Billable hours tracker for freelancers
A billable hours tracker should answer three questions at any moment: how many hours can I charge, what are they worth, and what have I not invoiced yet. Here is how to do it with a spreadsheet, and how to do it without one.
Last updated November 2, 2026
What to record for every entry
- Date and duration — start and end, or just a duration like 1:30.
- Client and project — so hours roll up per invoice.
- Description — what you did, in words your client will recognize on the invoice.
- Billable or not — non-billable time still matters for your effective rate.
- Rate — usually set per client or per project rather than typed each time.
- Invoiced or not — the column most spreadsheets forget.
The spreadsheet way
A billable hours spreadsheet works for a few clients: one row per entry with the columns above, a formula for hours × rate on billable rows, and a filter by client and month when you invoice. It breaks down when you forget to write down a start time, when rates differ by project, and when you have to retype the month into an invoice and remember which rows you already billed.
The tracker way with Hourledge
- Timer first. Start in one tap; fix a forgotten start time; add past time as start/end or a duration.
- Billable switch per entry. Projects can default to non-billable for internal work.
- Rates that cascade. A project rate overrides the client’s default rate, so amounts are right as you track.
- Reports. Any date range shows total hours, billable hours, billable amount and what is not invoiced yet, with CSV and PDF export.
- Invoice from unbilled time. One tap makes a draft per client with dated lines, optional tax, and a PDF with your logo, bank details and a Stripe or PayPal pay link.
- Client report links. Share a read-only report your client opens without an account.
Step by step from hours to invoice: turn a timesheet into an invoice. Moving off Harvest? Import your Harvest time CSV.
How other tools handle billable hours
Toggl Track lists billable rates from its Starter plan and suggests exporting billable hours as CSV or PDF to your invoicing tool. Clockify lists invoicing from its paid Standard plan. Harvest includes invoicing on its Free plan for 1 seat and 2 projects (sources: Toggl, Clockify, Harvest, checked November 2, 2026). Comparisons: Toggl vs Harvest, Toggl vs Clockify.
What Hourledge does not do
It is for one person: no team seats, approvals, expenses or accounting integrations, and no native desktop or mobile apps (it runs in the browser on both).
Questions
What counts as billable hours?
Time you can charge a client for under your agreement: the work itself, client calls and revisions. Admin, pitching and internal tasks are usually non-billable. Track both so you can see your real effective rate.
Can I track billable hours in Excel or Google Sheets?
Yes. Use one row per entry with date, client, project, description, start, end, hours, billable (yes/no) and rate, then sum hours × rate for billable rows. The weak points are forgotten timers, retyping into the invoice, and billing the same rows twice.
Is there a free billable hours tracker?
Hourledge is free during early access with the timer, billable/non-billable entries, client and project rates, reports and invoices. Free during early access. One simple flat price later, no per-seat fees.
How do I avoid billing the same hours twice?
Mark entries as billed when they go on an invoice. In Hourledge that happens automatically: invoiced time leaves the unbilled list, and voiding or deleting a draft releases it again.
Free during early access. One simple flat price later, no per-seat fees.