--- title: "Interior design retainers, mark-up and invoicing: how to track them in Notion" url: https://notionforarchitecture.com/blog/interior-design-markup-retainer-tracking-notion updated: 2026-10-27 author: Notion for Architecture --- # Interior design retainers, mark-up and invoicing: how to track them in Notion Track interior design fees in Notion with a Fees database that records fee type (hourly, fixed, percentage, retainer or cost-plus), amount, and billing milestones, plus a mark-up formula on items and an invoice log. This is for tracking only; tax, contracts and accounting stay with your accountant. ## Key takeaways - Separate design fees from product mark-up, as you would on a proposal. - Mark-up and margin are different: define which one you use. - Log every invoice with status and dates, linked to the project. - Notion is a tracker, not accounting software or legal or tax advice. ## How do interior designers charge, and what should Notion track? Common models, according to HoneyBook, Houzz and Design Manager: hourly, flat fee, cost-plus (mark-up on products), percentage of project cost, and retainer or deposit. Designers often combine them, for example hourly design fees plus cost-plus on furnishings. Sources disagree on ranges and on what 'retainer' means, so define the term in your own contract. Notion should hold, for each project: which fee types apply, the agreed amounts or rates, what has been invoiced, and what remains. Scope of this article: Process tracking only. It is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Contracts, deposits, sales tax and invoicing rules vary by place; check with your accountant and local rules. ## How do you record fee types per project? Use a Fees database with one row per fee arrangement and a relation to the project. A project can have several rows, for example a design fee and a procurement mark-up. | Property | Type | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | Fee name | Title | Design fee, Procurement mark-up, Site visits | | Project | Relation | Hartley House | | Fee type | Select | Hourly, Fixed, Percentage, Retainer, Cost-plus | | Rate or percentage | Number | Hourly rate or percent | | Agreed amount | Number | Fixed total or estimate | | Billing basis | Select | Monthly, On milestone, On order, On completion | | Invoiced to date | Rollup | From Invoices | | Remaining | Formula | Agreed amount minus invoiced | ## How do you calculate mark-up and margin? Mark-up is a percentage added to cost. Margin is the share of the selling price that is profit. They give different numbers, so pick one and label it. | Measure | Formula | Cost 1,000, sell 1,300 | | --- | --- | --- | | Mark-up % | (Sell minus Cost) / Cost | 30% | | Margin % | (Sell minus Cost) / Sell | about 23% | | Sell from mark-up | Cost x (1 + mark-up) | 1,300 | In Notion, add to Items: Mark-up amount (client price minus cost price, times quantity) and Mark-up % (that amount divided by cost). Sum the amount on Projects to see total product margin. Typical mark-up percentages vary by region and contract: one source cites 20 to 35 percent as standard and another 17 to 45; use your own. - Notion: Intro to formulas: https://www.notion.com/help/formulas ## How do you track retainers and deposits? Treat a retainer or deposit as a payment row, not a note. The key facts: amount, date received, what it is held against, and whether it is refundable or applied to the first invoice. Houzz describes deposits as a flat amount or a share of anticipated fees, which may or may not be refundable; what applies to you is whatever your contract says. 1. Create the invoice or payment row: Type = Retainer, with project and amount. 2. Mark received: Set the Paid on date. 3. Apply it: Add a relation to the invoice it is credited against. 4. Show the balance: A formula for retainer received minus retainer applied. ## What should an invoice log hold? - Invoice number, project and fee relation - Type: Retainer, Design fee, Products, Expenses - Amount, issue date, due date, paid date - Status: Draft, Sent, Part-paid, Paid, Overdue - Link to the PDF from your accounting tool Create a view of unpaid invoices sorted by due date and review it weekly. An overdue formula (due date before today and status not Paid) highlights chasing needs. ## How do you reconcile project fees at a glance? On Projects, roll up Agreed amount and Invoiced to date across Fees and show Remaining. At project level, compare product cost, client price and mark-up. A monthly check of invoiced versus paid versus outstanding takes minutes and flags problems before the final invoice. - Fee proposals that get signed: https://notionforarchitecture.com/blog/interior-design-fee-proposals-that-get-signed - FF&E budget tracking: https://notionforarchitecture.com/blog/ffe-budget-tracking-notion-interior-designers ## Where InteriorDesignOS fits InteriorDesignOS has a Fees & Invoices section, an amount invoiced field on its projects dashboard, and four fee types on its Projects database: percent of construction cost, fixed lump sum, hourly rate and retainer. It does not include a cost-plus mark-up calculator; add the formulas above. - InteriorDesignOS: https://notionforarchitecture.com/interior-design-project-management - Pricing: https://notionforarchitecture.com/#pricing ## FAQ ### What is the difference between mark-up and margin? Mark-up is profit as a percentage of cost; margin is profit as a percentage of the selling price. A 30 percent mark-up gives roughly a 23 percent margin. ### How do I track a retainer in Notion? Log it as a payment row with amount, date received and the invoice it is applied to, then show a balance formula. Follow whatever your contract says about refunds. ### Can Notion replace accounting software? No. Notion tracks fees, invoices and balances for projects. Bookkeeping, tax and statutory invoicing belong in accounting software and with your accountant. ### How do I show the client design fees separately from products? Keep separate Fee rows by type and invoice types. Some sources recommend listing design fees separately from product mark-ups on proposals. ### What mark-up should I charge? That is a business decision. Published ranges vary widely, so set yours from your costs, services and market, and state it in your contract. ## Sources - [HoneyBook: How to price interior design services](https://www.honeybook.com/blog/how-to-price-interior-design-services) - [Houzz: Working With Pros](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/112598632) - [Design Manager: Fee structure freedom](https://www.designmanager.com/blog/did-you-know-design-manager-gives-you-fee-structure-freedom) - [Notion: Intro to formulas](https://www.notion.com/help/formulas)