Billed hours or worked hours? Keep both
What you bill and what you worked are two different numbers. Throw either away and it costs you later.
A client agrees to 16 hours for a new landing page. You finish in 13. Or the other way round: the job takes 19 hours and you bill the 16 you quoted. Either way, the invoice shows one number and your week showed another.
Many freelancers fix this by editing their timesheet until it matches the invoice. It looks tidy. It also erases the only record of how long the work really took.
Two numbers, two jobs
Billed hours are a promise to the client. They belong on the invoice and in your bookkeeping, and once the invoice is sent they don't change.
Worked hours are information for you. They tell you whether your quotes are realistic, which clients take more time than they pay for, and what a project of this kind really costs you.
Mix them up and both go wrong. Bill worked hours on a fixed quote and the client gets a surprise. Keep only billed hours and next year's quote rests on a number you made up.
What the difference tells you
- You worked less than you billed. Your quote had room. Fine once. If it happens every time, you may be quoting high, or you've become faster and can take on more work.
- You worked more than you billed. You gave time away. Sometimes that's on purpose, for a good client or a first job. If it keeps happening with one client, a rate conversation is waiting.
- The two are about the same. Your estimates work. Keep doing what you are doing.
You only see these patterns if both numbers survive. Over a quarter, the gap between them is one of the most honest figures you have.
How to keep both
Track what you actually did
Log time as it happened, including the hour that went nowhere. Don't round your timesheet towards the quote. The timesheet is a diary, not a bill.
Adjust on the invoice, not in the timesheet
When you make the invoice, change the hours on the line to what you agreed. In gonibabki an invoice line keeps both numbers: the hours you bill and the minutes you worked behind them. Your entries stay exactly as you logged them, and they are still marked invoiced, so nothing is billed twice.
Look back once a month
After sending, compare the two per client or project. Ten minutes is enough to spot a quote that was too tight, or a client who keeps asking for one more small thing.
When to tell the client
On a fixed quote, the client bought a result for a price. If you worked fewer hours, you don't owe an explanation. If you bill by the hour, bill what you worked, unless you agreed a cap.
And if you worked more than agreed, say so before the invoice, not on it. A short message, such as "this took longer than planned, I'll keep to the agreed 16 hours", earns more goodwill than a surprise on the invoice.