Time tracking
Log hours per day and link them to a client and, optionally, a project. Every entry is either billable (client work you'll invoice) or internal (admin, business development, learning — time that doesn't get billed).
Only billable hours count toward your NER calculation. Internal time is tracked separately so you can see how much of your total week is actually revenue-generating.
Each time entry has a status dot in the list view. The dot tells you where that block of time sits in the invoicing lifecycle: unbilled billable work shows as amber, entries on a sent invoice as blue, paid as green, and so on. It's a quick visual health check on your timesheet.
Hours criterion (urencriterium)
Dutch tax law requires at least 1,225 hours of billable work per year to qualify for the zelfstandigenaftrek (self-employment deduction). Peil tracks your billable hours year-to-date so you can see whether you're on track. See Tax reserve for more on the deduction itself.
Creating invoices
There are two ways to create an invoice. The most common route: go to your time entries, select the hours you want to bill, choose a client, and push them into the invoice editor. Peil pre-fills the line items based on your logged hours and rates.
You can also create an invoice directly from the invoice list — useful for fixed-price work where you're not billing per hour.
The invoice editor
The editor lets you review and adjust everything before sending. You can:
- Edit line item descriptions, quantities, and prices
- Add extra line items manually
- Set the invoice date and payment term
- Link the invoice to a project
- Check or change the VAT setting
A live PDF preview updates as you make changes, so you see exactly what the client will receive before you hit send.
Invoice design
The look of your invoices is configurable in Settings → Invoice Design. Four templates are available: Modern, Classic, Peil, and Studio. You can adjust typography, layout margins, table styling, header and footer content, and upload your logo.
VAT
Standard Dutch VAT is 21%. Peil applies this by default. Two exceptions:
- KOR — if you're enrolled in the small business VAT exemption scheme, Peil suppresses VAT on all invoices and adds the required legal disclaimer automatically. See KOR.
- Reverse charge — for cross-border clients (B2B within the EU), you can enable reverse charge on an invoice. The legal disclaimer is added to the PDF automatically.
Sending invoices
Peil sends the invoice PDF by email directly to your client via Resend. You can configure a reply-to address in settings so client replies land in your own inbox.
After sending, Peil tracks delivery status: sent, opened, bounced, or failed. The invoice timeline shows the full event history.
Invoice status workflow
Invoices move through a clear lifecycle:
- Draft — being prepared, not yet sent
- Sent — emailed to the client, awaiting payment
- Overdue — payment term has passed without payment (set automatically)
- Paid — you've marked it as paid
- Archived — closed out, no longer active
Paid invoices cannot be deleted — this protects your financial history. If you need to correct a paid invoice, create a credit note.
Automatic reminders
Configure a reminder schedule in Settings: pick a day of the week and a time, and Peil automatically sends a payment reminder for any overdue invoice. The reminder count and last reminder date are tracked on each invoice.
Recurring invoices
Set a recurrence schedule on any invoice (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.) and Peil will automatically generate the next invoice in the series when the time comes. Useful for retainer clients or subscription arrangements.
Fixed-price projects
For fixed-price work, create a fixed project and set a budget. Each time you invoice against that project, Peil tracks how much of the budget has been invoiced. When the total paid reaches the budget, the project automatically completes — Peil shows a confirmation dialog so you know it's wrapped up.
PDF archive
All invoice PDFs are stored and available for download at any time. You can download all of them as a ZIP via Settings → Export. Dutch law requires you to keep invoices for 7 years — export your archive regularly and store it externally. See Export data.