Glossary/Services fundamentals

Billable hours

Also known as: billable time, chargeable hours

Billable hours are time entries that can be invoiced to a client. The distinction separates client-funded work (strategy, design, implementation, meetings with the client) from work that supports the business but is not charged (internal admin, team meetings, training, business development).

In Helm

How this shows up in the platform.

Where you'll see billable hours in day-to-day work inside Helm.

In Helm, every time entry is marked billable or internal at entry, with per-project rate configuration. Billable time flows directly into invoices. There's no separate timesheet reconciliation step. The Operations Manager agent flags days with suspicious billable capture (weeks with unusually low hours) and prompts for missing entries before invoicing.

Related terms

Keep reading.

Concepts that show up in the same workflows and reports.

FAQ

About billable hours.

Common questions and honest answers.

What should count as billable vs internal?

Anything the client has agreed to fund: client-facing work, meetings with the client, deliverables, and work scoped in the SOW. Internal work (team standups, internal training, BD calls) should be tracked separately for utilization analysis even if you don't bill it.

Can time be converted from internal to billable later?

Yes. Helm time entries can be re-categorized until invoiced. After invoicing, entries are locked.

Should I bill for client emails and meetings?

Yes, with rare exceptions. Client-facing time is billable work. Most services businesses under-bill it because they haven't built the discipline of tracking it. Helm's timer and agent-assisted gap detection close that gap.

See this in action.

Helm is the AI work platform where these concepts stop being theory and start being your Monday morning.