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Invoices

Elastic Time generates professional PDF invoices directly from your tracked time. Select phases, customize the details, and download ready-to-send invoices.

Invoice preview

Generating an Invoice

Step 1: Select Phases

  1. Go to Invoice
  2. Select one or more phases from the dropdown
  3. All phases must be from the same contract

When you select phases:

  • The date range is determined from the phases
  • The billing rate comes from the phase (or contract)
  • Activities within those phases are included

Step 2: Review the Preview

The invoice preview shows:

  • Your company information
  • Client billing details
  • Line items (phases or categories)
  • Hours and amounts
  • Tax calculations
  • Total due

Step 3: Customize

All fields in the preview are editable:

  • Click any field to edit
  • Changes auto-save
  • Customize for this specific invoice

Step 4: Download PDF

Click “Download PDF” to generate the final invoice. The PDF is ready to send to your client.

Invoice Structure

Contains your company information:

  • Company name
  • Address
  • Phone number
  • Email

Configure these in Preferences.

Client Information

Shows the client’s billing details:

  • Client/company name
  • Billing address
  • Billing email

Configure per client in their detail page.

Invoice Details

  • Invoice Number - Auto-generated, editable
  • Invoice Date - Defaults to today, editable

Line Items

By default, each phase is a line item showing:

  • Phase name
  • Hours worked
  • Rate
  • Amount

Tag Category Breakdown

When tag categorization is enabled for a client:

  • Activities are grouped by tag category
  • Each category becomes a line item
  • Shows the category’s invoice label
  • Displays hours and amount per category

See Clients & Projects for setup.

Totals

The totals section shows:

  • Subtotal (before tax)
  • Tax amount (if configured)
  • Total due

Customizable footer text for payment terms, bank details, and other notes. Use lines with 2+ dashes to create horizontal rules. Configure the default footer in Preferences.

Persistent Changes

Some changes persist for future invoices:

  • Company information saves to Preferences
  • Client information saves to the client record

Invoice-specific edits (like invoice number) apply only to that invoice.

Tax Settings

Tax Label

The label shown next to tax amount. Examples:

  • “VAT” (UK, EU)
  • “GST” (Canada, Australia)
  • “Sales Tax” (US)

Tax Rate

The percentage applied to the subtotal:

  • Set your default rate in Preferences
  • Override per invoice if needed
  • Leave blank for tax-exempt invoices

Multi-Phase Invoices

Select multiple phases to combine them into one invoice:

  1. All phases must be from the same contract
  2. Each phase becomes a line item
  3. Hours and amounts are summed
  4. Useful for billing multiple periods at once

Best Practices

Before Generating

  1. Review the phase in Reports
  2. Verify all activities are properly logged
  3. Check the billing total matches expectations
  4. Confirm client billing details are current

Invoice Numbering

Use consistent invoice numbers:

  • Sequential numbers (001, 002, 003)
  • Date-based (2024-001, 2024-002)
  • Client-prefixed (ACME-001, ACME-002)

Record Keeping

After downloading:

  • Save a copy for your records
  • Note the invoice in your accounting system
  • Track payment status separately