How to use the time log to invoice lines
- Paste your time log, one entry per line, as date, project, time, note. Time can be 2.5, 2.5h, 1:30, 90m or 1h30m. The note is optional and may contain commas.
- Enter your default hourly rate. Under Advanced options you can give a rate for particular projects, such as Branding, 95, and set how to round the time.
- Choose whether to round each project total or each entry.
- Read the invoice lines, with hours, rate and amount, and the total. Copy them or download the CSV.
Formula
project minutes = sum of the minutes of its entries (rounded per your choice)
line amount = round half up (minutes x hourly rate in cents / 60)
total = sum of the line amounts
Time is held in whole minutes and money in whole cents, so the lines always add up to the total. Projects are matched ignoring capital letters, and the line description lists the first notes for that project.
A week of work for three projects
The log has Website 2.5 hours, 1:30 and 3 hours (420 minutes in all, 7.00 hours), Support 0:45 and 20m (65 minutes, 1.08 hours) and Branding 90m (1.50 hours). At a default of $75 an hour and $95 for Branding, the lines are $525.00, $81.25 and $142.50, a total of $748.75 for 9.58 logged hours.
Rounding each project total up to 15 minutes changes Support to 75 minutes and $93.75, and the total to $761.25. Rounding each entry to the nearest 15 minutes turns Support's 20 minutes into 15, so Support becomes 60 minutes and $75.00.
Rounding and fairness
Some work agreements bill in minimum blocks, such as fifteen minutes. Rounding every entry up favors the person billing and can add noticeably over a week of short tasks, while rounding the project total changes the bill only a little. The page shows logged and billed hours side by side so both parties can see the effect.
Whatever you choose, make sure it matches what you agreed with the client. The page only does the arithmetic.
What an invoice still needs
The result is a set of lines, not a finished invoice. Add your details, the client, an invoice number, dates and payment terms, and any tax or discount that applies to you. The Invoice Generator builds a complete document from lines like these, the Timesheet Calculator totals hours from start and end times, and the Multi-Rate Tax Invoice Calculator handles taxes by line. Your log stays in your browser.
More planning tools
For exams, groups and carpools, try the Exam Time Budget Calculator, Student Group Generator and Carpool Rotation Schedule Generator.
Assumptions and limits
- Each log line has a date, a project and a time; the date is only kept as written.
- Rates are per hour, entered in dollars and cents.
- Amounts are rounded half up to the cent for each line.
- No tax, discount or fee is added.
- The example log and rates are an illustration. Replace them with your own.
Frequently asked questions
What if a note has a comma in it?
Everything after the third comma is read as the note, so commas in the note are fine. The date, project and time must not contain commas.
Does a header line cause trouble?
A first line that starts with the word Date is skipped. Any other line must have a date, a project and a time.
Why are hours shown to two decimals?
It is a common way to show time on invoices. The amount is calculated from whole minutes, not from the rounded hours, so it does not depend on the display.
Can I list every entry on its own line?
This page groups by project. To see each entry separately, use the original log, or add a short code to the project name to keep entries apart.