The retainer hours remaining calculator that shares itself.
Calculating retainer hours remaining is simple arithmetic: total hours minus hours used. The hard part is sharing that number with your client in real time, without you having to do the math again every time they ask. HourTab is the retainer hours remaining calculator that updates automatically from your CSV and generates a shareable URL your client can bookmark — so you calculate once, and they can check anytime.
Free forever for your first retainer · no credit card.
Why “hours remaining” is harder than it sounds
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The calculation is easy. Keeping it current is the work.
Total retainer hours minus hours logged this cycle. You can do that arithmetic in five seconds. The problem is that the answer changes every time you log more time — so it’s never actually final until the cycle ends. A spreadsheet formula stays stale the moment you add a new time entry and forget to update it. HourTab re-calculates automatically every time you import a CSV, so the number is always current.
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Clients ask at the worst moments.
The “how many hours do I have left?” message tends to arrive when you’re deep in a work session. Answering it means switching context, opening your tracker, filtering by client, summing the column, subtracting from the cap, and replying. HourTab makes that answer available to the client directly — as a URL they can open any time without messaging you.
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Multiple clients means multiple calculations.
With five retainer clients, that’s five different calculations to maintain, five different places where the number lives, and five clients who can ask the same question independently. HourTab maintains a separate live calculation per client — one import per client, one URL per client, zero mental overhead between them.
How HourTab calculates and shares retainer hours remaining
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1
Set the retainer budget. Enter the total hours per cycle and the billing reset date. HourTab uses this as the “cap” for the remaining-hours calculation.
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2
Import your time entries. Export a CSV from Toggl, Harvest, Clockify, FreshBooks, or Hubstaff. HourTab sums the hours logged this cycle and subtracts from the budget. Remaining hours update in real time.
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3
Share the result. Each retainer gets a unique public URL showing the hours remaining as a progress bar, plus the full work log. Your client bookmarks it and checks it whenever the question crosses their mind.
Import weekly, or after each work session. The calculation stays current. The client-facing URL updates automatically.
“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 turns that question into a URL. Your client stops asking it. You stop answering it.
Retainer hours remaining — FAQ
How do I calculate retainer hours remaining?
Retainer hours remaining = total retainer hours per cycle minus hours logged this cycle. HourTab automates this: import a CSV, set the retainer budget, and the remaining hours update automatically. You can also share the result as a live URL your client can check.
Can I share the retainer hours remaining with my client automatically?
Yes. That’s HourTab’s core feature. Every retainer gets a unique public URL that displays hours remaining as a live progress bar. Your client bookmarks it and checks whenever they want — no login required. Import a new CSV and the balance updates instantly.
What if I have multiple retainer clients?
Each retainer client gets their own separate URL in HourTab. The free plan covers 1 retainer. The Solo plan ($9/mo) covers up to 10. The Studio plan ($19/mo) is unlimited. Each client only sees their own retainer.
Does the hours remaining reset automatically at the billing cycle?
Yes. You set the reset date when you create the retainer. HourTab resets the counter at the start of each new cycle and archives the previous period’s entries so you have a record.