Clio Billing: Time Entries, Invoicing, and Clio Payments

Item: Clio Billing
Author: Editorial Team

Billing Feature Comparison
Software	Price	Trust/IOLTA Accounting	Online Payments	Flat Fee Billing	Billing Increment Setting
Clio EasyStart	$39/user/mo	No	Yes (Clio Payments)	Yes	Yes
Clio Essentials	$79/user/mo	Yes	Yes (Clio Payments)	Yes	Yes
CaelusLaw Essentials	$20/user/mo	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

PROS & CONS

Clio Billing

Pros

Multiple time entry options: live timer, manual after-the-fact entry, and calendar-based capture
Clio Payments allows clients to pay invoices online via credit card or eCheck
Invoice templates are customizable with firm branding
Flat-fee, hourly, and contingency billing all handled in the same system

Cons

IOLTA trust accounting is not available on Clio EasyStart ($39/user/mo) — requires Essentials or higher
Clio Payments charges transaction fees (1.4–2.5% depending on payment method and plan) — users report these fees increase after initial signup
Detailed billing reports and analytics are stronger on Complete tier than Essentials
Billing for matters that mix hourly and flat-fee components requires manual management

What Clio billing includes

Clio’s billing system handles the core billing workflow for most law firms: time entry, expense tracking by matter, invoice generation, and client payment collection.

Time can be entered through a live timer in the Clio interface, manually after the fact, or pulled from calendar events. Each entry is linked to a specific client and matter. Clio supports hourly, flat-fee, and contingency billing in the same account, so a firm with mixed fee arrangements does not need separate workflows for each matter type.

Invoices are generated from approved time entries and expenses. Templates are customizable with firm branding and custom fields. Invoices can be emailed directly from Clio with a Clio Payments link for online collection.

The trust accounting gap on EasyStart

IOLTA trust accounting is not available on Clio EasyStart ($39/user/month). Any attorney who collects a retainer before work begins is holding client funds in trust. In most states, that requires proper trust accounting records: a three-way reconciliation between the checkbook balance, bank statement, and per-client ledger total.

EasyStart does not cover this. The Essentials tier ($79/user/month) is required to unlock trust accounting in Clio.

An attorney who signs up for EasyStart to save money and later discovers the trust accounting gap must upgrade to Essentials at more than double the per-user cost.

How Clio Payments works

Clio Payments is Clio’s integrated payment processor. It embeds payment links in invoices, allowing clients to pay by credit card or eCheck from a browser or mobile device. Payments are automatically applied to the correct matter in Clio.

For trust accounting, Clio Payments can process payments into the trust account — retainers paid before work begins go to trust, not the operating account. This is available on Essentials and above where trust accounting is enabled.

Transaction fees are the main consideration. Clio charges approximately 1.4-2.5% depending on card type and payment method. eCheck (ACH) fees are lower. User reviews describe fee increases after the initial contract period, which Clio attributes to introductory pricing. Before projecting payment processing costs, confirm current rates with Clio directly and ask what triggers a rate change.

Billing reports and analytics

Basic billing reports are available on all tiers: time by matter, invoices generated, outstanding balances. More detailed analytics (billing realization rates, attorney productivity breakdowns, accounts receivable aging) are more complete on the Complete tier.

For most small firms on Essentials, the built-in reporting is adequate for day-to-day billing oversight. Firms that want detailed profitability analysis or productivity metrics by attorney may find Essentials’ reports limiting and need to export data to a spreadsheet for analysis.

How CaelusLaw compares on billing

CaelusLaw Essentials ($20/user/month) includes IOLTA trust accounting, flat-fee and hourly billing, invoice generation, and online payment at a lower price than Clio Essentials. There is no entry tier that omits trust accounting — IOLTA is included at every CaelusLaw tier.

The main structural difference: Clio Essentials is a billing and practice management tool only. Client intake and CRM require Clio Grow at an additional $49/user/month. CaelusLaw Essentials includes both in one subscription.

For a firm evaluating the complete cost of running billing and client intake in Clio versus CaelusLaw, the comparison is $20/user/month (CaelusLaw Essentials, all-in) versus $128/user/month (Clio Essentials + Grow), before Clio Payments transaction fees.

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Clio EasyStart is $39/user/month; Clio Essentials (with IOLTA trust accounting) is $79/user/month as of March 2026

Source: Clio pricing page

Clio Payments processes credit cards at approximately 1.4–2.5% transaction fee depending on payment method

Source: Clio Payments documentation

Does Clio include billing?

Yes. All Clio Manage tiers include billing functionality: time entry, expense tracking, invoice generation, and basic financial reporting. What differs by tier is the depth of billing features. IOLTA trust accounting, for example, is only available on Essentials and above. Clio EasyStart at $39/user/month includes billing but does not include trust accounting.

Does Clio have trust accounting?

Clio includes IOLTA trust accounting on the Essentials tier ($79/user/month) and Complete tier ($129-149/user/month). Trust accounting is not available on Clio EasyStart ($39/user/month). This means an attorney who signs up for EasyStart and later needs trust accounting — which is required for holding advance fees in most states — must upgrade to Essentials to unlock it.

How does Clio Payments work?

Clio Payments is Clio's built-in payment processing tool. It allows attorneys to include a payment link on invoices so clients can pay by credit card or eCheck without mailing a check or calling in a card number. Payments are recorded in Clio and applied to the correct matter. Clio charges transaction fees for Clio Payments: rates vary by plan and payment method, and user reviews report that these fees have increased after the initial contract period for some firms.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which Clio plan includes IOLTA trust accounting?

IOLTA trust accounting is included in Clio Essentials ($79/user/month) and Clio Complete ($129-149/user/month). It is not included in Clio EasyStart ($39/user/month). Firms that hold client funds in trust — which includes most firms that collect retainers — need Essentials or higher to manage trust accounts in Clio.

What are Clio Payments transaction fees?

Clio Payments transaction fees vary by payment method and plan. Credit card processing fees are approximately 1.4–2.5% depending on the card type and whether the transaction is US-based. eCheck (ACH) fees are lower. User reviews and forum discussions note that fees have increased for some firms after the initial contract period, which Clio describes as introductory rates. Confirm current processing fees directly with Clio before calculating total billing costs.

Can I do flat-fee billing in Clio?

Yes. Clio supports flat-fee billing for matters where the firm charges a fixed amount rather than hourly rates. Attorneys can create flat-fee invoices, track expenses against flat-fee matters separately, and generate invoices for the fixed amount. Flat-fee and hourly matters can exist simultaneously in the same Clio account.

Does Clio billing integrate with QuickBooks?

Clio has a QuickBooks integration that syncs invoices, payments, and client data between the two systems. The integration is available on Essentials and above. It allows firms to maintain QuickBooks as their primary accounting system while using Clio for matter-based billing. The sync requires periodic reconciliation — it does not replace a bookkeeper or accountant's review of the firm's financial records.

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