Month-end invoicing checklist for agencies

Define the cutoff and the review responsibility

Choose the billing period, timezone and review deadline before assembling draft invoices. For an October review, use the agreed October service dates and keep November work separate. An invoice issued in November can still describe October services; the issue date does not change when the work happened. Tell the team which records need checking and who decides whether an unresolved item can be billed.

Keep this operational review separate from formal accounting close. The month-end export article concerns the export pack and supporting records. This checklist concerns the decisions before invoicing. Neither is legal or tax advice. Save the cutoff notes so a reviewer can explain why a late time entry or delayed deliverable was deferred instead of silently included in a different period.

Use the agency billing process map to assign the handoffs before this closing checklist begins.

Review time and evidence before calculating amounts

Gather time for the relevant client, project and dates. Check descriptions, duplicates, billable status and internal approval. Separate disputed entries from approved time rather than treating the logged total as the invoicable total. The timesheet approval guide provides a worked approach to that separation. Resolve missing descriptions with the delivery team while the supporting work is still easy to find.

Use the proof of work checklist for the evidence behind each service line. Retain internal references and prepare only the safe client-facing summary. Internal approval is not client authorization of additional scope. Review any external commercial agreement separately, including the agreed rate and revision boundary. A complete timesheet can still contain work that should not be charged under the current agreement.

Reconcile retainer periods and authorized extras

Review the retainer base fee, included allowance, approved usage and any unused capacity for the exact period. Follow the monthly retainer review, and check the external written authorization for overages. Do not bill every hour on top of a capped-hours fee when the allowance already covers part of the work. Treat the overage amount and base fee as distinct components of one reviewed billing basis.

ABH retainer management requires Pro, and period invoice generation is a manual Owner action. It is not an unattended recurring invoice schedule. Check for an existing period invoice and reconcile ordinary invoices that may overlap with the same work. Do not promise automatic rollover or silently carry unused capacity into the next allowance. If the agreement permits a carryover treatment, retain its external reconciliation and review it separately.

Worked example: an October invoice run

Illustrative fictional example, USD, excluding taxes. Client A has 12.5 approved billable hours at $100.00, giving a draft invoice of $1,250.00. Client B has a $900.00 retainer base fee and an externally authorized 2-hour overage at $90.00, adding $180.00. Client B's draft is $1,080.00. The two draft invoices total $2,330.00.

After issuance, the agency verifies a $400.00 external receipt for Client A and manually records it against that invoice. Client A's outstanding amount becomes $850.00; Client B remains at $1,080.00 if no receipt applies there. Combined outstanding is $1,930.00. The original billed total stays $2,330.00. The receipt is not a reduction in hours, a new service discount or money collected by ABH. Keep its date and reference with the reconciliation.

Inspect drafts for duplication and routing mistakes

Compare proposed lines with existing invoices for the same period, deliverable and project. A deposit, milestone or previously billed time entry may already cover part of the work. Reconcile those records before sending another invoice. Do not add an outstanding balance from a previous invoice as a fresh service line merely because the client has not paid it. Follow up the original reference separately.

Inspect the client-facing draft and PDF for billing name, service period, currency, due date and required reference. Confirm the intended recipient and check that shared links expose only appropriate information. Do not send a test email as a layout check. A preview supports review, but it does not prove the billing contact will approve the amount. Resolve known reference or delivery questions while the invoice is still under agency review.

Pre-send month-end checklist

Use the checklist for each client rather than signing off only the combined total. A correct total can hide a wrong recipient or duplicate line. Mark a held invoice with the reason, responsible reviewer and next action. Keep that hold visible so a later operator does not assume every draft in the run is ready to send. * Confirm the period dates, timezone, invoice issue date and review owner. * Separate approved billable time from internal, duplicate, disputed or out-of-period entries. * Check safe evidence references and remove private notes from client-facing descriptions. * Reconcile retainer base fees, included usage and externally authorized overages without double billing. * Search existing invoices and agreed stages for work already charged to the client. * Verify billing details, currency, due date, references and the intended recipient in each draft and PDF. * Review external receipts before recording payments manually against the correct invoice. * Hold unresolved drafts with a reason and named owner, then send only the reviewed set.

• Confirm the period dates, timezone, invoice issue date and review owner.
• Separate approved billable time from internal, duplicate, disputed or out-of-period entries.
• Check safe evidence references and remove private notes from client-facing descriptions.
• Reconcile retainer base fees, included usage and externally authorized overages without double billing.
• Search existing invoices and agreed stages for work already charged to the client.
• Verify billing details, currency, due date, references and the intended recipient in each draft and PDF.
• Review external receipts before recording payments manually against the correct invoice.
• Hold unresolved drafts with a reason and named owner, then send only the reviewed set.

Preserve the run and prepare the next review

Save the reviewed draft list, final invoice references, held items and receipt reconciliation. Record what changed between draft and send so another reviewer can understand the outcome. Export records as needed for your separate accounting process. ABH month-end export packs require Pro; ordinary CSV exports require Starter or above. An export supports a review but does not certify a formal accounting or tax close.

Move unpaid issued invoices to a separate follow-up list using the late invoice workflow. Carry unresolved time questions to the delivery owner and reconfirm references needed for the next period. ABH does not process client payments, calculate automatic late fees or guarantee collections. The objective of this run is a defensible set of invoice decisions and a current record of verified receipts, with exceptions visible rather than buried in next month's numbers.

For sequence checks at close, follow the invoice numbering guide.