

Get Paid Faster: Clear invoices, automatic reminders, and client portal visibility reduce payment time by days. Agency OS makes billing professional and predictable.