When you create or edit an invoice, you can link its line items to projects. If an invoice is linked to a project, it’ll show up in the invoices tab of the project’s analysis page. If it is not linked to a project, it will not show up on the analysis page or reduce the project's uninvoiced amount.

How invoice-project linking works

Linking invoices to projects directly from an invoice

When you create or edit an invoice, you’ll see a Linked project dropdown menu below each line item. This dropdown shows you which project the line item is linked to. If you created an invoice for tracked time and expenses, the project dropdown will default to the line item’s related project.

Linking invoices to projects from the invoices tab on the project analysis page

Every billable project will have an Invoices tab on the project analysis page. This tab will show you all invoices linked to the project.

You can link an invoice to a project from the Invoices tab on the project analysis by clicking the Link invoice button and selecting the invoice you’d like to link. All line items for that invoice will be linked to the project.

If an invoice is linked to multiple projects, the Pre-tax amount column in the Invoices tab will display only the amount applied to the project you’re viewing.

Change the project a line item is linked to

To change the project-to-line-item connection, select any of the client’s other projects from the linked project dropdown. Note that changing the project connection on the invoice does not change related time or expense entries. Rather, it simply means that the line item(s) will now appear under the invoices tab for a different project.

View projects linked to an invoice line item

After you save an invoice with linked projects, you’ll see a link back to the projects at the top of the invoice page.

How invoice-project linking affects a project’s uninvoiced amount

Every billable project shows an Uninvoiced amount on the project analysis page. Linked line items affect a project’s uninvoiced amount differently depending on the project type and the type of invoice.

How linking invoice line items affects Time & Materials projects

Only entries that have been automatically pulled onto an invoice created for tracked time and expenses will reduce a Time & Materials project’s uninvoiced amount.

You can edit the project that's automatically linked to line items on an invoice created for tracked time and expenses to other projects for the client. However, linking line items to a different project will still reduce the uninvoiced amount of the original project—the project to which the time and expenses are tracked—and will not affect the uninvoiced amount of newly linked Time & Materials projects.

Line items manually linked to the project on an invoice created for tracked time and expenses will not reduce a Time & Materials project’s uninvoiced amount.

If you’d like to manually reduce the uninvoiced amount, you can do that by running either a detailed time report or an expense report and marking the hours/expenses as invoiced.

How linking invoice line items affects Fixed Fee projects

For any invoice type, a line item linked to a Fixed Fee project will reduce the Fixed Fee project's uninvoiced amount.

How invoice-project linking works for recurring invoices

When you create a recurring invoice, you'll have the option to create a free form recurring invoice or a recurring invoice that pulls in time and expenses from Time & Materials projects. 

In either case, you can manually link invoice line items to projects via the Linked project dropdown menu below each line item description. However, if you create a recurring invoice template for a Time & Materials project, that project will be automatically linked to the line items related to time and expenses tracked to the project. 

When the recurring invoice is generated, it’ll appear in the invoices tab on the related project’s analysis page, just like a regular invoice.

How invoice-project linking works for retainer invoices

Retainer invoices (which deposit funds into a retainer) cannot be linked directly to projects using invoice-project linking. 

However, invoices that draw from retainers can be linked to projects. Invoices that draw from retainers cannot be unlinked from the projects they’re related to.

If your retainer applies to all of a client’s projects

Invoices that draw from it can be linked to any of that client’s projects.

If your retainer applies to only one of a client’s projects

Invoices that draw from it can be applied only to that specific project.