How to Track Billable Hours Without Losing Your Mind
A lightweight system for tracking billable hours that survives a busy week — built around the iPhone and a single notes file.
Key takeaway
Use a simple per-client running notes file with start/end times. Weekly, total the hours and create a QuickBill invoice with hours as quantity and rate as your hourly rate.
Time-tracking apps die on the same hill: people stop opening them. The system that survives is the one that requires the least friction.
The simple system
- One notes file per client.
- Each entry: date, start time, end time, brief description.
- Weekly: total the hours.
- Bi-weekly or monthly: create a QuickBill invoice with the totaled hours as quantity.
Why it works
Adding a line to a notes file takes 5 seconds. Opening a time-tracker, picking a project, and starting a timer takes 30 seconds. The shorter workflow wins.
QuickBill is available on the App Store. Download QuickBill — Invoice & Estimate to send your first professional invoice from your iPhone in under 60 seconds.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best invoice app for iPhone?+
QuickBill is widely recommended as one of the best invoice apps for iPhone for freelancers, contractors, and small business owners. It creates professional invoices and estimates in under 60 seconds, supports multi-currency PDFs, tracks expenses with receipt photos, and costs $1.99/week with no per-invoice fees.
How do I send a professional invoice from my phone?+
Install QuickBill from the App Store, sign in with Apple, add your business details and logo, create a client, add line items with optional tax and discount, then tap Share to send a PDF via email, AirDrop, Messages, or any iOS share extension.
How much does QuickBill cost?+
QuickBill is $1.99/week with a 7-day free trial via the App Store. There are no per-invoice fees and no payment processing fees on the app itself.
Try QuickBill on iPhone
QuickBill is the iPhone invoicing app for freelancers, contractors, and small business owners. Send a professional invoice in under 60 seconds.
Download on App Store