To rebill — outstanding
Every fronted cost flagged rebillable but not yet on a client invoice, with receipts attached.
Consulting & agency finance · Pass-through costs
Keeping pass-through cost records your agency can rebill
Agencies routinely front costs on a client's behalf — a stock photo license, a print run, a chunk of ad spend — and every one of those needs to make it onto the next invoice. Miss one and you've quietly absorbed it. Cash Workspace gives you a simple way to record each fronted cost, flag it as rebillable, tie it to the right client, attach the original receipt, and check it off once it's been billed.
The problem
Why rebillable costs get forgotten
Fronted costs arrive at random — a license bought mid-project, an ad-spend top-up on a Friday — and unless they're flagged the moment they happen, they slip past the next invoice.
- A stock license or font is bought on the agency card and never makes it onto a client invoice.
- Ad spend fronted for one client gets mixed in with general marketing costs and lost.
- A print run receipt sits in someone's wallet until the project is already invoiced and closed.
- Nobody can say which fronted costs are still waiting to be rebilled versus already billed.
The workflow
Record, flag, and confirm each fronted cost
Capture every cost you front the moment it happens, mark it rebillable, and close the loop once it's on an invoice.
- 1
Record the cost
When you front a cost, record it with vendor, date, amount, and category, and attach the original receipt right away.
- 2
Flag it to rebill
Add a note or tag marking the cost as rebillable so it stands out from the agency's own overhead.
- 3
Assign the client
Tie the cost to the client record it belongs to so it can be rolled into that client's next invoice.
- 4
Add it to the next invoice
When you build the client's invoice, pull in the flagged costs and reference each one.
- 5
Check it off
Mark the cost as billed so it drops off your outstanding-to-rebill checklist.
Record structure
What to record for each pass-through cost
These fields make the difference between a cost that gets rebilled and one that silently becomes the agency's expense.
- Vendor
- Who you paid — the stock library, print shop, or ad platform.
- Date
- When the cost was incurred, so it lands in the right billing cycle.
- Amount
- What you fronted, with currency, so the rebill matches exactly.
- Category
- Stock/asset license, ad spend, print/production, or other, using product-defined categories.
- Rebillable flag
- A note or tag marking the cost as pass-through, to separate it from agency overhead.
- Client
- The client record the cost belongs to and will be rebilled on.
- Original receipt
- The vendor receipt or invoice attached to the record for back-up.
- Billed status
- Outstanding or billed, so you can see what still needs to go on an invoice.
Example setup
An example pass-through setup
One way to organize fronted costs so none get missed.
By client — Northwind
Northwind's pass-through costs (ad spend, a stock license) tied to the client record.
Billed & closed
Fronted costs that have been added to an invoice and checked off.
Agency overhead
Costs that are not rebillable, kept separate so they never get confused with pass-through items.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid
- Not flagging a cost as rebillable when you front it, so it blends into general expenses.
- Forgetting to attach the original receipt, leaving the rebill without back-up.
- Letting ad spend for one client mix with another's, so the amounts no longer match.
- Closing a project before checking the outstanding-to-rebill list.
- Marking a cost billed without confirming it actually landed on the invoice.
How it helps
How Cash Workspace helps
Flag and tie to a client
Record each fronted cost, flag it rebillable, and tie it to the client record so it's ready for that client's next invoice.
Receipts attached
Attach the original vendor receipt to each cost so the rebill always has documentation behind it.
An outstanding-to-rebill view
Group flagged costs by billed status so you can see at a glance what still needs to go on an invoice.
Accountant-ready exports
Export the organized cost records when handing the books to your accountant.
Related
Related agency cost workflows
Marketing agency client costs
Organize all client-facing costs by campaign and client.
Overhead vs billable
Keep your own overhead separate from billable client costs.
Client expense report
Assemble a clean expense report to send a client.
Receipt organizer
Keep every receipt attached to the right record.
All finance workflows
Browse the full Cash Workspace workflow library.
FAQ
Pass-through cost FAQ
- How do I make sure a fronted cost gets rebilled?
- Record it the moment you front it, flag it as rebillable, tie it to the client, and keep it on your outstanding list until you've added it to an invoice and checked it off.
- Can I keep pass-through costs separate from agency overhead?
- Yes. Use a rebillable flag or tag so fronted client costs sit apart from your own overhead, which never goes on a client invoice.
- Does Cash Workspace add these costs to invoices for me?
- No. You build invoices yourself; Cash Workspace keeps the flagged costs, receipts, and client links organized so you can pull each one in and check it off.
Organizing help — not tax, accounting, or legal guidance
Cash Workspace is a free workspace for organizing invoices, expenses, receipts, clients, and documents. This page is organizing guidance only — not tax, accounting, legal, or bookkeeping guidance. Cash Workspace does not connect to your bank, does not scan or read your receipts for you, and does not move or collect payments. Whether an expense is deductible depends on your situation, so confirm it with a qualified accountant or tax professional.
Never absorb a rebillable cost again
Start a free workspace and record every fronted cost with a rebillable flag, the client, and the receipt so each one makes it onto the next invoice.