Retainers
Retainer burn-down before the overrun.
Track how many hours of a monthly retainer have been used, get warned before you overrun, and see the full history across billing cycles.
Per client
One active retainer per client
Live burn
Updates as you log time
Overrun alerts
Warned before you go over, not after
Capabilities
What it does
- Monthly hours allocation and remaining hours updated live
- Overrun warning at a configurable threshold (default 90%)
- Full cycle history: hours, overruns, invoiced amounts
- Time logged against the project counts against the retainer
- Retainer invoice generated at the start of each cycle
- One active retainer per client keeps the model simple
How burn-down works
- 1Allocation set once
Hours per month and monthly rate set on the retainer. Carries forward each cycle.
- 2Logged time deducts
Every hour logged against a project linked to the retainer reduces the balance.
- 3Warning before overrun
At the configured threshold, a warning appears in the sidebar and the retainer detail page.
Need to price the retainer first?
Model reserved hours, overage, expected usage and what share of your month it takes — before you quote it.
Or do it by hand, for free
A complete, editable file in Microsoft and OpenDocument formats. No signup, and it works whether or not you ever use Freshlance.
Available formats: XLSXODSPDF
Know when you’re free next.
Free forever for 2 projects and 2 clients. No credit card, no trial clock.