Timesheet Invoice Template
A timesheet invoice bills hours, and shows the log behind them: each date, what you worked on, when you started and finished, the total hours and the rate. It suits contractors, consultants, IT and support work, staffing and any job billed by time, especially for clients who must approve hours before accounts payable will pay. The client checks three things: that the dates and tasks match what they saw, that the hours add up, and that any overtime or after-hours rate is the one in the contract. So this template puts the billing period, the approver, the daily log, the rounding rule and the split between regular and overtime hours in their own fields, and keeps expenses off the time lines. The download is an editable HTML invoice with invoice number, dates, a line table and totals: fill it in your browser and print it or save it as PDF. In InvoiceQuickly, Pro tracks time with a timer or manual entries and bills selected hours into one draft invoice, and Business can import entries from Clockify, Toggl Track, Harvest or ClickUp. Hours from your own timesheet also work: type or say the hours and rates to get an editable invoice draft.
Preview this editable document
Download the HTML file to edit its fields, then print or save as PDF. Totals are entered manually.
What This Template Includes
- Billing period (week or month) and timesheet reference
- Worker name, if you bill for more than one person
- Client approver and approval date
- Project, cost code or purchase order number
- Daily log: date, task, start and finish times
- Unpaid breaks deducted
- Rounding rule, for example to the nearest 0.25 hour
- Total hours: regular and overtime or after-hours
- Hourly rate and overtime or premium rate, per contract
- Expenses, listed separately from time
How to Create Your Timesheet Invoice
- 01
Describe your work
Type a plain English description of the services you provided, the client, and the amount.
- 02
AI generates your invoice
InvoiceQuickly's AI drafts the client, line items, dates, and totals for you to review before saving.
- 03
Review, download, and send
Check every detail, download the PDF, or use Pro to email the PDF directly to your client.
Recommended Payment Terms
Bill on the same cycle as the timesheet: weekly for staffing and short engagements, every two weeks or monthly for longer contracts. Many clients will only pay a timesheet invoice once a named person has approved the hours, so send the timesheet for approval first, or attach it and name the approver on the invoice. Net 14 or net 30 is usual; print the actual due date. If the contract caps hours per week or requires written approval for overtime, quote that approval on the invoice. Weekly billing keeps disputes small: a query about one day in a five-day log is quicker to settle than one buried in a month of entries.
Need help writing payment terms? Read our guide to invoice payment terms for best practices and templates.
Tax Information
A timesheet invoice is an ordinary sales invoice, so the same tax rules apply as for any service you sell. In the United States, whether hourly services carry sales tax depends on the state and the service, and a business that pays you $2,000 or more in 2026 generally reports it on Form 1099-NEC (the threshold was $600 for payments made before 2026). Employment rules are a separate matter. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, covered non-exempt employees must receive overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek at not less than one and a half times their regular rate; a genuine independent contractor's overtime or after-hours rate is whatever the contract says. The US Department of Labor warns that a worker treated as a contractor who is in law an employee may be owed minimum wage and overtime. If you are an employee, you are paid through payroll, not by invoice. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage per invoice and copies saved tax IDs to new invoice PDFs. General information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed: 28 October 2026.
Industry context (2026)
The US Department of Labor's rules for employees are the reference point many clients bring to contractor timesheets, so it helps to know where they stop. The Wage and Hour Division states that, unless exempt, employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act must receive overtime for hours worked over 40 in a workweek at not less than time and one-half their regular rate, and that a workweek is a fixed, regularly recurring period of 168 hours. For employee timekeeping, 29 CFR 785.48(b) accepts recording start and stop times to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth or quarter of an hour only if, over time, the rounding averages out so that employees are fully paid for the time they actually worked. These rules govern employers and employees: an independent contractor's billing increment and overtime rate are contract terms. The Department also warns that misclassifying an employee as an independent contractor can deprive the worker of minimum wage and overtime. Sources accessed 28 October 2026; general information, not legal advice.
Worked example
Worked example (illustrative rates): an independent IT contractor supports a client's office move in the week of Monday 2 to Friday 6 November 2026. The contract sets $80.00 an hour, hours over 40 in a week at $120.00 with the client's written approval, and each entry rounded to the nearest 0.25 hour. The log reads: Monday 2 November, network survey and cabling plan, 8:00 to 16:30 less a 30-minute break, 8.0 hours; Tuesday, server migration, 9.5 hours; Wednesday, set-up of 24 workstations, 8.0 hours; Thursday, evening cutover approved by the office manager, 10.0 hours; Friday, user support and handover notes, 7.5 hours. Total 43.0 hours. Invoice INV-0093, dated 9 November 2026, net 14: Line 1: regular hours, 2 to 6 November, 40 × $80.00 = $3,200.00. Line 2: hours over 40, approved by email on 5 November, 3 × $120.00 = $360.00. Subtotal $3,560.00, with the daily log in the notes. Rounding changes the bill more than most people expect. Take five short support tasks of 47, 112, 22, 188 and 13 minutes, 382 minutes or 6.37 hours in all, worth $509.33 at $80.00. Rounding each entry up to the next 15 minutes bills 6.75 hours, $540.00 (about 6% more); rounding each up to the next 6 minutes bills 6.6 hours, $528.00; rounding each to the nearest 15 minutes bills 6.25 hours, $500.00. None of these is wrong if the contract says so, but the client should be able to see which rule you used.
Common mistakes to avoid
Totals without a log
'43 hours, $3,560' gives the approver nothing to check, so the invoice waits. Show the dates and tasks, or attach the approved timesheet and quote its reference.
Rounding every entry up
Rounding each of many short tasks up to 15 minutes inflates the bill and is easy for a client to spot. State the rule and apply it consistently.
Overtime the client did not approve
A premium rate for hours the client never authorised is likely to be refused. Note the approval and the contract clause on the overtime line.
Expenses mixed into hours
Adding mileage or parking to the hourly total hides costs the client needs to see. Put each expense on its own line at cost.
Invoicing like an employee
If the client sets your hours, supplies your tools and directs the work like an employer, a contractor invoice may not reflect the real relationship. Check your classification before you bill.
Invoicing Tips
- 1Log start and finish times on the day, not from memory at the end of the week. A log written on Friday is where most disputed hours come from.
- 2Write tasks the client recognises ('Ticket 4182: printer queue fix'), not 'IT support'. The approver signs off on the tasks, not on your total.
- 3State your rounding rule once on the invoice and apply it the same way to every entry. Rounding every entry up to 15 minutes can add several percent to a week of short tasks.
- 4Keep overtime as its own line with its rate and the approval that allowed it. A contract overtime rate the client did not expect is the line most often held back.
- 5Put mileage, parking and other expenses on separate lines at cost with receipts, never inside the hours.
- 6If you keep the log in your own tool, bill the totals as lines (hours as the quantity, decimals allowed) and paste the daily log into the notes, which take up to 5,000 characters. InvoiceQuickly has no client approval step for hours, so get sign-off before you send.
Related Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a timesheet invoice?
An invoice that bills hours worked and shows the record behind them: dates, tasks, start and finish times, total hours and the rate. It is used for hourly contracts, staffing and support work, where the client needs to check and approve the time before paying.
What should a timesheet invoice include?
Your details and the client's, an invoice number and date, the billing period, the daily log with dates, tasks and hours, the hourly rate and any overtime rate, total hours split into regular and overtime, the approver's name, expenses on separate lines, tax if it applies, the total, the due date and payment details.
Can I attach a timesheet to an invoice instead?
Yes. Many contractors invoice the totals ('40 regular hours at $80, 3 overtime hours at $120') and attach the approved timesheet. That works when the client's system needs both. Put the timesheet reference on the invoice so they stay matched.
How should I round hours on a timesheet invoice?
Use the increment in your contract, commonly 6 minutes (0.1 hour) or 15 minutes, and apply it the same way every time. Rounding each short entry up costs the client more than rounding the daily or weekly total, so say which you do.
Do contractors get overtime on a timesheet invoice?
Only if the contract says so. The FLSA's time-and-a-half rule covers non-exempt employees, not genuine independent contractors, whose overtime or after-hours rate is a commercial term. If the client sets your hours and controls the work like an employer, check your classification.
Does InvoiceQuickly have time tracking?
Yes, on Pro ($9 a month). Log time against a client or project with a start/stop timer or manual entries, then select unbilled entries and bill them into one draft invoice you review. Business ($19 a month) can also import entries from Clockify, Toggl Track, Harvest or ClickUp. There is no client approval step for hours. Free covers 5 invoices and 3 AI drafts in total and has no time tracking.