How to Track Billable Hours on Projects

To track billable hours on projects, the record has to hold both the hours the client contracted and the hours actually worked, so the remaining balance is always visible. Overruns become something you see coming rather than something you discover when invoicing.

Why hour-based services leak margin

Selling by the hour only works if the hours are counted. In most service businesses they are counted late, and by then the margin is already gone.

Work continuing past the contracted hours without anyone noticing
Time logged in one tool and projects tracked in another
No visibility of how much of a retainer has been consumed
Project value recalculated manually every time scope changes

What the project card should show

Contracted hours agreed with the client
Worked hours logged against the project
Available balance, calculated as contracted minus worked
Percentage of hours used, shown as a chart inside the card
Project value, calculated from hours and hourly rate

How to configure it in Jestor

Create the project in Jestor through the form, entering the description, the client, the contracted hours, and the hourly rate.
Let the platform calculate the project value from hours multiplied by rate.
Track the project on a Kanban across proposal, execution, delivered, and cancelled.
Use conditional fields so a cancellation reason appears only when a proposal is refused.
Watch the hour balance and usage percentage update inside the card as work is logged.

Why choose Jestor for hour-based projects?

Jestor calculates the balance from the same records the team works in, so nobody maintains a parallel timesheet. Conditional form logic keeps data entry short — fields appear only in the phase where they matter.

One client can hold multiple projects, each with its own contracted hours and balance, which matches how retainer work is actually sold.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the available balance calculated?

Contracted hours minus the hours worked and logged in the platform.

Can one client have several projects?

Yes, each with its own hour balance. See jestor.com.

Is the project value calculated automatically?

Yes, from contracted hours and the hourly rate.

Video Tutorial: Step by Step

Check out other practical tutorials on the Jestor YouTube channel.

Get to know Jestor

With Jestor, you can automate workflows, connect teams, and build internal systems your way — all without code and powered by AI. Discover Jestor at jestor.com and see how to take your company's operations to a new level of efficiency and control.

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