Hours Tracker Time Clock

How to Track Billable Hours as a Freelancer

Published

If you bill by the hour, your billable hours are your income. Every hour you work but don't record is an hour you don't get paid for. Tracking billable hours well comes down to a few habits: record time as you go, separate billable from non-billable work, and turn the log into an invoice the client can follow.

Billable vs. non-billable hours

  • Billable hours are time you can charge a client for: the work itself, client calls, revisions and agreed travel.
  • Non-billable hours are time you spend running your business: finding clients, sending invoices, learning new tools.

Tracking both gives you a true picture of your week. If you only log billable time, you can't see how much of your day actually becomes income.

How to track billable hours

  1. Start the clock when work starts. Not when you remember. Use a timer or note the start time.
  2. Use one entry per client or project. This keeps invoices clean. See how to track hours across different jobs and projects.
  3. Add a short note. "Homepage revisions" is enough. Notes are what make an invoice credible.
  4. Log breaks and interruptions. Stop the timer when you step away.
  5. Review the week. Look for gaps and fix them while you remember.

Rounding and minimums

Decide on a rule and agree to it with the client: bill to the exact minute, round to the nearest quarter hour, or use a minimum charge for short tasks. Whatever you pick, apply it every time. To convert minutes into decimal hours for an invoice, see how to convert time to decimal.

A quick example

You work 3 hours 20 minutes on Monday, 2 hours 45 minutes on Tuesday and 4 hours 10 minutes on Thursday for one client at $60 per hour. The total is 10 hours 15 minutes, which is 10.25 decimal hours. The invoice is 10.25 x $60 = $615.

From log to invoice

When the billing period ends, export your hours, check the totals and send them with the invoice. Clients rarely argue with hours they can see. More in how to bill clients accurately for hours and how contractors track hours for invoicing.

Track billable hours with Hours Tracker Time Clock

  • Clock in and out for each block of work.
  • Keep clients or jobs separate with their own rates.
  • See earnings as you work.
  • Export your hours when it's time to invoice.

Get started

Download Hours Tracker Time Clock on the App Store or Google Play and track your next billable hour. For a simple setup, see how to set up hours tracking in five minutes.