Track the retainer balance for every client. Share it live.
A retainer works like a prepaid hours account: the client deposits a monthly budget, and you draw against it as work happens. HourTab tracks that balance per client and generates a live URL they can bookmark — like a bank statement page they can open whenever the “how many hours do I have left?” question arises, without calling you.
Free forever for your first retainer · no credit card.
Why tracking the retainer balance manually fails
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The balance is a moving number that needs a live home.
A retainer balance changes every time you log hours. A spreadsheet or a static email report captures the balance at one point in time — it’s wrong by the next day. HourTab keeps the balance live: every CSV import recalculates it and the client’s URL reflects the current number. There’s no snapshot to go stale.
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Clients who can’t see their balance make bad decisions.
A client who doesn’t know their hours balance either holds back valid requests (leaving value on the table) or over-commits scope (setting up a billing dispute). Both outcomes hurt the retainer relationship. Visibility prevents both: when a client can see “6 of 20 hours used • 14 remaining,” they can request work appropriately and budget the remaining hours toward their priorities.
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Across multiple clients, balance-tracking multiplies the admin burden.
With five clients, that’s five spreadsheet tabs to maintain, five email threads to search for the most recent hour count, and five separate clients who might ask their balance question on the same afternoon. HourTab manages each client’s balance independently, with no manual reconciliation needed across clients.
How HourTab tracks and shares your clients’ retainer balance
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1
Open the retainer. Set the monthly hours budget (the “deposit”) per client and the billing cycle reset date. HourTab maintains one balance per retainer.
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2
Log the “withdrawals.” Import a CSV from Toggl, Harvest, Clockify, or another compatible tracker. Each entry draws against the balance. The work log shows every transaction: date, description, hours.
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3
Share the balance page. Each client gets a unique public URL showing their current balance as a progress bar plus the full transaction history. Send it once. They check it whenever they want.
At cycle end, the balance resets. Archived entries stay available for reference. The next cycle starts fresh.
“It is frustrating to be contacted by clients looking to find out how many hours they have left, or why something took more hours than usual.”
— Bonsai’s guide to freelance retainers
HourTab answers both questions proactively — balance is visible in the progress bar, transaction detail is visible in the work log.
Client retainer balance — FAQ
What is a client retainer balance?
A client retainer balance is the hours remaining this cycle: the hours the client paid for minus the hours already logged. HourTab tracks this per client and shares it as a live URL they can bookmark without logging in.
How do I share the retainer balance with my client?
HourTab generates a unique public URL for each retainer. Paste it into your onboarding email. Your client bookmarks it. The balance updates automatically each time you import a CSV — no emails, no portal logins, no manual reports.
Can clients see a history of how hours were used?
Yes. HourTab’s work log shows each time entry like a bank statement: date, description, and hours drawn. Clients see both the current balance and the full history of what hours covered this cycle.
What happens to unused balance hours at month end?
That depends on your retainer agreement. HourTab’s Studio plan supports rollover rules — unused hours can expire, roll forward, or accumulate to a cap. The client’s balance reflects whichever rule you’ve configured.