Grouping Bill Items

Organize and simplify bills by grouping multiple time entries and charges into consolidated rows.

🎥 Video Tutorials

Watch how to group multiple time entries and charges into organized bill rows.

Watch how to combine unbilled items from multiple projects into a single bill row.

What is Grouping?

By default, Hidma automatically groups unbilled time entries by job and unbilled charges by charge type when creating bills. Each job appears as its own line item on the invoice, showing the total hours and amount for that job. However, you might want to consolidate multiple different jobs or charges into a single line item for a cleaner presentation.

For example, imagine you have five different jobs for a client: "Tax Research," "Client Meetings," "Document Review," "Financial Analysis," and "Correspondence." By default, these would appear as five separate line items on the invoice. The Grouping feature lets you combine these different jobs into one consolidated row - perhaps called "Professional Services" or "October Consulting Work" - giving you complete control over how detailed or simplified your invoices appear.

The power of grouping lies in its flexibility. You can create summary rows that show just a custom description and total amount, perfect for clients who trust you and don't want pages of detail. Or you can create detailed grouped rows that show your custom description plus a complete itemized breakdown of all the jobs and charges underneath, ideal for clients who need transparency or have audit requirements. Some clients explicitly request simplified invoices to make their accounts payable process easier. Others are contractually required to see every hour itemized. Grouping lets you adapt your billing presentation to what each client needs while maintaining the same underlying data.

Types of Grouped Rows

1. Non-Detailed Rows (Summary)

A single line showing just a description and total amount, with no itemized breakdown visible to the client.

Displays:

• Custom description (e.g., "Professional Services")
• Total amount
• (Internal: shows which jobs and hours contributed)

Best for:

• Clients who want simplified invoices
• Fixed-price billing presentation
• High-level project summaries
• When details aren't necessary

Example:

Professional Services               €2,450.00

2. Detailed Rows (With Breakdown)

A grouped row that shows the description and total, plus an itemized list of all entries underneath.

Displays:

• Custom description header
• Total amount
• Detailed breakdown of each entry:
  • Date
  • User name (for time entries)
  • Hours worked
  • Amount
  • Description/narrative

Best for:

• Clients who want full transparency
• Audit requirements
• Time & materials contracts
• Detailed project billing

Example:

Professional Services               €2,450.00
  2024-10-15  John Smith   2.0h   €300   Prepared financial statements
  2024-10-16  Jane Doe     3.5h   €525   Client meeting and planning
  2024-10-17  John Smith   1.5h   €225   Review and analysis
  ...

Creating a Non-Detailed Grouped Row

Step-by-Step

1. Go to Bills > Create Bill
2. Select client, project, and date range
3. You'll see unbilled items (time entries, charges)
4. Select multiple items you want to group (click checkboxes)
5. Click "Group Jobs" button
6. Enter a description for the grouped row
   • Examples: "Professional Services", "Project Management", "Consulting Work"
7. Review the summary:
   • Shows which jobs are included
   • Shows hours per job
   • Shows total amount
8. Click "Group and Add to Bill"

Result: A single line item appears on the bill with your custom description and the total amount.

Customizing the Grouped Row

After adding the grouped row to the bill:

• Click on the row to edit it
• Change the description
• Modify the amount if needed (e.g., apply a discount)
• Edit any other fields
• Changes apply to the entire grouped row

Flexibility

You can modify everything about a non-detailed grouped row - description, amount, even tax rates. The original entries remain grouped internally for your records.

Creating a Detailed Grouped Row

Step-by-Step

1. Go to Bills > Create Bill
2. Select client, project, and date range
3. Select multiple items to group (time entries and/or charges)
4. Click "Group Jobs and Charges" button
5. Enter a description for the group
   • Example: "Project Fees", "Development Work", "Monthly Retainer Activities"
6. Check the box: "Show the details"
   • This is what makes it a detailed row
7. Review what will be included:
   • All selected entries will appear as sub-items
8. Click "Group and Add to Bill"

Result: A bill row with a header description appears, showing all individual entries underneath.

What Shows in Detailed Rows

For Time Entries:

• Date - When the work was done
• User - Who performed the work
• Time - Hours worked
• Amount - Charge for those hours
• Description - Any notes the user added

For Charges:

• Date - When the charge applies
• Description - Charge description
• Amount - Charge amount
• Notes - Any additional charge notes

Editing Detailed Rows

You have significant control over detailed rows:

To Edit a Detailed Row:

1. Click the pencil icon next to the grouped row
2. You can:
   • Change the top-level description
   • Remove individual items (they return to unbilled list)
   • Modify hours for specific entries
   • Add additional jobs if available for that project
3. Click Save

What You CAN Edit:

• ✅ Row description
• ✅ Individual entry descriptions
• ✅ Hours/amounts
• ✅ Add or remove items

What You CAN'T Edit:

• ❌ Date of entries
• ❌ User who did the work
• ❌ Time recorded (can adjust hours but not the timestamp)

Removing Items

If you remove an item from a detailed row, it goes back to the unbilled items list. You can add it back later if needed.

When to Use Each Type

Use Non-Detailed Rows When:

✅ Client prefers simplicity - Doesn't want pages of line items ✅ Fixed-price projects - Billing an agreed amount regardless of hours ✅ Retainer billing - Monthly fee covering various activities ✅ High-level summaries - Client trusts you and doesn't need details ✅ Cleaner presentation - Professional, streamlined invoices

Example Client Types:

• Long-term clients with established trust
• Fixed-price contracts
• Retainer arrangements
• Clients who've requested simplified invoices

Use Detailed Rows When:

✅ Client wants transparency - Needs to see what they're paying for ✅ Audit requirements - External auditors need to trace work ✅ Time & materials - Client paying for actual hours worked ✅ Compliance - Industry regulations require detailed breakdowns ✅ New clients - Building trust through transparency ✅ Large projects - Need to show scope of work

Example Client Types:

• Government contracts
• Audited companies
• Clients with procurement departments
• New business relationships
• Regulated industries

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: Simple Group for Clean Invoice

Scenario: Client wants one line for all consulting work (8 separate time entries)

1. Create bill for client
2. See 8 time entries from "Consulting" job
3. Select all 8 entries
4. Click "Group Jobs"
5. Description: "October Consulting Services"
6. Group and add to bill

Result: Invoice shows single line: "October Consulting Services - €4,800"

Workflow 2: Detailed Group for Transparent Billing

Scenario: Time & materials client needs to see every hour worked

1. Create bill for client
2. Select all time entries for the period
3. Click "Group Jobs and Charges"
4. Description: "Project Development - October 2024"
5. Check "Show the details"
6. Group and add to bill

Result: Invoice shows header "Project Development - October 2024" with full breakdown of dates, team members, hours, and amounts underneath.

Workflow 3: Mixed Approach

Scenario: Group some items detailed, others summarized

1. Create bill
2. First group (detailed):
   • Select billable hours
   • Group with details showing
   • Description: "Development Work"
3. Second group (non-detailed):
   • Select internal charges and fees
   • Group without details
   • Description: "Project Management & Administration"

Result: Invoice has one detailed section showing all hours, and one summary line for fees.

Workflow 4: Editing Grouped Row After Creation

Scenario: Grouped items, but need to remove one entry

1. Bill already created with detailed grouped row
2. Click pencil icon on the row
3. Find the entry to remove
4. Click Remove next to that entry
5. Entry returns to unbilled items list
6. Save changes

Result: Grouped row updated, removed entry available to bill separately or on future bills.

Grouping Across Multiple Projects

When creating a bill for a client who has multiple active projects, you can group unbilled items from different projects into a single consolidated bill row. This is particularly useful when you want to present a unified invoice that doesn't break down work by individual projects.

How Multi-Project Billing Works

1. Navigate to Create Bill

   • Go to Bills > Create Bill
   • Select the client

2. Add Multiple Projects to the Bill

   • Initially, you'll start with one project selected
   • Click "Add Project" to add additional projects to the bill
   • Select each project you want to include
   • Once added, you'll see all selected projects as tabs at the top of the billing interface
   • Each tab shows the project name (e.g., "Test P", "Recover Test", "A Test Project")

3. View and Select Items from Each Project

   • Click between project tabs to view unbilled items for each project
   • Switch to the first project tab
   • Select the jobs or charges you want to include
   • Switch to another project tab
   • Select additional jobs or charges from that project
   • Continue across all relevant projects

4. Group the Items

   • After selecting items from multiple projects, click "Group Jobs" or "Group Jobs and Charges"
   • Enter a description that covers all the work (e.g., "October Professional Services")
   • Choose whether to show details or create a summary row
   • Click "Group and Add to Bill"

Result: A single line item on the invoice that consolidates work from multiple projects under one description and total amount.

When to Use Multi-Project Grouping

Use multi-project grouping when:

• Client has multiple concurrent projects but wants simplified billing
• Work across projects is related (e.g., different phases of the same engagement)
• Client doesn't need to see project-by-project breakdown
• You're billing under a retainer that covers multiple projects
• Creating a consolidated monthly invoice

Example Scenarios:

Scenario 1: Retainer Client

• Client has 3 active projects: "Tax Advisory," "Audit Support," and "Compliance"
• They pay a monthly retainer covering all work
• Add all three projects to the bill
• Group all jobs from all three projects into: "Monthly Retainer Services - November 2024"

Scenario 2: Related Projects

• Client has "Phase 1 - Planning" and "Phase 2 - Implementation" projects
• Both are part of the same larger engagement
• Add both projects to the bill
• Group selected jobs from both: "Q4 Implementation Program"

Scenario 3: Simplified Billing

• Client explicitly requests invoices without project breakdowns
• Add all the client's projects to the bill
• Select all unbilled work across all projects
• Group into one clean line: "Professional Services - October 2024"

Important Considerations

Rate Configuration

Before grouping across projects, ensure all users have proper charge-out rates configured. If you see a tooltip warning "User has no default or specific rate configured," click the link to set the rate before proceeding. Without rates, the system can't calculate charges correctly.

Project Navigation:

• Use the project tabs to navigate between different projects after adding them to the bill
• The system maintains your selections as you switch between tabs
• Review each project tab to ensure you haven't missed unbilled work

Filtering Options:

• Use the time range filter to limit what unbilled items appear
• Use grouping options like "Group by rows original" to control the initial view
• Select the appropriate currency if working with multi-currency projects

Best Practices

Recommendations

✅ Know your client - Use detail level they prefer ✅ Consistent descriptions - Use clear, professional language ✅ Logical grouping - Group by phase, service type, or time period ✅ Review before sending - Ensure grouping makes sense ✅ Keep some detail - Even non-detailed rows show basics in your records ✅ Use detailed for new clients - Build trust with transparency first ✅ Ask clients - Don't guess - ask what level of detail they want

Advanced Tips

Grouping Strategy by Project Type

Monthly Retainers:

• Group all work into one non-detailed row: "Monthly Retainer - October 2024"
• Simple, clean, matches retainer agreement

Time & Materials:

• Group by service type with details
• "Development - €X" (detailed), "Testing - €Y" (detailed)
• Full transparency on how time was spent

Mixed Projects:

• Group fixed-price components without details
• Show time & materials components with details
• Clear distinction between different billing methods

Partial Grouping

You don't have to group everything:

• Group routine work
• Leave special items separate for visibility
• Combine similar entries, highlight unique ones

Example:

Professional Services (grouped)      €5,000
Special Consultation - Expert Review €1,500
Professional Services (grouped)      €3,000

Troubleshooting

Problem: Can't group items

Possible Causes:

• Items from different clients (can't mix)
• Items from incompatible types
• Items already on a bill

Solution: Ensure all selected items are unbilled and for the same client/project.

Problem: Don't see "Show the details" option

Cause: Using "Group Jobs" instead of "Group Jobs and Charges" Solution: Use "Group Jobs and Charges" button to access detailed row option.

Problem: Want to ungroup items

Solution:

1. Click pencil icon on grouped row
2. Remove all items individually
3. They return to unbilled list
4. Delete the empty grouped row

OR

• Remove the entire grouped row from the bill
• Items return to unbilled list automatically

Problem: Client can't understand grouped invoice

Cause: Wrong detail level for client Solution:

• Edit the bill
• Switch from non-detailed to detailed rows
• Add more descriptive text
• Send a separate breakdown document

Related Topics

• Creating Bills - Basic billing workflow
• Charges and Discounts - Adding fees and adjustments
• Document Templates - Customizing invoice appearance
• Specify Hours - Adding custom hour amounts

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Need Help?

The grouping feature is available to all users with billing permissions. If you have questions about what level of detail clients expect, consult your account manager or supervisor.