For consultants

Consultant invoicing: day rates, milestones and retainers

Your client needs to connect each invoice to a project and period. You need to bill advisory work without reconstructing every agreement at month-end.

Help the finance team recognise the assignment

The person receiving your advice may not process the invoice. Ask for the legal customer name, billing address and purchase reference at the start. Include that reference, the project and the service period in your description.

“Warehouse process analysis — September advisory days, order INK-104” explains more than “September advice”.

Example: advisory work alongside a retainer

Invoice lineQuantityScope
September process advisory retainer1 monthAvailability and meetings as agreed
Implementation team workshop2 daysAgreed outside the retainer
Phase 2 evaluation report1 deliverableSeparate project milestone

Use your quote to define the phases included in a fixed project fee. For day-rate work, keep your own record of the days worked.

Automate the fixed part

Create a recurring schedule for a retainer with an unchanged monthly amount. Invoices can be created and sent automatically at the chosen interval. You need a subscription that includes recurring invoices even if you only have a few clients.

Are additional advisory days automatically added?

No. A schedule knows the agreed lines, not your actual working days. Invoice extra work separately or review and update a draft before sending. This keeps the retainer and additional charges clear.

I want to automatically invoice four fixed consulting retainers a month. Which plan fits?

For 4 invoices and 2 quotes a month, Pro is the lowest-priced subscription that fits this example: €9.00 per month excl. VAT.

This plan allows 500 invoices and 500 quotes per billing period. This recommendation also includes automatically creating recurring invoices.

Limits count invoices and quotes created during your subscription’s billing period, including drafts. Deposits and other instalment invoices count separately. Compare features too if you need additional colleagues or multiple businesses.

Only need individual PDFs without a dashboard? Pay €0.50 per invoice incl. VAT without a subscription. The recommendation above compares subscriptions.

See pricing →

A good fit if

  • You invoice advisory days, project phases or fixed retainers
  • Your clients ask for project or purchase references
  • You want to automate fixed monthly fees

Not the right choice if

  • You need project budgets, margins and timesheets in one consulting system
  • You require an integration with a mandatory procurement portal

Ready to create an invoice?

User-friendly invoicing from €2.50 per month excl. VAT, cancel any month.