project & client finance records

Client and project finance records for subtitle editors

When income and costs for a client or project are spread across tools, it is impossible to see what a job actually involved without hunting through everything. For subtitle editors, the fix is a consistent place to keep the records rather than a smarter tool. Cash Workspace gives you one place to record each item, attach its file, and keep it where you can find it. It is free.

The problem

Why subtitle editors lose track

When income and costs for a client or project are spread across tools, it is impossible to see what a job actually involved without hunting through everything.

  • Filing spec sheets and NDAs per title but invoices by month, so a title's paperwork and its billing live apart
  • Recording a QC subcontractor payment without tagging the title it belonged to, so per-project costs cannot be grouped
  • Lumping a software renewal and a font license into one software line with a single undated receipt

The workflow

How subtitle editors keep it organized

A simple, repeatable way to project records records without special software.

  1. 1

    Give each client or project its own folder

    Create one place per client or project so everything about subtitle projects lives together instead of being scattered.

  2. 2

    File its invoices and its costs side by side

    Keep the project's invoices and the expenses it ran up in the same folder, so income records and cost records sit next to each other for you to review.

  3. 3

    Attach the agreement and key documents

    Keep the client agreement, scope, and any change notes with the finance records so the full picture is in one place.

  4. 4

    Close the folder at project end

    When the work wraps, confirm the records are complete and archive the folder so it stays a clean reference.

Record structure

What each record holds

The fields that make a project records record complete and findable.

Client / project
The organizing tag everything is filed under.
Record type
Invoice, expense, or document — what the entry is.
Amount
The figure on the record.
Date
When it happened, for ordering within the project.
Attachment
The invoice, receipt, or agreement kept with the record.
Title / episode
The programme or episode the record belongs to, so per-title costs and invoices group together.
Runtime minutes
The programme minutes a job is billed on, kept with the record so pay matches up to volume.
Target language
The subtitle language a project or QC cost supports, for grouping by language.
Purchase order number
The studio PO the invoice or expense maps to, so studio records match.

Example setup

An example structure

One way subtitle editors can lay this out in Cash Workspace.

Subtitle project — invoices

Every invoice raised for that subtitle project.

Subtitle project — expenses

The costs that job ran up — Subtitling software license, Cloud captioning platform, and Studio headphones — with receipts.

Subtitle project — documents

The agreement, scope, and any change notes kept alongside the finance records.

Common mistakes

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Filing spec sheets and NDAs per title but invoices by month, so a title's paperwork and its billing live apart
  • Recording a QC subcontractor payment without tagging the title it belonged to, so per-project costs cannot be grouped
  • Lumping a software renewal and a font license into one software line with a single undated receipt
  • Tracking runtime minutes in the subtitling tool but not on the invoice record, so billed amounts cannot be checked against volume
  • Leaving large one-off hardware purchases such as an SSD or monitor unreceipted until the amount is guessed at year end
  • Mixing one client’s costs into another’s folder.

How it helps

How Cash Workspace helps

Record it, don’t re-key it

Enter each item once — date, vendor, amount, category — and attach the file to that record. No bank sync, no receipt-reading; the record is deliberate and yours.

One consistent structure

The same categories and folders every month, so subtitle editors always know where a record goes and where to find it later.

Income and cost side by side

A project’s invoices and expenses in one folder for you to review. “Project” is an organizing tag, not a computed profit figure.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Does it calculate project profit?
No. Cash Workspace does not calculate profit, margin, or ROI. It keeps a project’s income and cost records side by side for you to review and draw your own conclusions.
How does project tagging work?
Each record is tagged with its client or project so everything about one job files together. The tag is an organizing convention, not a computed figure.
How do I keep each client’s records separate?
Give each client or project its own folder so invoices, expenses, and documents for that job stay together and never mix with another client’s records.
What should I do when a project closes?
Confirm the folder holds every invoice, expense, and document for the job, add any closing note, and archive it so it stays a clean reference you can return to.

Records side by side, not a calculator

Cash Workspace keeps a client or project’s income records and cost records side by side for you to review. It does not calculate profit, margin, or ROI, and “project” is an organizing tag rather than a computed figure. You see the records; the judgement stays with you.

Organize your project records records

Cash Workspace is a free place for subtitle editors to keep records and their files organized. Start a workspace and set it up your way.