2026-11-10 · 4 min read · By the Kluvan team
From timesheets to invoices without losing billable hours
How consultancies and agencies stop losing billable hours: locked timesheets, project budgets and five ways to invoice, in Kluvan Projects and Books.
Billable hours get lost between the timesheet and the invoice: time typed late, edited after the fact, or never billed because nobody connected it to the client. The fix is one chain with no copying: staff log time against a project, a manager approves and locks the week, and the approved time and expenses become the invoice. In Kluvan, Projects does the first part and raises milestone, progress, time-and-materials, advance or retention invoices straight into Books. Projects is USD 19 a month on its own, billed annually, and it is in the Service Business bundle.
Where the hours go missing
| Leak | What it looks like | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Late time entries | Friday's hours typed from memory on the 30th | Time logged on the phone, as the work happens |
| Edited timesheets | Last week's hours change after the invoice | Weekly timesheets approved and locked |
| Unbilled expenses | A taxi or a material bought for a client, never recharged | Expenses tagged to the project and its phase |
| Budget surprises | The project is over budget before anyone notices | Live margin alerts for late phases, overruns and unbilled work |
| The wrong billing type | A fixed-fee project billed by the hour, or the reverse | The billing mode set per project |
How the chain works in Kluvan
- Start the project with phases, planned dates, cost budgets and billing milestones.
- Assign tasks on the Kanban board, with checklists and dependencies.
- Log time. Staff log billable and non-billable hours, clocked or typed, from "My Work" on their phone. That view hides budgets, billing and margins unless the person has finance or project-cost permissions.
- Approve and lock the week. Managers approve weekly timesheets, which then lock against retroactive edits.
- Tag costs. Supplier bills, expense claims, field jobs and warehouse material issues tag to the project and phase, so the actual cost is live.
- Invoice. Raise the invoice in Books in one of five ways. Billed time entries and milestones lock once they are on an invoice.
Five ways to bill a project
| Billing mode | Fits |
|---|---|
| Fixed milestone | Agreed deliverables: design, build, handover |
| Percentage progress | Long fixed-fee work billed as it advances |
| Time and materials | Approved timesheets plus billable expenses |
| Advance payment | A deposit before work starts |
| Retention release | Contracting and fit-out work with a holdback |
When a client agrees a change order in Contracts, the linked project's phases and billing milestones update while the original signed scope stays intact.
What it costs
| Option | Price (per month, billed annually, before tax) |
|---|---|
| Projects on its own | USD 19, with the first 3 full users of your organisation |
| Books on its own | USD 25 |
| Service Business bundle | USD 119: CRM, Projects, Field jobs, Books, Contracts, Customer portal, Collections Essentials, Quality, with 5 full users |
| Kluvan One | USD 199, every app |
Extra full users are USD 12 per seat a month and field users USD 5. Monthly billing costs more; Kluvan charges in USD only. See the pricing page and the Projects app. Kluvan for service businesses shows the whole path from quote to job to invoice.
A checklist for your next project
- The billing mode agreed with the client and set on the project.
- Phases with budgets, and milestones with amounts.
- Every person on the project logs time weekly, on the phone or the web.
- One manager approves and locks timesheets every Monday.
- Every client expense tagged to the project the day it is paid.
- One invoice run a month from approved time, never from memory.
When this is not for you
If you bill a handful of fixed fees a year with no time tracking, Books on its own, or even the free Books Starter, is enough. If your team works offline at client sites without a connection, Kluvan's apps need the internet. If you want the accepted quote to create the project by itself, that link is marked "Coming soon" on the Projects page. And if you need a shop till, Kluvan has no point-of-sale till. Read who Kluvan is not for.
Questions and answers
Can staff log time without seeing project prices?
Yes. "My Work" and the standard team and field roles hide budget, billing and margin figures unless the user holds finance or project-cost permissions.
Can an approved timesheet be changed later?
No. Once a weekly timesheet is approved, or a time entry is billed on an invoice, it is locked.
Which billing methods does Projects support?
Five: fixed milestones, percentage progress, time and materials, advance invoices and retention release.
Can I try Projects before I pay?
Yes. Every new organisation gets 14 days of Kluvan One free, with every app and no card.
Bill this month's hours: try Kluvan free for 14 days.
