Client: NorthStar
Meta and Google ad spend, the copywriter invoice, each flagged billable, with statements attached.
Agency finance · Pass-through costs
Organize ad spend and tool costs client by client
A marketing agency fronts a lot of money that isn't really theirs: Meta and Google ad spend billed to the agency card, creative-tool subscriptions, and freelance copywriter invoices, all to be passed through to the client. When billing statements pile up undivided, working out what's billable versus agency overhead becomes a monthly headache. Cash Workspace gives you a folder per client to record pass-through ad spend and tool costs, mark each as billable or overhead, and attach the platform billing statement.
The problem
Why pass-through costs get tangled
Ad agencies pay platform bills for many clients on shared accounts, then have to untangle which spend belongs to whom and which costs are billable.
- A single Meta billing statement covers four clients and isn't split anywhere.
- Google Ads spend for one client is mixed in with agency-owned campaigns.
- A freelance copywriter's invoice isn't tagged to the client it was written for.
- Creative-tool subscriptions are overhead but get billed as if they were client costs.
- At month-end you re-derive the billable pass-through total from raw statements every time.
The workflow
Separate client spend from overhead
Give each client a folder, record costs into it, and flag billable pass-through versus agency overhead as you go.
- 1
Open a folder per client
Create one folder per client to hold their ad spend, tool, and freelance costs.
- 2
Record each cost
Log the vendor, amount, date, and which client folder it belongs to.
- 3
Flag billable vs overhead
Mark each record as billable pass-through to the client or agency overhead.
- 4
Attach the statement
Attach the Meta, Google, or tool billing statement to the record as proof.
- 5
Review at month-end
Scan each client folder so the billable total is ready when you invoice.
Record structure
What to record for each client cost
Consistent fields make the billable-versus-overhead split fast and defensible.
- Client
- The client the cost belongs to, kept as a consistent record.
- Cost type
- Ad-platform spend, creative tool subscription, or freelance invoice.
- Vendor
- Meta, Google, the tool, or the freelancer.
- Amount
- The cost total and currency.
- Date
- When it was billed, so it lands in the right billing month.
- Billable flag
- Billable pass-through to the client, or agency overhead.
- Billing statement
- The platform statement or invoice attached as proof.
- Status
- Recorded, invoiced to client, or reconciled.
Example setup
An example client cost setup
One way to split costs per client inside your workspace.
Client: Harborline
Google Ads spend and a landing-page freelance invoice, flagged billable pass-through.
Agency overhead
Creative-tool subscriptions and internal campaign spend that isn't billed to a client.
2026 fiscal folder
All client cost records for the year, ready to export for the accountant.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid
- Leaving a multi-client platform statement unsplit, so no client folder is accurate.
- Forgetting to flag billable versus overhead, so the monthly split has to be redone.
- Tagging a freelance copywriter invoice to the agency instead of the client it served.
- Filing creative-tool subscriptions as client costs when they're overhead.
- Not attaching the billing statement, so there's no proof behind a billable line.
How it helps
How Cash Workspace helps
Per-client folders
Keep each client's ad spend, tool, and freelance costs grouped in one folder.
Billable flags
Note each cost as billable pass-through or agency overhead so the split is recorded, not re-derived.
Attached statements
Attach the Meta, Google, or tool billing statement to its record for proof.
Accountant-ready exports
Export a clean year of client cost records when it's time to hand off.
Related
Related agency finance workflows
Pass-through cost records
Keep pass-through costs recorded and ready to bill.
Overhead vs billable
Separate agency overhead from billable client costs cleanly.
Multi-client allocation
Allocate shared costs across the clients they served.
Finance for agencies
See how agencies organize income and client costs.
All finance workflows
Browse the full Cash Workspace workflow library.
FAQ
Marketing agency cost FAQ
- How do I handle a statement that covers several clients?
- Record the portion for each client as a separate expense in that client's folder, flagged billable, and attach the same statement as proof to each. That keeps every client folder accurate.
- Can Cash Workspace tell me my billable total?
- You record each cost with a billable-or-overhead flag, and you can review a client folder to see the billable items grouped. Cash Workspace organizes the records; it does not compute totals as profit or margin for you.
- Does it pull spend from Meta or Google?
- No. You enter each cost yourself and attach the billing statement. Cash Workspace does not connect to ad platforms or your bank, and it does not read or extract data from statements automatically.
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.
Keep client spend clean and billable
Start a free workspace and record every ad spend and tool cost in the right client folder, flagged billable or overhead, with the statement attached.