The billing timeline lets you see exactly what a proposal will bill, and when, while you are still building it. It shows the next 12 months of invoices for your automatically billed services, so you and your client know what to expect before the agreement is signed.

Accessing the timeline

You can open the timeline at any point while you build a proposal. As you add or change services, the timeline updates so you can see the effect right away.

Open a proposal in the studio.
Click Billing timeline in the header.
Choose how you want to view your schedule using the tabs at the top of the panel.

There are three ways to look at the same schedule:

Overview shows a chart of what you will bill each month, with each service in its own color. Hover over any month to see which services make up that invoice.
By service shows one row per service, with a dot for every charge. Hover over a dot to see the amount and date. This view makes it easy to spot where a service starts, ends, or bills differently from the others.
By invoice lists each invoice with the services and total on it. Use the arrows to move from month to month.

The timeline covers your automatically billed services and shows the first 12 months. Recurring services keep billing on the same schedule after that. Services you bill manually are invoiced when the work is delivered, so they do not appear on the timeline.

Summary tiles

At the top of the timeline, three tiles give you the key numbers at a glance:

First invoice shows the amount and the date of the first invoice.
Annual recurring value shows what the proposal bills over a year for recurring services.
Total contract value shows the total value of the automatically billed charges on the timeline.

Simulate a sign date

Not sure when your client will sign? Use Simulate sign date to see how the schedule would look if they sign later than planned.

In the billing timeline, click the Simulate sign date field.
Pick a date.
Review how the first invoice, the chart, and the invoice list update.

Try a few dates to compare how the schedule shifts before you send your proposal.

Insights

Below the summary tiles, the timeline highlights things worth a second look. You will see an insight when:

Services in the same billing cycle bill on different days. Aligning them to one day means fewer invoices and fewer fees for you and your client.
A service ends partway through the schedule. For example, a service that bills 3 times will show when its last charge happens and how your monthly billing changes after that.
Your draft's annual recurring value differs from your typical agreement. The timeline compares the draft to your firm's typical agreement so you can see how this proposal measures up.

Choose what your clients see

Your clients can see their billing schedule when they review your proposal. You decide which view they get:

Timeline is the new, more detailed view. Clients step through their schedule month by month and see the services and amounts on each invoice.
By billing occurrence breaks down the services based on their billing occurrence.

To choose a view for a proposal, scroll to the bottom of the services section in the studio and use the Billing schedule display for automatic services toggle. You can also set a default for your whole business so every new proposal starts with your preferred view.

To see exactly what your client will see, click View client preview and open the Review services step.

FAQs

Why don't I see some of my services on the timeline?

The timeline shows automatically billed services. Services you bill manually are invoiced when the work is delivered, so they are not scheduled in the timeline.

Can my clients see my contract totals?

No. The summary tiles with annual recurring value and total contract value are only shown to the Service Provider.

Billing Timeline