Marketing agencies, monthly retainers
Retainer health check
Is this client's retainer on pace? Enter what you sold and what your team has logged so far. You see where the month will end at the current pace, in hours and in dollars.
Check one retainer
Example: USD 4,000 for 40 hours, 24 hours used on day 15 of 30 is Red: 48 projected hours, 8 hours (USD 800) over.
The rule
- Pace = hours used ÷ day of month. Projected hours = pace × days in month.
- Projected % = projected hours ÷ hours sold. Effective rate = retainer ÷ hours sold; over/under in USD = (projected − sold) × rate.
- Green projected 75–100% of hours sold.
- Amber projected above 100% up to 110% (scope creep starting), or below 75% (client may feel under-served).
- Red projected above 110%, or hours used have already reached hours sold before the last day.
Worked examples
| Retainer | Used | Day | % used | Projected | Over / under | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD 4,000 / 40 h | 24 h | 15 of 30 | 60% | 48.0 h (120%) | +8.0 h / +USD 800 | Red |
| USD 3,000 / 30 h | 26 h | 25 of 31 | 87% | 32.2 h (107%) | +2.2 h / +USD 224 | Amber |
| USD 6,000 / 60 h | 30 h | 16 of 30 | 50% | 56.3 h (94%) | −3.8 h / −USD 375 | Green |
| USD 2,500 / 25 h | 10 h | 18 of 31 | 40% | 17.2 h (69%) | −7.8 h / −USD 778 | Amber |
Next: the weekly client check
Good to know
Why a straight-line projection?
It is the simplest honest forecast: if the team keeps logging hours at today's pace, this is where the month ends. Front-loaded work (a launch in week one) makes it look worse early; check again mid-month.
Does this tool store anything?
No. The numbers stay in this browser tab. No form is sent, no cookies, no storage, no trackers, no third-party files.
Planning a Notion dashboard for this? See Retainersdesk