Retainer Billing
After creating a Retainer Bill, use this article to add time and expenses, check payment status, edit, and archive or delete.
Why it matters: The value of a Retainer Bill is in keeping it current — applying work as it's logged and monitoring the retainer balance so you always know where the engagement stands.
Required: Access to Time & Billing Permissions
Table of Contents
Add Time to a Retainer Bill
A time entry must already be saved for the client before it can be added to a Retainer Bill.
Go to Time > WIP Report.
Select the client the time was logged for.
Check the box next to each time entry you want to add.
Click Add to Invoice > Add to Retainer Bill.
Select the Retainer Bill from the side panel.
You can click View Retainer Bill from this panel to review the current balance before adding.
Click Add.
Review and adjust details as needed — rates, descriptions, and dates can all be updated here.
Click Save to apply the time to the Retainer Bill.
Repeat to continue adding WIP. Click Send when you're ready to bill the client.
📝 Note: Applied WIP is removed from the WIP report. The Retainer Bill displays how much of the retainer has been used and how much remains — amounts that exceed the retainer balance display in red. WIP cannot be auto-linked to a Retainer Bill.
Add Time and Expenses to a Retainer Bill
A Retainer Bill must be active in order to add Time and Expenses.
Go to Billing > Invoices > Retainer Billing.
Open the Retainer Bill.
Click Add Expenses.
Add line items as you would for a traditional invoice.
Click Save or Send.
Track Payment Status
You can check whether a client has paid the retainer invoice from two places.
From the Retainer Bills table (Billing > Invoices > Retainer Bills):
Waiting for Payment — retainer invoice has not been paid
In Retainer — retainer invoice has been paid
From the Invoices table (Billing > Invoices):
Locate the Retainer Bill # column.
If populated, the invoice is a Retainer Bill invoice.
If blank, it's a standard invoice.
Edit a Retainer Bill
Retainer Bills can only be edited if the retainer invoice has not been fully paid.
Open the retainer invoice and click Edit — or go to Billing > Invoices > Retainer Bills and click the Retainer Bill ID.
Update the retainer invoice details, or add and adjust WIP and line items as needed.
Totals display in red if applied work exceeds the retainer amount.
Click Save.
Archive or Delete a Retainer Invoice
A Retainer Invoice can only be deleted after it has been archived, and all associated payments must be removed first.
Cash, Check, or Other payments: delete the payment.
Credit, Debit, or ACH payments: refund the payment
Archive a Retainer Invoice
Archiving cancels the Retainer Invoice and makes it view-only.
Go to Billing > Invoices.
Locate the retainer invoice using the Retainer # column.
Select the invoice and click the archive icon.
Archived Retainer Bills can not be deleted unless the associated payments are deleted.
Delete an Archived Retainer Invoice
Go to Billing > Invoices > Archived Invoices
Click the checkbox to select the invoice.
Click the Delete icon to permanently delete the invoice.
You can also click Move to Active to reactivate the invoice.
📝 Note: If the retainer invoice was paid before archiving, associated WIP remains on the Retainer Bill but is disabled. To return that WIP to the WIP report: unarchive the invoice, remove the WIP, then re-archive.
Delete a Retainer
You can only delete a retainer when its status is Draft or Canceled and all of its associated invoices and payments have been archived or deleted.
Navigate to Billing > Invoices > Retainer Billing.
If the retainer's status is In Progress or Waiting for Payment, archive its invoice first:
Click the Invoice # associated with the retainer.
Click the 3-dot icon on the invoice, then click Archive. The retainer's status updates to Canceled.
Click the Retainer #.
Click the Delete icon.
If no payments are associated with the retainer, this permanently deletes it — you're done.
If a payment is still associated, a pop-up appears. Click Take me to payments to open the Payments dashboard.
Delete any payments associated with the retainer.
Navigate back to Billing > Invoices > Retainer Billing.
Click the Retainer #, then click the Delete icon to permanently delete the retainer.
Pay a Retainer Invoice
Skip this section if your client is paying through the Client Portal.
Retainer invoices can be paid the same ways as standard invoices: through the Client Portal, from the Invoices table, from the Payments page, or by applying an existing credit.
To apply a credit as payment:
Create a credit for a service item (for example, Deposit).
Go to the Credits page and apply the credit to the retainer invoice.
Summary
Managing a Retainer Bill means applying WIP as work is completed, monitoring the retainer balance, and updating details as the engagement evolves. Use the archive workflow to cancel a Retainer Bill if a project doesn't move forward.
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