Glossary
Client portal
Also called: customer portal · invoice portal
A client portal is a secure, client-facing area of a provider's software where a client can view their invoices, see what has been paid and what is outstanding, download documents, and pay online — without needing an account in the provider's internal tool.
Last updated October 13, 2026
What a billing portal should do
Show every invoice with its status, due date, and amount; let the client open the PDF and any supporting documents such as timesheets and receipts; and offer the payment methods you accept, ideally with a one-click online payment. It should not expose your internal notes, team rates, or other clients.
Access without passwords
Clients rarely want another login. Passwordless access — a magic link emailed on request, or a tokenized link on each invoice — gets them to the invoice in one click while keeping the page scoped to that client. Links should be revocable and the portal should never be indexed by search engines.
Why it speeds up payment
Every reply-email, resend, and 'which invoice was that?' adds days to payment. A portal answers those questions without you, and a view-tracking signal tells you when the client has actually opened the invoice so follow-up is timed well.
In Hoursmith
Studio and Agency workspaces include a passwordless magic-link client portal where clients see their invoices and pay online. Every plan can share individual invoices by link with view tracking.