Architecture fee tracking and invoicing in Notion

How do you track architecture fees in Notion?

Use two databases, linked to Projects. Fees (or Stages) holds the agreed amount per stage. Invoices holds each invoice raised. Rollups on Projects then show total agreed, total invoiced, total paid and what remains unbilled. This answers the question every principal asks: how much have we earned on this job and what is still to bill?

Which fee types should you support?

The four fee types in ArchitectOS reflect common arrangements; use whichever your appointments use:

Percentage fees move when the cost basis moves, so record the basis and the date you last updated it.

What fields does the Fees database need?

• Name (e.g. 'Project X: Design development')
• Project (relation)
• Stage (select)
• Fee type (select)
• Agreed amount (number)
• Invoiced (rollup from Invoices)
• Remaining to bill (formula: agreed minus invoiced)
• Notes on variations

Add a Variation checkbox for fee changes agreed after the original appointment, so you can filter additional services separately.

What fields does the Invoices database need?

• Invoice number
• Project (relation)
• Fee line (relation to Fees)
• Amount
• Issue date
• Due date
• Status (Draft, Sent, Paid, Overdue)
• Paid date
• Link to the PDF in your accounting tool

Use a formula for days overdue: if Status is Sent and today is later than Due date, show the difference. Then a view filtered to overdue invoices becomes your credit-control list.

How do you work out billed, paid and outstanding?

1. 1

   Relate

   Link Invoices to the Fees line they bill.

2. 2

   Roll up

   On Fees, sum Invoice amount. On Projects, sum Agreed amount from Fees.

3. 3

   Compute

   Remaining to bill = agreed minus invoiced. Outstanding = invoiced minus paid.

4. 4

   View

   Build a table grouped by project with these three columns.

Worked example with made-up numbers: a lump sum of 40,000 split 10,000 / 15,000 / 15,000 across three stages. If you have invoiced the first two (25,000) and been paid 10,000, remaining to bill is 15,000 and outstanding is 15,000.

What should stay in accounting software?

Notion is not an accounting system. It does not replace ledgers, tax handling, statutory invoice requirements or bank reconciliation. Keep the legal invoice in your accounting tool (or your accountant's system) and store the invoice number and a link in Notion. Requirements for invoices vary by country, so check yours with your accountant.

If you bill by time, decide where hours are recorded. Notion can hold a simple time log, but dedicated tools do timesheets and approvals better.

What views make fee data useful?

• Fee position by project: table grouped by project showing agreed, invoiced, paid and remaining to bill
• Ready to invoice: Fees rows where the stage status is Complete and remaining to bill is above zero
• Overdue: Invoices where status is Sent and the due date has passed, sorted oldest first
• Variations: Fees rows with the Variation checkbox ticked, for conversations about additional services
• Pipeline fee: Projects with status Proposal sent, summing expected fee

The 'Ready to invoice' view is the quiet earner. Practices commonly lose money not through disputes but through completed stages that were never invoiced. Reviewing that view in the weekly check stops it.

Keep one convention for currency and tax. If you work across currencies or charge sales tax or VAT, record amounts excluding tax and let your accounting tool handle tax; check local rules with your accountant.

Where ArchitectOS fits

ArchitectOS (we make it, $79) includes a Fees & Invoices section and a Projects database with the four fee types above, plus a projects dashboard charted by fee type. It is a template you edit, not an accounting product, and does not issue legally compliant invoices.

• See what's inside ArchitectOS
• ArchitectOS pricing

Frequently asked questions

Can Notion create invoices?

Notion can hold invoice records and a printable page, but it is not accounting software. Keep legally required invoices in your accounting tool and store the number and link in Notion.

How do I track fee by stage in Notion?

Create a Fees database with one row per stage per project, holding the agreed amount, and relate invoices to those rows. Rollups then show billed and remaining to bill per stage.

How do I handle percentage fees?

Record the percentage, the cost basis and the date the basis was last updated. A formula multiplies them, and you revisit it whenever the cost estimate changes.

What is the difference between billed and outstanding?

Billed is the total of invoices raised. Outstanding is the part of that which has not yet been paid. Remaining to bill is the agreed fee not yet invoiced.

Should I track expenses and disbursements too?

If you re-charge expenses, add an Expenses database linked to project and invoice. If not, skip it; extra databases add upkeep.