Automation agency · Finance
Monthly automation retainer invoicing
Bill every automation support client the same way each month, including the hours over the retainer and the platform and AI usage the agency pays for. The client gets a plain summary by email and confirms it through a shared link before the invoice is issued, so questions come before the invoice instead of after it.
- Duration: 1 week, plus the payment term
- How often: Every month, for each support client
- Steps: 8 steps
- AI agents: 1 AI agent
- Approvals: 1 approval
Free plan, no credit card needed.
What changes with this template
Without it
The agency pays for platform and AI usage and forgets to pass it on.
Extra support hours are written off because nobody compared them with the retainer.
Clients query the invoice after it arrives, and payment waits.
Small approved changes never make it onto an invoice.
With it
Usage costs are pulled from each account and billed every month.
Hours used are compared with the hours included, and overage is billed at the agreed rate.
The client gets a plain summary first and confirms it through the shared link before the invoice is issued.
Approved change request hours are part of every monthly billing run.
The template, step by step
Each step says who does it: someone on your team, an AI agent, or the client through a shared link. An approval keeps every later step locked until it is given.
- Done by your team
- Done by an AI agent
- Done by the client, through a shared link
Starts when
The month ends. The finance lead starts a run for each support client with the client name, the billing month and the retainer terms.
- 1
Start the billing run
Day 1Finance lead · Team
Record the client's retainer terms for the month, so every later step works from the same fee, hours and rates.
Checklist
- Contract terms checked
- Overage rate confirmed
- Billing contact confirmed
Fields to fill in
- Client name (required)
- Billing month (required)
- Monthly retainer fee (required)
- Hours included (required)
- 2
Record the hours and usage
Days 1 to 2Delivery manager · Team
Record the support hours used, the hours of approved change requests, and the platform and AI usage costs to pass on, with a link to the reports.
Checklist
- Hours match the time tracking
- Change request hours approved by the client
- Usage pulled from each platform and AI account
Fields to fill in
- Support hours used (required)
- Approved change request hours
- Platform and AI usage costs (required)
- Link to the time and usage reports (required)
- 3
Draft the invoice summary
Day 2Invoice summary writer · AI agent
The invoice summary writer turns the retainer terms, hours and usage into a plain summary: what the retainer covered, hours over the included amount, approved changes and usage costs.
Fields to fill in
- Draft invoice summary (required)
Checked by: The finance lead checks every amount and approves the summary in step 4.
- 4
Check the amounts and approve the summary
Hidden from the shared linkDay 3Finance lead · Team
Check the summary and every amount against the contract, the time tracking and the usage reports, then email the client the approved summary with the shared run link.
Checklist
- Amounts match the contract
- Overage calculated at the agreed rate
- Usage costs match the platform reports
Fields to fill in
- Invoice total (required)
Approval: The client's review and the invoice stay locked until the finance lead approves the amounts.
- 5
Confirm the invoice summary
Days 3 to 5Client contact · Shared link
The client reads the summary the finance lead emailed, then confirms it through the shared link, or notes what they want explained before the invoice is issued.
Fields to fill in
- Summary confirmed (required)
- Questions about the summary
- Purchase order number
- 6
Issue the invoice
Day 5Finance lead · Team
Answer any questions, then issue the invoice in your accounting system so it matches the confirmed summary.
Checklist
- Invoice matches the confirmed summary
- Purchase order number on the invoice
- Invoice sent to the billing contact
Fields to fill in
- Invoice number (required)
- Due date (required)
- Link to the invoice
- 7
Check that the retainer still fits
Hidden from the shared linkDay 5Delivery manager · Team
Compare this month's hours and usage with the client's tier. If they keep going over or under, note it for the next health review.
Checklist
- Hours compared with the tier
- Usage trend noted
Fields to fill in
- Retainer still fits (required)
- Notes for the next review
- 8
Record the payment
Due dateFinance lead · Team
Record the payment when it arrives. If the due date passes, send a reminder and mark the run blocked with the reason until it is paid.
Checklist
- Payment matched to the invoice
- Reminder sent if overdue
Fields to fill in
- Payment received on (required)
Done when
The client has received an invoice that matches the summary they confirmed, the payment is recorded, and any mismatch between the retainer and the real work is noted for the next review.
Make it yours. Rename steps, change owners and add checklist items, fields or approvals. The template is a starting point for the way your team works.
The AI agents in this template
An agent only works on its own steps, and a person on your team checks what it did. Anything an agent writes to a connected app waits for approval unless you allow it.
Invoice summary writer
Turns the month's hours and usage into a plain invoice summary for the client.
What it does
- Reads the retainer terms, hours and usage costs filled in on the run
- Writes what the retainer covered, the hours over the included amount and the usage costs
- Records the draft summary in its step and completes it
Checked by: The finance lead checks every amount and approves the summary in step 4.
Questions this template answers
Pull the usage from each platform and AI account every month, show it apart from your own fees, and agree in the contract whether you add a margin. Step 2 records the usage costs with a link to the usage reports, and step 4 checks them against those reports before the client sees them.
Compare the hours used each month with the hours the retainer includes, and bill the overage at the agreed rate. Step 2 records the hours used next to the included hours from step 1, and step 4 checks that the overage is calculated at the agreed rate.
Email the client a plain summary of the month before you issue the invoice. In step 5 the client confirms the summary or notes their questions through the shared link, and step 6 only issues an invoice that matches the confirmed summary.
Bring the hours of every approved change request into the monthly billing run instead of relying on memory. Step 2 records the approved change request hours, with a checklist item confirming the client approved them, and step 6 puts them on the invoice.
Let AI write the invoice summary the client reads, and keep the amounts with your finance lead. In step 3 the invoice summary writer drafts the summary from the hours and usage on the run, and step 4 is an approval gate where the finance lead checks every amount.
Compare each month's hours and usage with the tier, and raise a change at the next review rather than in an invoice dispute. Step 7 records whether the retainer still fits and notes it for the next quarterly health review.
Run this workflow in OKiDO
Set up the steps, owners and approvals once, then start a run for every new case.