Blog

Time billing, the Xero way

Guides on turning tracked time into Xero invoices, billing retainers, and the numbers that decide whether the work was worth it.

Billing economics · 5 min read

Client Request Management for Agencies: Turning Email Into Billable Work

Most agencies lose more margin to unlogged client email than to any single project overrun. How to run client requests as a shared queue, and how to make sure the hours around the work reach an invoice.

Read more
Billing economics · 6 min read

Agency Profitability: 2026 Benchmarks and How to Improve It

Agency profitability benchmarks for 2026, the levers that move the margin, and why client and retainer-level profit matters more than project averages.

Read more
Billing economics · 6 min read

Retainer Billing Explained: How Agencies Bill Retainer Clients

How retainer billing works, drawdown versus logged hours, over and under-servicing, and how to invoice a retainer period straight through Xero.

Read more
Billing economics · 6 min read

How to Set Consulting Rates That Actually Cover Your Costs

A utilization-adjusted method for setting consulting and agency rates that cover your real costs, plus why a good rate still fails if the hours never get invoiced.

Read more
Billing economics · 5 min read

Billable Utilization Rate: Formula and Benchmarks

The billable utilization formula, realistic benchmarks by role, and why high utilization still leaks money if the hours never reach a Xero invoice.

Read more
Billing economics · 5 min read

Billable vs Non-Billable Hours, Explained

What counts as billable, what does not, and why the most expensive category is billable time that never makes it onto a Xero invoice.

Read more
Billing economics · 7 min read

How to Increase Billable Hours (Without Working More)

Most firms do not need longer days to bill more. They need to capture the billable time they already work and get it onto a Xero invoice.

Read more