Retainer tracking
See how many hours remain on each maintenance retainer.
A Tolus retainer defines a volume of hours and a covered period. Logged time feeds the summary, so the service team and the client read the same figures.
September retainer
25 hours
18 h used
Used
18 h
Remaining
7 h
Rate
72 %
Used hours and the remaining balance are calculated from logged time.
The agreement
Set the retainer’s allowance and period
Record the quote approval date, number of days, hours per day and covered period. Tolus converts the total to hours and keeps the value used when the retainer was created.
Several retainers can follow one another on the same project. Only one is active at a time, while past periods remain available for reference.
Volume
Set in days and converted with your team’s working-day length.
Period
Contract dates remain visible next to the balance.
Work types
Split time into the categories your client recognises, such as development and project management.
The calculation
Logged hours update the balance
A 25-hour retainer with 18 hours of logged work leaves 7 hours. Tolus calculates this balance, equivalent days and the usage rate from the report entries.
Tolus shows a visual warning from 80% of the allowance used. Entries with a request date after the retainer’s end date are marked outside the period. Use the detail to discuss a renewal or extra hours with your client.
Ticket time
Hours logged against a request flow into the project summary.
Standalone work
Record planned work even when no client ticket exists.
Monthly subtotals
Longer retainers remain readable month by month.
Tolus pricing
Pay for active retainers, not people
A tracked retainer is a project with an hour bank covering today’s date. It releases its place when none of its retainers covers that date. Projects without a retainer do not count toward the limit.
If you reach the plan limit, only a new retainer is blocked. Existing tickets, comments, invitations and time entries keep working.
Make the right choice
For maintenance agreements tracked in hours
Tolus is a good fit if
- You sell a bank of maintenance hours for a defined period.
- You want clients to see the balance without maintaining a separate file.
- You need work-type splits and a visible outside-period flag.
These needs require an additional tool
- You bill every ticket through a complex rate catalogue.
- You need accounting, invoicing or resource forecasting.
- You want software to decide how an overrun should be charged.
Frequently asked questions
What to check before you choose
What counts as a tracked retainer?
A project counts toward the plan limit when one of its retainers covers today’s date. It releases its place when none of its retainers covers that date.
What happens when the balance is negative?
The overrun stays visible. Tolus does not stop the work or decide whether you should invoice it.
Can we log time without a ticket?
Yes. A standalone line records work that did not begin with a client request.
Track your next retainer in Tolus
Set the agreed allowance, log your first work entries and check the balance. Try it for 30 days, with no credit card.