# How to Set Up a Freelance Retainer for Monthly Clients

> How to set up a freelance retainer: the three types, a pricing formula, what the scope should say, what happens to unused hours and a monthly invoice that sends itself.

Canonical: https://clientworkhq.net/watch/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/
Last updated: 2026-11-08

[← Read the full guide](https://clientworkhq.net/blog/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/)

CLIENT WORK HQ · 5:22 WATCH

Published Nov 3, 2026

[Read the companion guide](https://clientworkhq.net/blog/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/)

Our #1 pick is Workspace369.

THE TAKEAWAY

## Watch it. Put it to work.

A freelance retainer is a client paying the same amount every month for a set amount of your time. Start with an hour bank, price it as hours times your rate, define what the hours cover and what counts as extra, decide whether unused hours expire or roll over to a cap, and invoice monthly with a quarterly review.

[Open on YouTube ↗](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O93NDpcmCM)[Workspace369 retainers and recurring billing ↗](https://workspace369.com/features/retainers-and-recurring-billing/?utm_source=clientworkhq.net&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=watch-how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer)

### Read the video transcript +

A retainer turns a one-off client into monthly income. Here's how to set up a freelance retainer. We'll cover the price, the hours, and an invoice that sends itself. Stay to the end for a simple pricing formula, and what happens to unused hours. First, what is a freelance retainer?

It's a client who pays the same amount every month, for a set amount of your time. You get predictable income. They get a place in your calendar, and someone who already knows their business. Everyone wins, as long as the terms are clear from day one. When should you offer one?

Right after a project ends, when the client keeps asking for small things. Say it plainly: instead of paying for each small request, reserve some hours every month. There are three ways to set one up. Pick the one that matches the work. An hour bank gives the client a set number of hours each month, and extra hours are billed on top.

A fixed monthly retainer is a set scope for a set price. No hours to count. A prepaid deposit holds money upfront, and you draw it down against invoices as you work. If you're not sure, start with an hour bank. It's the easiest to explain, and the easiest to price.

Now the price. Don't guess. Use a formula: the hours you'll commit, times your hourly rate. Twenty hours a month, at one seventy an hour, is thirty-four hundred dollars. Some freelancers add a small discount for a three month commitment.

If you do, decide it before you quote. And be honest about the hours. Twenty hours a month means twenty hours you can really protect. Then write down what the hours cover, how fast you reply, and what counts as extra. Extra hours get their own rate, billed on the next invoice, so nobody argues about a Friday emergency.

Next, decide what happens to unused hours. This is where most retainers get awkward. In Workspace369, unused hours expire at the end of the cycle by default. Say so in your first message. Or let them roll over, once, up to a cap you choose.

Rolled-in hours are used first, and any left after that cycle expire. Either way, the client reads the rule on their invoice before they pay. A good rule: if you offer rollover, keep the cap small, so you're never sitting on a pile of owed hours. Now set it up. In Workspace369, open Retainers and choose New retainer.

Pick the type, choose the client, name the retainer, and set it to bill every month, on the first. Enter the hours each cycle, twenty, and the price, thirty-four hundred. Choose what happens to extra hours, and to unused ones. Here we've picked roll over, up to five hours. Under billing, choose autopay or a pay link, and send automatically.

Then create it. Nothing is charged until the client pays the first invoice and agrees to the terms. Here's what the client sees: a normal invoice, with a Retainer terms card next to the pay box. Hours included, the price, extra hours, unused hours, and where they can check their balance. To turn on autopay, they tick one box next to Pay.

It's never ticked for them. Leave it unticked, and they just pay this invoice. Autopay needs Stripe connected, so set that up first. After that, the client has a page with the hours left this month, the work you've logged, and when the hours reset. On your side, log time against the retainer.

Hours count once you approve them. The cycle card shows approved hours, pending hours, and what's left, so you never guess where you stand. Go over the bank, and the extra hours are billed on the next invoice. At the end of the month, send a statement, so the hours never come as a surprise. And the page they open is yours.

Choose your theme, accent color and logo once, and the client portal looks like you. Same facts, same hours, in your brand. Three mistakes to avoid. One, no review date. Agree to look at the retainer again every three months.

Two, a vague scope. If the hours can mean anything, the client will use them for everything. Three, hiding the unused hours rule. Put it in your first message, and let the invoice repeat it. So: pick the type, price it with a formula, decide on unused hours, and set it up once.

Same amount, same hours, no chasing. That's a retainer. Set it up in Workspace369. There's a fourteen-day free trial, and the link is in the description. Next up, how to choose payment terms, net fifteen or net thirty.

It's on screen now.

JUMP TO A CHAPTER

Choose a chapter to start at that moment.

[0:00What is a freelance retainer?](https://clientworkhq.net/watch/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/?t=0)[0:37When should you offer one?](https://clientworkhq.net/watch/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/?t=37)[0:50What types of retainer are there?](https://clientworkhq.net/watch/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/?t=50)[1:22How much should a retainer cost?](https://clientworkhq.net/watch/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/?t=82)[1:49What should the scope say?](https://clientworkhq.net/watch/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/?t=109)[2:02What happens to unused hours?](https://clientworkhq.net/watch/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/?t=122)[2:40How do you set one up?](https://clientworkhq.net/watch/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/?t=160)[3:20What does the client see?](https://clientworkhq.net/watch/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/?t=200)[3:55How do you track the hours?](https://clientworkhq.net/watch/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/?t=235)[4:18Can the page look like your brand?](https://clientworkhq.net/watch/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/?t=258)[4:30What mistakes should you avoid?](https://clientworkhq.net/watch/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/?t=270)[4:54What should you do next?](https://clientworkhq.net/watch/how-to-set-up-a-freelance-retainer/?t=294)

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