Itemised by workstream
Model each workstream as a project. The invoice arrives grouped by workstream with hours, rate and the descriptions you tracked, which is usually enough to skip the "can you break this down?" email entirely.
For consultants
Retainers, variable rates and the detail clients ask for
Consulting invoices get scrutinised. Finance teams ask what the hours were spent on, and an invoice that says '32 hours — consulting' invites a delay you cannot afford.
What makes a consulting invoice get paid quickly
Defensible rounding
Round to six or fifteen minutes if that is your convention — but rounding applies to the project total for the period, not to each entry. Rounding every entry up is how a 30-minute day bills as 90.
Clean payment terms
Net 14, net 30 or your own. The due date is computed from the issue date and printed on the invoice, so there is no ambiguity about when the clock started.
Multi-month engagements
Long engagements accumulate context that a stopwatch throws away. Because every entry keeps its description, project and the rate that applied at the time, an engagement that ran from January to September can still be reconstructed accurately in October.
Billing across currencies
Currency is set per client, so a consultant working with clients in different countries bills each in their own currency from one account. Tax rows are configured per invoice template, which is usually where VAT, GST or sales tax needs to appear.
Your records stay yours
Consulting work sometimes needs to be evidenced years later. Export everything as CSV or JSON whenever you want, including after you stop paying us.