TLDR (Summary)
The best invoicing for architects is Plutio ($19/month).
Architecture firms bill by phase, by hour, or by percentage of construction cost. QuickBooks or FreshBooks handle invoices but don't connect to project phases or tracked time. Plutio pulls logged hours and completed phases into invoices automatically - no CSV exports, no manual line items.
Architects using Plutio get paid by invoicing immediately when phases complete instead of waiting for month-end billing admin.
For additional strategies, read our freelance pricing guide.
What is invoicing for architects?
Invoicing for architects means billing clients for design phases, hourly work, or construction administration - usually tied to project milestones or tracked time.
Architecture billing is more complex than simple hourly invoicing. You might bill 30% at schematic design completion, 30% at design development, 30% at construction documents, and 10% during construction administration. Or you bill hourly against a not-to-exceed budget. Or you bill percentage of construction cost with monthly draws.
QuickBooks vs project-connected invoicing
QuickBooks creates invoices. You add line items manually, type descriptions, enter amounts. But QuickBooks doesn't know your project phases, doesn't track your hours, doesn't know when schematic design finished. You're the connection between project work and billing.
Plutio connects invoicing to projects. Complete schematic design, click invoice, Plutio creates line items from logged hours or the phase fee. The invoice reflects the work without manual data entry.
The billing lag problem
Most architects batch invoicing at month-end. Work completes on the 5th, invoice goes out on the 30th, payment arrives mid-next-month. That's 6 weeks between finishing work and getting paid. Connected invoicing lets you bill when work finishes - phase done Tuesday, invoice sent Wednesday, payment in 2 weeks.
Architecture invoicing shouldn't require remembering what you did and manually entering it. Invoices should build themselves from the project work.
Why architects need connected invoicing
Architecture practices that invoice from QuickBooks or FreshBooks spend 4-8 hours monthly on billing admin that connected invoicing eliminates.
The time tracking gap
You track hours in Toggl. You invoice in QuickBooks. Getting hours from Toggl to QuickBooks means: export the CSV, open in Excel, filter by client, calculate totals, manually create invoice line items. For 10 active projects, that's 2-3 hours of billing admin every invoice cycle.
When time tracking and invoicing are the same app, logged hours become invoice line items with one click. No export, no manual entry, no calculation errors.
The milestone tracking gap
Contract says invoice at schematic design completion. But when did SD complete? You check your project notes, your calendar, your email. Was it the 12th or the 15th? Did the client approve the final presentation? Connected invoicing knows - SD marked complete triggers invoice availability.
The payment follow-up gap
Invoice sent 3 weeks ago. Did they pay? You log into QuickBooks, search for the invoice, check status. Overdue - now you compose a follow-up email. Connected invoicing shows payment status in the project view and sends automatic reminders so you don't chase payments manually.
The unbilled hours problem
According to research, 50-70% of experience late payments, often because invoices go out late. For architects, hours tracked but never billed represent pure lost revenue. The gap between Toggl and QuickBooks is where billable hours disappear.
Connected invoicing closes the gap between doing work and billing for it - hours and milestones become invoices without manual translation.
The margin blindness problem
You invoice $15,000 for schematic design. You tracked 120 hours. At $125/hour, you should have billed $15,000 for 120 hours. But QuickBooks doesn't know how many hours you tracked. You don't know if the project was profitable until you manually compare invoiced amount to Toggl exports. Connected invoicing shows margin per project because hours and billing are in the same app.
Invoicing features architects need
Architecture invoicing needs phase-based billing, time import, milestone triggers, and payment tracking - not just invoice templates.
Must-have features
- Time import: Pull logged hours into invoice line items without export
- Phase billing: Invoice by project phase with automatic fee calculation
- Payment tracking: See paid vs outstanding at a glance
- Online payment: Clients pay by card or bank transfer from the invoice
- Automatic reminders: Send overdue notices without manual follow-up
- Expense attachment: Include reimbursable expenses with receipts
Nice-to-have features
- Retainer tracking: Bill against prepaid retainer balances
- Recurring invoices: Monthly retainer billing on autopilot
- Client portal: Clients view and pay invoices in one place
- Branded templates: Your logo, your colors on every invoice
The must-have is time and phase connection. If invoicing doesn't pull from tracked hours and completed milestones, you're still doing manual billing work.
Why time connection matters most
FreshBooks has nice invoice templates. QuickBooks has double-entry accounting with bank feeds and reconciliation. Wave is free. None of them pull logged hours into invoice line items without manual export and re-entry. The feature that eliminates billing admin is time-to-invoice connection, and only project-connected invoicing provides it.
Invoicing pricing for architects
Standalone invoicing runs $17-55/month. Add time tracking separately and you're paying for two apps that don't talk to each other.
What architects typically pay
- FreshBooks: $17-55/month for invoicing with limited time tracking
- QuickBooks: $30-200/month depending on features
- Harvest: $12/user with basic invoicing
Add a dedicated time tracking app (Toggl $10-20/user) and you're at $40-100/month with manual data transfer between apps.
Plutio pricing (January 2026)
- Core: $19/month: Invoicing, time tracking, projects, unlimited clients
- Pro: $49/month: Add team members, client portals, advanced permissions
- Max: $199/month: Advanced reporting, white-label, unlimited team
The billing admin cost
If disconnected invoicing takes 6 hours monthly at $125/hour, that's $750 in time cost. Plutio at $19/month that cuts billing admin to 1 hour saves $625 monthly. The subscription pays for itself 30x over in recovered billable time.
Invoicing ROI isn't subscription cost - it's billing admin eliminated. Connected invoicing wins because it turns hours into invoices without your involvement.
The late payment cost
Average invoice gets paid 20 days late. On a $10,000 invoice, that's $10,000 you don't have for 20 extra days. At typical business financing rates, late payment costs real money. Faster invoicing (bill when work finishes, not month-end) means faster payment. The subscription cost is nothing compared to improved cash flow.
Why Plutio is the best invoicing for architects
Plutio builds invoices from project work - logged hours become line items, completed phases become milestone bills, all without CSV exports or manual entry.
Hours become line items
Log 40 hours to construction documents this month. Click invoice, select the phase, Plutio creates line items: "CD - Working drawings, 12 hours @ $150" and so on for each task. Descriptions from task names, hours from time entries, rates from project settings. Review and send.
Phases trigger billing
Mark schematic design complete. Plutio can automatically draft the SD invoice based on the contract amount or logged hours. You review, adjust if needed, send. Billing happens when work finishes, not when you remember to invoice.
Payment tracking in one place
Open a project, see: 3 invoices sent, 2 paid, 1 outstanding for 15 days. Click the outstanding invoice, see when it was viewed, send a reminder or mark as paid. Payment status visible without logging into a separate accounting app.
Online payment built in
Connect Stripe or PayPal. Clients pay from the invoice with card or bank transfer. Payment marks the invoice paid automatically. No manual reconciliation, no "did they pay?" checking.
Automatic reminders
Set reminder rules: email at 7 days overdue, again at 14, final notice at 30. Plutio sends them without your involvement. Polite, professional, automatic. You stop chasing payments manually.
Expense reimbursement
Attach receipts to projects as you incur expenses: printing costs, permit fees, travel. When invoicing, select expenses to include. Clients see itemized reimbursables with documentation attached.
Plutio invoicing isn't faster data entry. It's invoicing that builds itself from tracked hours and completed phases - billing admin disappears.
Multiple billing rates
Principal at $175/hour, project architect at $125, intern at $85. Plutio applies the correct rate when hours become line items. No manual rate lookup, no mistakes on complex invoices with multiple team members.
Partial payments
Client sends half now, half later. Mark the invoice partially paid with the amount received. Balance updates automatically. When the second payment arrives, mark the remainder. Clear tracking of partial payments without spreadsheet gymnastics.
Retainer management
Collect a $5,000 retainer upfront. Log hours against it. Plutio shows remaining balance: $5,000 collected, $3,200 used, $1,800 remaining. Invoice when the retainer depletes or bill overage as needed.
How to set up invoicing in Plutio
Setting up invoicing in Plutio takes 20 minutes. You'll configure payment processing, set default terms, and customize your invoice template.
Step 1: Connect payment processing (5 minutes)
Go to Settings → Payments. Connect Stripe or PayPal. Test with a small payment to yourself to verify it works. Clients can now pay invoices online.
Step 2: Set invoice defaults (5 minutes)
Configure: Payment terms (Net 30, Net 15, due on receipt). Currency. Tax rate if applicable. Default notes or terms that appear on every invoice.
Step 3: Customize your template (5 minutes)
Upload your logo. Set your business address and contact info. Choose a template style. Preview how invoices will look to clients.
Step 4: Set up automatic reminders (5 minutes)
Configure reminder schedule: First reminder at 3 days overdue, second at 7 days, final at 14 days. Customize the message or use defaults. Reminders send automatically.
Step 5: Create your first invoice
Open a project with logged time. Click Create Invoice. Select time entries or enter a fixed amount. Preview, send. That's the workflow going forward.
After 20 minutes of setup, every invoice creates from project work with online payment and automatic reminders - no manual process needed.
Testing your first invoice
Before sending to a real client, create a test invoice. Verify: logo appears correctly, payment link works, line items calculate correctly, terms display at bottom. Catch formatting issues before clients see them. Delete the test invoice when verified.
Invoice templates for architecture projects
Invoice templates standardize your billing format so every invoice looks professional and includes the right information.
Milestone invoice template
For phase-based billing: Project name, Phase name (Schematic Design), Phase fee amount, Payment due date, Project summary or deliverables completed. Clean and simple - clients see what they're paying for.
Hourly invoice template
For time-based billing: Project name, Date range, Line items showing: Date, Task description, Hours, Rate, Amount. Subtotal, Tax if applicable, Total due. Detailed enough to justify every hour.
Retainer invoice template
For monthly retainers: Retainer amount, Period covered, Hours used vs hours included, Overage charges if applicable, Remaining balance or next billing date.
Construction administration invoice template
For CA phase billing: Site visits with dates, RFIs responded, Submittals reviewed, Hours or fixed fee. CA invoicing often needs more documentation than design phase billing.
Reimbursable expense template
For pass-through costs: Expense description, Date incurred, Amount, Receipt attached. Group expenses by category: printing, permits, travel. Clear documentation prevents questions.
Templates make sure consistent professional invoices. Set them once, every invoice of that type follows the same format.
Adjusting templates per project
Templates set defaults. Override for specific clients: this client needs purchase order numbers on invoices, that client needs itemized hours by team member. Templates provide consistency while allowing project-specific customization.
Client invoice access through portals
Client portals let clients view invoices, make payments, and see payment history without email attachments.
Invoice visibility
Clients log into their portal and see: all invoices, paid and outstanding. Amount, date, status. Click to view full invoice with line items. No digging through email to find an old invoice.
Online payment from portal
Client views invoice, clicks Pay, enters card or bank info, done. Payment confirms immediately. You get notified. No waiting for checks, no "did you receive my payment?" questions.
Payment history
Clients see their complete payment history: dates, amounts, which invoices. Useful at tax time or when clients want to verify their spending. Self-service access reduces questions to you.
Automatic receipt delivery
Payment completes, Plutio sends a receipt automatically. Client has documentation without asking. Professional and automatic.
Portal invoicing turns billing from email back-and-forth into self-service. Clients view, pay, and track their invoices without your involvement in every step.
Migrating invoicing to Plutio
Moving from QuickBooks or FreshBooks to Plutio takes an afternoon. Outstanding invoices can finish in the old system while new billing starts in Plutio.
Step 1: Export historical records
Download invoice and payment history from QuickBooks/FreshBooks for your records. You won't import this to Plutio - it's reference backup. Tax records stay accessible.
Step 2: Set up Plutio invoicing
Follow setup steps above: payment processing, defaults, template, reminders. New invoices will go through Plutio.
Step 3: Handle outstanding invoices
Invoices already sent from QuickBooks: let them get paid there. You can manually mark them as external invoices in Plutio for tracking, or just let the old system handle payment until those invoices clear.
Step 4: New invoices through Plutio
From today forward, create invoices in Plutio. They connect to projects, pull from tracked time, include online payment. New billing workflow starts immediately.
Step 5: Cancel old subscription
Once outstanding QuickBooks invoices are paid (usually 30-60 days), cancel that subscription. Keep the export file for historical reference. Plutio handles billing going forward.
Accounting integration
If you need data in QuickBooks for accounting, Plutio exports invoice data or integrates directly. Your accountant can still access what they need. Invoicing moves to Plutio while accounting stays where your accountant prefers.
Migration is about moving the billing workflow forward, not recreating history. Outstanding invoices finish where they started, new invoices start connected to projects.
Training your team
Show team members: here's where invoices generate, here's how to select time entries, here's where payment status shows. Five-minute overview because Plutio invoicing is simpler than QuickBooks - fewer options, direct connection to project work.
