Retainers that do not surprise you at the month end
Fixed hour packages per client are the business model, and the most common source of losses. MetronHR shows the usage per retainer while the month is running.
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- Hour packages per client with usage as it happens
- Unused hours carried over automatically
- Hours billable per client, project and task
In shortLike every employer, agencies have to record all working time; this follows from section 3(2) no. 1 ArbSchG and the Federal Labour Court order of 13 September 2022. Commercially, what also counts is how much of each retainer is used. MetronHR books every minute to client, project and task, deducts it in the Professional plan straight from the client's hour package and shows the balance while the month is still running.
- Made in GermanyDeveloped and hosted in Germany
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- Web, app and terminalBrowser, iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows
- GDPR compliantServers in Nuremberg and Falkenstein
Duties at a glance
The key duties and how they are met day to day
| Duty | Source | With paper or Excel | With MetronHR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record all working time | Section 3(2) no. 1 ArbSchG, Federal Labour Court 1 ABR 22/21 | only billable hours end up in the spreadsheet | every minute booked, the twenty minutes in between too |
| Record time beyond 8 hours, keep for 2 years | Section 16(2) ArbZG | binders in the office | stored as long as the account exists |
| Prove data processing on behalf | Article 28 GDPR | collect the evidence for each tool yourself | Data processing agreement, servers in Germany, Trust Center |
Record all working time
- Source
- Section 3(2) no. 1 ArbSchG, Federal Labour Court 1 ABR 22/21
- With paper or Excel
- only billable hours end up in the spreadsheet
- With MetronHR
- every minute booked, the twenty minutes in between too
Record time beyond 8 hours, keep for 2 years
- Source
- Section 16(2) ArbZG
- With paper or Excel
- binders in the office
- With MetronHR
- stored as long as the account exists
Prove data processing on behalf
- Source
- Article 28 GDPR
- With paper or Excel
- collect the evidence for each tool yourself
- With MetronHR
- Data processing agreement, servers in Germany, Trust Center
In detail, with examples: Time tracking in an agency: what applies despite trust-based working hours
As at: November 2026. This is not legal advice; for a specific case in your business it is better to ask someone with a licence to practise.
The retainer is used up before you notice
Agencies sell hour packages but work in tickets and chat messages. Between the hours sold and the hours worked sits the margin, and it usually only becomes visible after the month has ended.
- Problem
Usage is recalculated, not followed
Adding up at the month end means the extra work is long done and no longer negotiable.
- Problem
Unused hours lapse quietly
Without a carry-over it is unclear whether the client still has hours left, and that costs either trust or revenue.
- Problem
Small jobs end up nowhere
Twenty minutes of corrections between two meetings never get booked and are therefore never invoiced.
Hour packages that carry themselves forward
Create an allowance per client, pick the period and decide whether unused hours carry over. Every entry draws on it, and you see where it stands while you can still act.
Usage per retainer visible at any timeFor every client it is clear how much of the package has been used and what was carried over.
From the retainer to the invoice
Three steps that bring the hours sold and the hours worked together.
Create an hour package per client
Set the client, the number of hours and the period, monthly, quarterly or yearly. Plus the rule on whether unused hours carry over.
The retainer is in the system, not only in the contract.
Create the allowance A package in a few fields
Hours, term and service. Change the hours and the monthly average follows.
Bookable right away
Once created, the team books against the package and the usage follows.
Create the allowanceTierklinik NordHours20:00hValid1 Nov to 31 DecServiceMaintenanceAverage per month10:00hTierklinik Nordnewly created0:00hBook hours, the package draws down
Every entry goes to a client, a project and a task and draws straight on the allowance. Including the twenty minutes in between.
The balance is right without anybody recalculating.
Entries flow into the allowance UsedKanzlei Ruhr · package 40:00hday Service Person Hours 02.10. Network rebuild Tobias K. 6:00h 09.10. Network rebuild Tobias K. 8:30h 14.10. Network rebuild Tobias K. 8:00h 16.10. Remote maintenance Mara W. 1:00h 21.10. Network rebuild Tobias K. 8:00h Total 31:30h Left in the package+8:30hCheck the balance and invoice
Usage per client in view, with the renewal running by itself at the turn of the period. For the invoice you export the hours as Excel or CSV.
Selling more becomes a conversation rather than an argument.
Status per client Praxis Dr. LindnerPackage 20:00h since 1 SeptemberUsed94%18:45hLeft+1:15hMore than 80% used, time for the next package.
Offer for a new package, 20:00hTask createdopen
What agencies need from time tracking
Retainers, project effort and workload, without cobbling spreadsheets together.
- Projects
Hour packages per client
Allowances with a period, a usage display and automatic renewal.
Unused hours can be carried into the next period.
- Time
Client, project and task on every entry
Effort can be assigned right down to the task.
The basis for costing afterwards and for honest quotes.
- Billing
Billable kept apart from internal
New business, internal coordination and client work kept cleanly apart.
You book internal hours without a client; they count as working time but not against the retainer.
- Reports
Workload per person
Target, actual and the difference, with a daily breakdown.
Shows who is running over plan before overtime builds up.
- Team
Who is working on what right now
Attendance and the team's running entries on one page.
Helps with replanning at short notice when a client pushes something in.
- Apps
Booking between two meetings
iOS and Android, on the way to a client meeting too.
Recordable on a train or at a client with no signal, and transferred afterwards.
- Security
Client data in Germany
Servers in Germany, encrypted, GDPR compliant.
It matters when your clients check data processing themselves.
- Simplicity
No rollout, no training
Runs in the browser and as an app, with no rollout by an IT department.
Invite freelancers by email and deactivate them again afterwards.
For owners, project leads and the team
Four roles, four reasons, from the retainer to the payroll.
- Agency owner
Knows which client pays for itself
- The biggest client feels profitable, but it cannot be shown.
- Hours per client against the package sold, with usage and carry-over.
- Project manager
Sees the need to sell more before it gets awkward
- The package is empty on the 20th, and the requests keep coming.
- Usage per retainer during the month, in time for a level-headed conversation.
- Creative team
Books without friction
- Time tracking feels like being watched, so it gets avoided.
- Pick the client and the task, done, at the computer or on the phone.
- Accountant
Gets the hours without having to ask
- Hours from three tools that have to be merged before payroll.
- One file per month, broken down by client and person.
Client data your clients are allowed to audit
Agencies process data for their clients, and are therefore audited themselves. MetronHR runs in Germany and provides the evidence that gets asked for.
- Servers in Nuremberg and Falkenstein, so your clients' data stays in Germany
- Encrypted transfer and storage, documented in line with the GDPR
- A data processing agreement included, the document clients ask for during onboarding
- Roles control the access: not everybody on the team sees every client
Servers in Germany, operated by AMNAU GmbH in Hanover
Frequent questions from agencies
Retainers, carry-over and invoicing, answered briefly.
Question not answered here? Every step is explained in the help centre.
Send us a messageHow do I run a retainer across several months?
You create an hour allowance per client with a period, monthly, quarterly or yearly. Every entry draws on it, and at the turn of the period the package renews itself. You see the usage while the month is running.
What happens to hours a client does not use?
When you create the allowance you decide whether unused hours carry into the next period. That way it can always be shown how much the client still has, with no side calculation in Excel.
Can I keep billable and internal hours apart?
Yes. Entries with a client go against that client's allowance, and internal time such as new business or team coordination you book without a client. Both count as working time, but only client hours draw on the retainer.
Does MetronHR warn when an allowance gets tight?
There is no automatic notification. MetronHR shows the usage per allowance with a status, active or used up, in the overview. Looking at it replaces the recalculation, but nobody wakes you with an email.
How do freelancers get access without seeing everything?
Freelancers are invited by email like employees and by default see only their own hours. Roles and departments control which clients and projects they see beyond that, and you deactivate the access after the project.
Which plan includes allowances?
Customer quotas and project budgets are part of the Professional plan at 10 € per user per month. Time tracking with customer and project assignment, absences, overtime and Excel/CSV export are already included in the Team plan at 5 €.
See retainer usage while the month is running?
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