Invoicing with Hourly Clients (No Manual Time)

[#1]

You don't need to invoice clients for your hourly work. It is automatically done because you started a work session with the desktop time-tracker application when you worked (and stopped the tracker when you finished working).

I have logged thousands of hours. I don't create invoices. The clients don't do anything. The money simply goes into my account.

[#2]

OK, well, what if there's no way to track the work I do or have done using the desktop tracker (which I don't have installed and don't intend to use.) Is that really the only option?

[#3]

re: "what if there's no way to track the work I do or have done using the desktop tracker (which I don't have installed and don't intend to use.) Is that really the only option?"

That is not the only option. You have six options. You may use any of these as long as you and the client agree, and as long as you don't violate Upwork TOS.

fixed-price contracts

hourly pay using time-tracker

hourly pay using manually logged time

automatic weekly retainer contract

automatic weekly "salary" associated with hourly contract

paid via bonus

[#4]

And keep in mind that the time-tracker is NOT a time clock. Upwork has no time clock.

One does not simply use the app to clock in and then later clock out. The time-tracker does not count work segments with insufficient mouse/keyboard activity.

For non-computer-based work such as photographing bridges or painting a book cover in oil, one uses manually logged time, not the time-tracker. (Or a fixed-price contract.)

And some freelancers use manually logged time even for their computer-based work. Which is fine, as long as they understand the advantages and disadvantages of the various options.

[#5]

Right, let's say it's a phone call and they don't allow manual time. What would I do now? This doesn't seem to fall under the six options.

[#6]

I get paid for phone calls that I have with clients, whether or not they allow hourly time.

During the phone call, I take notes on the computer, with enough mouse/keyboard activity that the time is counted by the time-tracker.

[#7]

Ah, well, that wouldn't work for me because 1) I get very distracted by screen when I'm on the phone and, on a consultation call, I want them to feel that I have my full focus and not hear typing in the background and 2) this already happened.

[#8]

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Brian F wrote:

Right, let's say it's a phone call and they don't allow manual time. What would I do now? 

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You can ask the client to pay you via a bonus or to enable manual time.