---
title: "Software for consultants: time, contracts, invoices"
description: "A one-tap timer, contracts filed against each engagement and invoices raised from tracked time. Time tracking and invoicing for consultants."
canonical: "https://www.meadowdesk.com/for/consultants"
last_modified: "2026-10-27"
---

# For consultants

Source: https://www.meadowdesk.com/for/consultants

A one-tap timer, contracts filed against each engagement and invoices raised from tracked time. Time tracking and invoicing for consultants.

A one-tap timer that follows you from task to task, contracts filed against each engagement, and invoices raised from the work when the month closes. Every billable minute lands on the right client.

## What it fixes

- Hours scribbled on a notepad between calls: Every call you forget to log is work you did and didn't bill. Fix: A one-tap timer that switches tasks without stopping.
- The engagement terms are in an email somewhere: When nobody can find what was agreed, every scope conversation gets harder. Fix: Contracts linked to the client, the project and the proposal.
- Rebuilding the month to write one invoice: Piecing hours back together at month end is slow, and it always comes out short. Fix: Pull a client's unbilled time into a new invoice, line by line.
- Admin time sneaking onto the bill, or off it: When billable and non-billable time are mixed, every invoice becomes a judgment call. Fix: Every entry is billable or non-billable, so admin stays off the invoice.

## Every engagement on one record

- A one-tap timer that follows you between clients: Start the timer on a task, and when you move on, switch to the next one without stopping. Forgot to start it? Add an entry by hand, or fix the times afterwards. Every entry is billable or non-billable, so admin time stays off the invoice.
- Terms agreed in writing before the work starts: Send a proposal from your own templates, with packages and add-ons the client can pick. Then draft the contract in blocks, one clause at a time. Your client e-signs it, you countersign, and you both get a signed PDF filed against the engagement.
- Invoices raised from the work when the month closes: Pull a client's unbilled time into a new invoice and check every line before it goes. Retainers can run on a recurring invoice you set up once. Reminders go out on your schedule. Card payments made online through your Stripe account are recorded for you, and you record bank transfers as they arrive.

## Questions consultants ask

**Can I track time against each engagement?**
Yes. Start the timer on a task and switch between clients without stopping. Each entry lands on the right project, billable or non-billable.

**Can I keep admin time off the invoice?**
Yes. Every entry is billable or non-billable. Non-billable time still shows in your week, so you see the full picture, but it stays off the invoice.

**Is Meadow Desk a CRM for consultants too?**
Yes. Leads come in through intake forms and move through your own stages. When one says yes, they become a client with one profile for every proposal, contract, project, invoice and note.

**Can clients sign contracts online?**
Yes. Contracts are drafted in blocks and e-signed by your client through a private link or in their portal. You countersign, and you both get a signed PDF with a signing certificate.

**How do I bill a monthly retainer?**
Set up a recurring invoice once and a new one is raised on the schedule you choose. For hourly work, pull the client's unbilled time into an invoice at month end.