Bill like a serious firm
Time under control, serious invoices, and the books up to date in Holded.
14-day trial · No lock-in
In a lot of firms the invoice is the last link in a paper chain: somebody remembers the hours, somebody looks up the money on account, somebody copies the figure into a spreadsheet, and somebody emails it out hoping it gets paid.
Mandato bills from the matter, which is where the information already is.
From the worked hour to the accounting entry.
Time, where the work happens
A timer on the matter, and manual entries for what got done without it.
Money on account, retainers, pro formas
The Spanish firm's fee models, issued straight from the matter.
Client money, separately
Client funds in a ledger of their own: every advance and every disbursement with its date, its receipt and its balance.
VeriFactu-ready
Sequential numbering, chained records and a verifiable QR on every invoice.
Export to Holded
The invoice reaches your books without retyping it. Holded is already connected.
Serious PDF invoices
With your brand, your series and the time detail your client expects to see.
What's outstanding, visible
What's been invoiced and what's left on account, matter by matter.
From Excel Fridays to an invoice in minutes.
- Logging the week's hours on Friday, from memory1 h/wk
- Assembling the invoice from three places1 afternoon/mo
- Tracking retainers in a Word templateBy hand
- Crossing your fingers at VeriFactuUncertain
- The timer runs where you workAs you go
- Invoice generated from the matter's hoursMinutes
- Money on account issued and tracked from the matterBuilt in
- Chained records and a QR on every invoiceReady
An illustrative estimate for a small firm; how much you bill depends on your volume and rates.
Time, recorded where the work happens
The timer starts from the matter and stops when you switch tasks. If you would rather record at the end of the day, manual entry is one click away and the list of matters you touched is already in front of you.
Every hour carries its matter, its lawyer, its rate and its description. At invoicing time nothing has to be reconstructed: pick the period and the billable hours move onto the invoice with the detail the client expects to see.
- A timer per matter and manual entry, interchangeably.
- Rates per lawyer, per client or per matter.
- Non-billable hours are recorded too, flagged, and never reach an invoice.
Money on account, retainers and pro formas
Spanish firms do not bill by the hour alone. Mandato handles the arrangements firms actually use, without forcing you to improvise them in a spreadsheet.
- Money on account (provisiones de fondos): requested, recorded, applied to the invoice, with the outstanding balance always visible.
- Fixed-fee retainers (igualas): a recurring amount, shown next to the period's hours so you can see whether the retainer is running short.
- Pro formas: the same document with no tax effect, so the client agrees the figure before you issue.
- Quotes and engagement letters linked to the matter that produced them.
VeriFactu-ready
Royal Decree 1007/2023 imposes requirements on the invoicing systems of Spanish taxpayers. Mandato is VeriFactu-ready: billing was designed on that model — sequential numbering, an unalterable record of every invoice issued, and full traceability of who issued what and when — so that adapting does not mean changing systems or restarting your numbering.
We say "ready", not "built in". Activation depends on the regulatory timetable that applies to each taxpayer and on each firm's own rollout. What we do claim is that the billing you already run in Mandato is the base it switches on over, not something you will have to migrate away from.
The client account, and proving it balances
Client money is not the firm's money, and the ledger it lives in should not be the firm's ledger either. Mandato keeps the client account separate from invoicing: every movement carries its client, its matter where there is one, its value date, its receipt and the running balance it leaves behind.
Each entry is classified as what it actually is — an advance on account of fees, a suplido paid out on the client's behalf, a refund, or a transfer to fees when the invoice is raised — because the difference has consequences: an advance on fees attracts IVA and a suplido does not. A suplido also records the payee, which is what turns the entry into something a third party can be shown.
And the ledger is reconciled against the bank. You enter the client account's statement balance at a date, Mandato works out what it should read — the ledger, less the movements that have not cleared — and shows you the difference. Zero means reconciled; anything else is a mis-keyed entry or a movement that should not be there.
Each client has a printable statement of their own movements and balance. It is the document you hand over when somebody asks where their money is, whether that somebody is the client, the bar association or the partner who answers for the account.
- A client-money ledger separate from invoicing, with a balance per client and per matter.
- Advance, suplido, refund and transfer-to-fees, each recorded as what it is.
- Payee and receipt on the entry itself.
- Reconciliation against the bank statement, with the variance in plain sight.
- A printable statement per client.
The invoice, and then the accounting
Mandato issues the invoice as a PDF in the firm's own design, sends it to the client or leaves it in their portal, and exports it to Holded, which is where your accountant keeps the books. The invoice gets typed once, not twice.
Billing stops being a project.
- 3models
of fees — hourly, retainer and fixed — from the same matter
- 1click
to export the invoice to Holded and keep the books current
- 0
hours lost to late timekeeping: the timer runs where you work
Describes the product, not guaranteed results: how much you bill is up to your firm. Run your own numbers with the savings calculator
Mandato is not accounting software and does not pretend to replace it. It does not keep your ledgers, it does not file your tax returns, and it does not stand in for your accountant. It does what a firm needs from the firm's own software: no hour worked goes unbilled, and the invoice goes out correct, on time and traceable. The accounting stays where it is.
Frequently asked questions
Does Mandato replace my accounting software?
No. Mandato issues the firm's invoices, tracks time, and manages money on account, fixed-fee retainers and pro formas. The accounting — ledgers, entries, tax filings — stays in your accounting package or with your accountant. The Holded export exists precisely so invoices arrive there without being typed twice.
What exactly does "VeriFactu-ready" mean?
That Mandato's billing is designed around the requirements of Royal Decree 1007/2023: sequential numbering, an unalterable record of every invoice issued, and full traceability. We do not say "VeriFactu built in" because activation depends on the regulatory timetable applying to each taxpayer and on each firm's rollout. What we do say is that you will not have to change billing systems in order to comply.
How do you keep track of hours that are not billed?
They are recorded like any other, flagged as non-billable. They appear on the matter and in the time reports, but never reach an invoice. It is the only way to know what a fixed-fee matter really costs you, or how much time a client who calls every day consumes.
What happens to unused money on account?
The balance stays attached to the client and the matter, and is applied to the next invoice or returned. Mandato keeps the balance visible on the client record and on the matter, so neither the firm nor the client has to reconstruct it by hand.
Does Mandato handle the firm's client account?
Yes, as a ledger separate from invoicing. Every movement is recorded with its client, its value date, its classification — advance, suplido, refund or transfer to fees — its receipt and, on a suplido, its payee. The ledger reconciles against the client account's bank statement, and each client has a printable statement of their movements and balance. What Mandato does not do is move the money: the account stays the firm's and transfers are instructed at the bank.
Let no worked hour go unbilled.
Start the timer on your first matter and pull the month's invoice from the recorded hours.
The demo opens in your browser — no account needed.
