No more double work – track your working hours where they're needed: directly on the invoice.
As a freelancer, you know the problem: you work hourly for different clients, need to document every session properly, and create a transparent invoice at the end of the month. Often, this means switching back and forth between a time tracking tool and your accounting software – a tedious process that costs valuable time.
Magic Heidi solves this problem by integrating time tracking directly into the invoice. Instead of tracking your hours separately and then manually transferring them into an invoice, you log your working hours where they end up anyway: on the invoice itself.
In this article, you'll learn:
Many accounting tools strictly separate time tracking from invoicing. This leads to double work: you log your hours in one system and then manually transfer them to another. Errors easily creep in – a forgotten hour here, a wrong hourly rate there.
In three simple steps from a new invoice to a fully calculated hourly line item.
First, create a new invoice and select the desired client. Since time tracking in Magic Heidi happens directly in the invoice, this is your starting point for all hour logging.
When adding a new line item, select the hourly variant. Enter the description, hourly rate, and time period.
Tip: Make sure to use descriptive labels. Your client will see these line items on the invoice. 'Consulting – Strategy Workshop' is much more informative than just 'Work'.
The invoice stays open as long as you don't send it. This means you can continuously log your hours throughout the entire month. Create a new invoice for each client at the beginning of the month, add a new hourly line item after each work session, and send it at the end of the month.
Three simple steps for clean monthly billing.
Create a new invoice for each client you bill hourly.
Add a new hourly line item after each work session – or collect them by day.
Review the invoice, make sure all hours are logged, and send it.
Sent invoices are marked as 'outstanding'. Open ones remain in draft.
Magic Heidi
CHF 500
Jan 29
Webbiger LTD
CHF 2000
Jan 24
John Doe
CHF 600
Jan 20
Best Practice: Make it a habit to enter your hours daily or at least weekly. This way, you avoid having to painstakingly reconstruct at the end of the month when you did what.
Not all freelancers bill their work in full or half hours. Those who bill down to the minute often use specialized time tracking tools. Magic Heidi offers AI-powered import for exactly this purpose.
In four simple steps, you transfer your externally tracked hours into a finished invoice.
Magic Heidi's artificial intelligence is remarkably powerful and automatically recognizes all relevant information.
After the import, you'll find a fully prepared invoice containing all imported hours as individual line items.
Important: Always carefully review the imported invoice before sending it. As powerful as the AI is – human verification is essential for invoices. Make sure all hourly rates were correctly recognized and the activity descriptions are accurate.
Sometimes you want to give a client a discount – whether as a goodwill gesture, due to project delays, or based on an agreed volume discount. In Magic Heidi, you can apply discounts directly to individual line items: select the item, enter the discount, done. The calculation happens automatically.
Tip: If you regularly offer discounts for certain clients or activities, make a note of the terms. This ensures that every invoice is consistent.
Magic Heidi offers you two ways to track time – depending on how detailed your billing needs to be.
| Criterion | Direct Entry | Import from External Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Suitable for | Freelancers who bill in full or half hours | Freelancers who track down to the minute or have many small entries |
| Advantages | No additional tool needed, everything in one place | Precise tracking with specialized tools, automatic transfer via AI |
| Effort | ✓ Minimal | ✓ Low thanks to AI |
| Can be combined | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Time tracking in Magic Heidi is intentionally kept simple and integrated directly into the invoicing process.
Log directly in the invoice – with description, hourly rate, and time period.
Invoices stay in draft as long as you don't send them. This way, you accumulate hours throughout the entire month.
Automatically convert external time tracking data into invoice line items via file import and AI recognition.
Discounts can be flexibly applied to individual line items.
Every invoice clearly shows when and how long you worked.
No manual transfer between tools – the numbers always add up.
Try Magic Heidi and create your first hourly invoice. When time tracking and invoicing come together in one place, you not only save time – you also eliminate a common source of errors in your accounting.