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Agency & Client Ops

Time Tracking → Client Invoices

Logged hours become line items on a Stripe invoice every billing cycle.

Saves about ~2 hrs per week

What it does

  • Collects time entries per client and project
  • Groups and rounds them into invoice line items
  • Creates the Stripe invoice automatically
  • Sends it with a clear summary so clients don't push back

How it works

  1. Time entries synced from your tracker
  2. Line items grouped by project
  3. Stripe invoice created
  4. Invoice sent to the client

What's included

  • Time tracker sync
  • Line item rules
  • Stripe invoice sending

Set it up yourself

Follow these 4 steps in order. You will need accounts for: Stripe.

Step 1: Connect your time tracker

  1. Use your time tool's API (Toggl/Clockify) with a read token.
  2. In the workflow, pull time entries for the billing period.
  3. Map project → client (a sheet mapping cleans this).
  4. Test the pull returns entries.
  5. Set the billing period date range.

Watch out: Map project → client explicitly — an invoice to the wrong client because a project had no mapping is an awkward email to take back.

Step 2: Set grouping rules

  1. Group by client then project.
  2. Sum hours per group and multiply by the project's rate (store rates in a sheet).
  3. Decide rounding (to nearest 0.25h is common, or bill exact).
  4. Add a 'description' per line item ('Project X — 12.5h @ $80').
  5. Test the line item math with known numbers.

Watch out: Rate source matters — pulling rates from a sheet you maintain is more reliable than letting the AI 'recall' them. Keep a rate table.

Step 3: Connect Stripe

  1. Create a restricted key with invoices:write + customers:read + products:write.
  2. In the workflow, add the Stripe 'Create Invoice' action.
  3. Add line items with the computed amounts and descriptions.
  4. Set the invoice due date per your terms.
  5. Test invoice creation in test mode.

Watch out: Invoice creation needs write scope — keep it to a dedicated restricted key so the rest of your automations stay read-only.

Step 4: Schedule the cycle

  1. Schedule the flow on your billing cycle day (e.g. the 1st).
  2. Before creating, check for existing invoices for the same client/period to avoid dupes.
  3. After creation, send the invoice via Stripe's hosted send or your email tool.
  4. Write the invoice ID + amount to the tracker for the record.
  5. Test the full cycle once before going live.

Watch out: The dupe-check prevents error invoices — a doubled invoice for '12.5h' is a trivially caught mistake that automation must never make.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Time Tracking → Client Invoices automation do?

Logged hours become line items on a Stripe invoice every billing cycle. Collects time entries per client and project

How much time does Time Tracking → Client Invoices save?

It is estimated to save ~2 hrs per week. Actual savings depend on your volume.

Which tools does Time Tracking → Client Invoices use?

It works with Stripe.

What does Time Tracking → Client Invoices include?

Time tracker sync, Line item rules, Stripe invoice sending.

Can I set up Time Tracking → Client Invoices myself?

Yes. The do-it-yourself guide on this page walks through 4 steps, from getting access to testing the finished automation.