Invoicing Software for Consultants
Hourly engagements, monthly retainers, fixed-fee projects — consultants bill all three, often for the same client. CloudBooks handles every model without the enterprise-tool complexity.
Built Around Consulting Economics
Every hour untracked is money left on the table. CloudBooks makes tracking automatic.
Bill Every Billable Hour
Consultants under-bill by 15-30% when tracking is manual. One-click timers per engagement mean you charge for every hour you actually worked.
Hourly, Retainer, or Fixed Fee
The right billing model depends on the engagement. CloudBooks handles all three — sometimes on the same client, in the same month.
Per-Engagement Tracking
Track hours, expenses, and invoices separately per client engagement. Know exactly what each project cost you and earned you.
Retainers on Autopilot
Monthly retainer clients get invoiced automatically. Set the date and amount once — CloudBooks sends the invoice every month without a reminder from you.
See Your Real Utilization
Consultants who don't track utilization overbook, underbill, or both. CloudBooks shows billable vs non-billable hours so you can price better.
International Clients, No Friction
Advise a Berlin startup and an Austin agency? Invoice in EUR and USD with clean multi-currency accounting. Payment options that work locally.
Professional Invoices That Match Your Rate
If you charge $200/hour, your invoices should look like it. Custom branding, clean templates, itemized breakdowns — no more amateurish PDFs.
Track Client Time from Anywhere
Client call from the airport lounge? Start the timer on your phone. Every billable minute captured, even from a hotel room in Singapore.
Per-Client Utilization Reporting
See how many hours you actually spent on each client vs what you billed. Spot the clients who take twice as long as they should — and price accordingly next quarter.
- Billable vs non-billable hours per client
- Effective hourly rate calculation
- Realization-rate reporting
- Quarter-over-quarter comparison
Retainer Automation
For clients on monthly retainer — advisory work, ongoing consulting, fractional roles — invoices go out automatically on the 1st. You focus on client outcomes, not invoicing dates.
- Auto-recurring monthly invoices
- Track hours against retainer cap
- Overage invoicing when scope grows
- Multi-month retainer contracts
Expense Pass-Through Billing
Travel, software, subcontractor fees — expenses that need to be billed back to the client. Log them against the client, mark billable, and they show up on the next invoice automatically.
- Billable expense tagging
- Auto-add to next client invoice
- Receipt photos attached to expenses
- Markup rules per client
Statement of Work Alignment
Every consulting engagement has a scope. Link invoices to the SOW, track hours against the agreed budget, and know before you overrun. No more awkward 'we went over budget' emails.
- Project budgets by engagement
- Budget-vs-actual dashboards
- Alerts when 80% of budget consumed
- Change-order tracking
CloudBooks vs Consultant Alternatives
Purpose-built for consultants who bill time, not enterprise finance teams.
| Feature | CloudBooks | Enterprise PSA Tools | Excel + PayPal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time tracking per client | Built in | Separate timer app | Manual log |
| Retainer automation | Full auto-invoicing | Manual reminder | Miss half of them |
| Utilization reporting | Real-time | Not available | Not applicable |
| Expense pass-through | Auto-attached | Manual copy-paste | Track in Excel |
| Multi-currency | 160+ currencies | Limited | USD only |
| Client portal | Full portal | Email PDFs | None |
| Starting price | $9/mo | $29-79/mo | Free (but slow) |
| Mobile time tracking | Full mobile app | Add-on | Impossible |
“I run a two-person strategy consultancy. Between hourly work, retainers, and fixed-fee sprints, my old system was three spreadsheets and a lot of Sunday-night stress. CloudBooks consolidated it, and my effective billing rate went up 12% just from catching hours I used to lose.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions from independent consultants.
Can I bill different clients at different hourly rates?
How do I invoice a retainer client for overages?
Can I invoice on behalf of an LLC or S-Corp?
How do I handle W-9s and 1099s at year-end?
Can I set a project budget and get warned before I blow through it?
What if I need to invoice a subcontractor's work through my consultancy?
Ready to Get Paid Faster?
Join 30,000+ freelancers and small businesses who use CloudBooks to create invoices, track expenses, and manage their finances effortlessly.