The Billable Blog

More from the blog.

Page 2 of 5 — practical, no-fluff guides on invoicing, pricing, cash flow, taxes and keeping the money side of your solo business in order.

Banknotes fanned out on a plain surface
Getting Paid

Should You Ask for a Deposit? Upfront Payments, Explained

Asking for money before you've done the work feels presumptuous the first time. It shouldn't. A deposit is the single cheapest way to filter out bad clients and protect your cash flow — here's how to set one that sticks.

· 6 min read
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Getting Paid

Getting Paid by Overseas Clients Without Losing Money on the Way

The invoice said $2,000. Your account says rather less. Here's where the money goes on an international payment, how to stop losing it, and what to record when it finally lands.

· 8 min read
A candlestick chart showing a steep drop after a long steady run
Finances

When One Client Is 60% of Your Income

A single client paying most of your invoices doesn't feel like a risk while they're happy. It's the most common way a healthy solo business goes from fine to frightening in one email.

· 7 min read
A calculator and printed statements on a desk
Taxes India

Presumptive Taxation for Freelancers: Should You Use 44ADA?

Declare half your receipts as profit, skip the books and the audit, and pay advance tax once a year. For most laptop-and-brain freelancers it's a genuinely good deal — but not for everyone.

· 7 min read
A flat lay of US dollar bills
Getting Paid

What Your Payment Provider Actually Keeps

You billed $9,000 and a smaller number landed. Some of the difference was a fee they told you about; most of it usually isn't. Here's how to work out the real cost of getting paid — and why one payment tells you nothing but a year of them tells you everything.

· 7 min read
A wall calendar with dates marked
Taxes India

Advance Tax for Freelancers: The Four Dates That Matter

Salaried people never think about advance tax because TDS quietly handles it. Freelancers get paid gross and owe it in instalments — miss a date and interest starts running automatically.

· 7 min read
A person reviewing figures and notes at a desk
Time Tracking

Timesheets as Evidence: Using Tracked Time to Defend a Quote

When a fixed-fee project quietly doubles in size, asking for more money sounds like complaining — unless you can show what happened. How to log time so it becomes a change order the client accepts.

· 7 min read
A wristwatch resting on a wooden desk
Time Tracking

How to Track Time Without Micromanaging Yourself

Most solo owners abandon time tracking because it feels like surveillance. Tracked properly, it isn't a productivity score — it's the evidence that tells you whether your prices are working.

· 7 min read
A phone on a desk lighting up with a notification beside a laptop
Getting Started

Push Notifications: The Things You'd Otherwise Forget

Billable can now send notifications to your phone and desktop — a short digest each morning of what's overdue, due and still in draft, plus a nudge the moment an invoice tips overdue or a timer runs all afternoon.

· 5 min read