Billing Items let you record, manage, and invoice financial entries that are not based on tracked time. That includes one-off charges, fixed services, client expenses, and internal financial costs like payroll processing or reimbursements.
They complement Time Tracking, Flat Rates, and Invoices by giving you control over non-time-based or quantity-based billin
Ways to use Billing Items
Use Billing Items to:
Track client expenses – catering, travel costs, software or supplier pass-throughs
Bill non-time services – fixed deliverables, consulting packages, rush fees
Handle internal costs – payroll processing, salary allocation, internal reimbursements
Record ad-hoc charges – anything that should show up in billing reports or invoices but isn’t tied to tracked time
Billing Items can be marked as billable (included in invoices) or non-billable (for internal tracking).
Required permissions
To view or create Billing Items, users must have:
Billing Items ultimate permission
Without this, the section and actions are not accessible.
Fields and settings
When creating a Billing Item, you have two modes:
Without units (simple total price)
Best when you already know the final amount.
Required: name, total price, date.
Optional: client, project, user, labels, billable toggle, internal and client descriptions.
With units (price × quantity)
Use when the price depends on quantity.
Required: unit name (hour, km, item), unit price, unit amount.
Total price is calculated automatically.
Billable vs non-billable
Billable Billing Items can be added to invoices and impact client billing.
Non-billable items are for internal tracking only.
You can toggle this during creation.
Creating a Billing Item
There are three ways to create a Billing Item:
1. Keyboard shortcuts
macOS: ⌃ E
Windows / Linux: Ctrl + E
Press anywhere in the app to open the Add billing item dialog instantly (Calendar, Time Tracking, dashboard, etc.)
2. Global plus button
Use the + in the top bar → Billing item
3. Billing Items page
Go to Finance → Billing items and click + Billing item
Billing Item Templates
Templates let you standardize and reuse Billing Item setups for recurring costs.
Manage them under:
Finance → Templates → Billing items intercom.help
Templates prefill:
name
unit pricing logic
client
project
labels
descriptions
billable state
When creating a Billing Item, choose Use a template to prefill details and speed up entry.
Template Examples
Below are two common Billing Item Templates you can use to standardize travel-related costs.
Travel Expenses
Use this template for travel costs where the amount changes each time, but you want consistent naming and descriptions.
How it works:
unit is disabled
total price is entered ad hoc when creating a new Billing Item
name is reused automatically
internal description is reused for accounting context
client description is reused for invoice line text
Typical use cases:
flights, trains, taxis
accommodation
meals during business travel
any one-off travel expense
What you usually fill when using the template:
total price
client and/or project (optional, based on your workflow)
Vehicle Travel Reimbursement
Use this template for mileage reimbursement where the total price should be calculated from distance traveled.
How it works:
unit is enabled (typically kilometer)
unit price is fixed in the template (for example 0.42 EUR per km)
total price is calculated automatically
name is reused automatically
internal description is reused for reimbursement logic
client description is reused for invoice line text (if billable)
Client handling:
recommended: leave client empty in the template and select the client when creating each Billing Item
optional: set client in the template if the template is meant for one specific client only (then it’s client-specific)
What you usually fill when using the template:
client (if not predefined)
number of kilometers (unit amount)
Billing Items and Flat Rates
Billing Items also connect directly to Flat Rates.
Flat Rates are recurring or fixed-scope billing items (like retainers). When a Flat Rate recurrence is due, primaTime automatically generates a new Billing Item.
This means:
Flat Rates auto-generate Billing Items on schedule.
Each Billing Item is a separate record in history.
You get clear insight into what’s billed and upcoming.
Manage them under: Finance → Flat Rates.
Exporting Billing Items
Billing Items can be exported for accounting, reporting, or external processing (for example payroll-related items shared with an accounting company).
You have two options:
Quick export from the Billing Items page
Go to Finance → Billing items and use Export to download Billing Items.Export using export templates
If you need a consistent file structure (same columns, same order, same formatting), use Billing Item export templates.
Export templates
Export templates let you define how your export file should look, including:
which fields are included (columns)
the column order
a reusable structure for accounting or payroll workflows
You can create and manage export templates here:
Finance → Templates → Billing items export
Why this is useful:
you can export the same format repeatedly without reconfiguring columns
accounting companies often require a strict structure
it keeps exports consistent across teams and time periods
Typical use cases:
monthly expense export for bookkeeping
payroll processing export (internal items)
client reimbursements export (billable expenses)
Best practices
Use clear names for easy identification in invoices and reports.
Always complete internal descriptions for accounting clarity.
Use client descriptions to control invoice text.
Apply labels to structure reporting.
Create templates for items you enter frequently.
Summary
Billing Items give you flexible control over non-time financial data. Whether tracking expenses, billing fixed services, reimbursing mileage, or automating recurring charges through Flat Rates, Billing Items keep everything consistent, reusable, and invoice-ready.