Categories / Invoicing/
Monthly invoicing with Toggl and Notion
Freelancer · invoicing time from 3.5 hours to 12 minutes a month
- Task
- generate, send and track monthly invoices and payment reminders automatically
- Result
- after 3 months: invoicing time 3.5 hrs → 12 min/month; average payment time 21 → 14 days; invoices sent late 40% → 0%; ~4 hours to build; $0 tool cost on free tiers
- Tools
- Toggl Track
- Notion database
- Make.com
- Google Docs template + Google Drive
- IFTTT (bank email alert)
- Setup
- Toggl projects per client with billable tags → Notion "Client Projects" database (rate, terms, invoice number, billing email) → Google Docs invoice template with placeholders → Make scenario on last day of month: pull Toggl entries, look up rate in Notion, compute totals, generate PDF, save to Drive, email a preview for approval → status "Sent", due date from terms, reminders 3 days before and on due date → bank deposit email (via IFTTT) matched to invoice by amount marks it Paid and sends a thank-you
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A ready-to-send prompt built from this card. Your AI will ask a few questions about your business, then give you a beginner setup plan.
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Help me set this up for my business: "Monthly invoicing with Toggl and Notion".
Example business: freelancer / solopreneur (hourly client billing). Task: generate, send and track monthly invoices and payment reminders automatically.
Reported result: after 3 months: invoicing time 3.5 hrs → 12 min/month; average payment time 21 → 14 days; invoices sent late 40% → 0%; ~4 hours to build; $0 tool cost on free tiers
Tools: Toggl Track, Notion database, Make.com, Google Docs template + Google Drive, IFTTT (bank email alert)
Setup outline:
1. Toggl projects per client with billable tags → Notion "Client Projects" database (rate, terms, invoice…
Starter prompt from the guide (use it as a base):
I bill clients monthly by the hour. Write (1) an invoice cover email, (2) a reminder 3 days before the due date, and (3) a reminder on the due date. Friendly, professional, under 80 words each.
Placeholders: [Client], [Invoice no.], [Amount], [Due date], [Payment details].
First, ask me up to 5 questions about my business and tools. Then give me a beginner step-by-step setup plan, plus copy-paste prompts/templates I can use. Plain English, and tell me if any step needs a tech helper.
via autopilotbusiness.ai/use-case/freelancer-automates-monthly-invoicing-with-toggl-notion-make-35-hrs-1/Step-by-step setup guide + copy-paste prompt
Honest note: this is rule-based automation, not AI. Don't auto-send: the author reviews each invoice before it goes. Matching incoming payments by amount can mis-match similar amounts, so confirm paid status by hand.
Prerequisites
- Toggl Track (free), Notion, Make (free tier: 1,000 operations a month), Google Docs/Drive.
- Time to build: 3–4 hours, mostly the Make scenario.
Step-by-step setup
Step 1. Track time per client. In Toggl create a project per client and tag entries (billable, calls). Export a test CSV to see the format.
Step 2. Make a Notion "Client Projects" database. Properties: client name, hourly rate, payment terms (Net 15/30), billing email, last invoice number, status.
Step 3. Build the invoice template. Create a Google Doc with your branding and {{placeholders}} for client, hours, rate, total, due date and invoice number.
Step 4. Build the Make scenario. Create a new scenario with a schedule for the last day of the month at 9am. Add Toggl Track to get the month's time entries, Notion to look up each client's rate and terms, a calculator step (hours × rate), Google Docs Create a Document from a Template to fill the template, Google Drive to save it in the client's folder, and Gmail to email *you* a preview. Click Run once to test, then switch it ON.
Step 5. Approve, then send. You review the preview and approve. Only then does the invoice email go to the client. Notion's status becomes Sent, and the due date is invoice date + terms.
Step 6. Reminders. Add Make steps to email a reminder 3 days before the due date and on the due date if unpaid.
Step 7. Mark paid. The author used an IFTTT email alert from the bank plus a Make match on amount. A safer version: mark invoices Paid yourself when you see the deposit.
Copy-paste prompt
I bill clients monthly by the hour. Write (1) an invoice cover email, (2) a reminder 3 days before the due date, and (3) a reminder on the due date. Friendly, professional, under 80 words each.
Placeholders: [Client], [Invoice no.], [Amount], [Due date], [Payment details].Sources
- DEV Community: "How I automated my invoicing and cut billing time by 80%". Credit: a freelancer's first-hand post.
- Make: Notion and Toggl Track integration. Menu names may differ slightly.
- Make: Notion and Google Docs integration
Industries: AI automation for Agencies & Consultancies
Results as reported by the source; not independently verified. Community-sourced from public sites and attributed to the source platform. Original author? Ask us to correct or remove it. Read the disclaimer.