Retainer types: pay-for-work vs pay-for-access

Quivva supports two types of retainer contract: pay-for-work and pay-for-access. Both bill clients on a recurring schedule, but they reflect fundamentally different arrangements. Choosing the right one affects how your invoices are structured, when they’re sent, and how your time tracking flows through to billing.

Pay-for-work (hourly)

A pay-for-work retainer bills the client for hours actually delivered during the billing period. You agree on an hourly rate and a weekly hours cap, and at the end of each period the client pays for the time you tracked.

How it works in Quivva:

• When a new billing period begins, Quivva creates a draft invoice automatically
• You track time against the client throughout the period — each entry flows into that draft
• Timer records are grouped by task name into line items
• The invoice total is based on hours tracked × your hourly rate
• At period end, you review the draft and send it

Because the work comes first and the invoice follows, pay-for-work retainers are sent in arrears — at the end of the period once all time is captured.

Service periods roll automatically: When one period closes, the next opens immediately from the same end date. If your last period ran Friday 4 April to Friday 18 April, the next period starts from Friday 18 April — no gap, no manual setup.

Hours warnings: Quivva monitors your hours remaining against the weekly cap and warns you when you’re under 2 hours remaining or have gone over — giving you a chance to check in with the client before it becomes an issue.

When to use it: Pay-for-work suits arrangements where the scope of work varies week to week and the client expects to pay only for what was delivered. It’s common for consulting and advisory work where output is measurable and hours fluctuate.

Pay-for-access (fixed fee)

A pay-for-access retainer charges the client a flat fee each billing period regardless of how many hours you work. The client is paying for your availability and expertise — not a specific number of hours delivered.

How it works in Quivva:

• When a new billing period begins, Quivva creates a draft invoice automatically
• The invoice total is the agreed fixed fee
• Because the fee is fixed upfront, the invoice is sent at the start of the period — before the work is done
• You track time against the client throughout the period; this feeds into your business intelligence and reporting but does not change what the client is billed
• Tracked tasks appear as line items on the invoice, giving your client visibility into how the time was spent

Adjusting billed hours with the slider: Each line item includes a slider that controls how much of the tracked time is reflected in the invoice amount. Adjusting it changes both the line amount and the invoice total — useful when you’ve logged more hours than you want to charge for, or when you’ve agreed to absorb some time for a particular period.

When to use it: Pay-for-access suits arrangements where the value is your ongoing availability rather than a fixed output. It’s common for strategic advisory, fractional roles, or any relationship where the client wants a guaranteed slice of your time each period without counting hours.

Invoice frequency

Both retainer types share the same billing frequency options:

• Weekly — every 7 days
• Fortnightly — every 14 days
• Every 4 weeks — a consistent 28-day cycle regardless of month length
• Calendar monthly — aligned to the first of each month

Choose the frequency that matches your agreement with the client. Fortnightly and monthly are most common; weekly suits high-volume or short-term engagements where cash flow is tighter.

Choosing between the two

If your client expects to pay based on what you actually do, use pay-for-work. If they’re buying a guaranteed portion of your time and the hours vary, use pay-for-access.

Some consultants run both types across their client portfolio — Quivva handles each independently, so you can mix and match across clients without any crossover.