The retainer invoices itself and every project tells you whether it's making money
Monthly retainers on autopilot, hours logged per project, rebillable expenses under control and the real profitability of every client in view. Compliant with RD 1007/2023.
Compliant with RD 1007/2023 (VeriFactu) · Data hosted in the EU · No lock-in
A marketing agency, a creative studio or a consultancy invoices in two modes that rarely coexist well in most software: the recurring monthly retainer (the SEO fee, website maintenance, social media management) and the one-off quoted project (the new website, the campaign, the rebrand). Cofactu handles both: recurring invoices go out on their own every month with the correct VeriFactu numbering, and projects are born from a quote accepted online that turns into an invoice — or several, by milestone — without rewriting a single line.
The question that decides whether an agency grows or burns out is per-client profitability: a 1,200 €/month retainer looks like good business until you add up the 40 hours the team spends on it. In Cofactu, every client and every project accumulate logged hours, allocated expenses (ad spend, tools, freelancers) and invoicing — the real margin per account is something you check, not something you guess.
And the tax side of professional services comes built in: 21% VAT, a 15% withholding when you invoice as a self-employed professional to companies, and the quarterly filings (303, 130 if applicable, 111 if you run payroll) submittable to the AEAT from the same platform.
What makes invoicing complicated in agencies and studios
The monthly retainer gets invoiced whenever someone remembers
Twelve clients on retainer means twelve identical invoices every month — administrative work that runs late, gets the wrong month, or gets forgotten outright. Every late invoice delays payment, and an agency's cash flow lives off those retainers.
Clients that look profitable but aren't
The account paying 1,500 €/month and eating 50 team hours is losing money — but since no one adds up the hours, the agency keeps serving it with a smile. Without hours per project, over-servicing stays invisible until the team burns out.
Rebillable expenses that never get rebilled
Meta ad spend fronted for a client, a stock photo license, the freelance video editor: client expenses the agency pays and — sometimes — rebills. Every one that slips through comes straight out of the margin.
Project scope with nothing signed
The website was quoted "with three rounds of revisions" over email, and you're on round seven. Without a formal, traceable accepted quote, scope creep can't even be discussed — there's no proof of what was agreed.
What Cofactu solves for agencies and studios
Real functionality, live in the product today — not on a roadmap. All included in the plan, no paid add-on modules.
Retainers with recurring invoicing
Set up the retainer once (amount, issue date, line items) and the invoice generates itself every month, VeriFactu-compliant and ready to send to the client. Twelve retainers on the 1st stop being a whole morning of work.
Quotes with online acceptance
The project is quoted by line item, the client accepts it with one click, and the acceptance is logged with a date — your proof against scope creep. Once won, it converts into an invoice or into milestone invoices (50% upfront, 50% on delivery).
Hours logged by project and client
Every team member logs their time against the project they're working on. Hours valued at cost turn the "this account is eating us alive" feeling into a hard number: real margin per client, month by month.
Rebillable expenses under control
Ad spend, licenses and freelancers are logged as expenses allocated to the client or project. What's pending rebill stays visible — and rolls onto the client's next invoice instead of dying in the margin.
Profitability by client and by project
Revenue minus allocated expenses minus hours at cost: every account and every project with its own P&L. Decisions to renew, raise the fee or drop a client get made with numbers.
Withholding and filings without friction
If you invoice companies as a self-employed professional, the 15% withholding is calculated and broken out automatically. The quarterly 303 is fed by your invoices and expenses, and filed with the AEAT straight from Cofactu.
More detailsA month at an agency, in Cofactu
Retainers on autopilot, a new quoted project, and the profitability of every account at close.
- 1
Day 1: retainers go out on their own
The month's twelve retainers are issued automatically, each with its VeriFactu numbering and record. Admin reviews and sends — ten minutes, not a whole morning.
- 2
New project, formal quote
Corporate website for a new client: quote by line item (design, development, content) sent for online acceptance. Accepted on Tuesday; the 50% upfront invoice comes straight out of the quote itself.
- 3
The month gets worked… and logged
The team logs hours against each project; the fronted ad spend and the freelance video editor go in as rebillable expenses on the relevant client. Nothing travels in loose spreadsheets.
- 4
Close: margin per account
The month's report shows every client with their invoicing, their expenses and their hours at cost. The account eating 50 hours for a 1,500 € fee gets flagged — the renewal conversation gets prepped with data.
Monthly retainer invoice with rebilled expenses
This is how the tax details of a typical operation in the sector look in Cofactu. Every record carries a chained SHA-256 hash, digital signature, and AEAT verification QR code.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Monthly fee — SEO and content management (retainer) | 1.200,00 € |
| Rebilled Meta Ads spend (fronted) | 450,00 € |
| Stock image library license (blog project) | 29,00 € |
| Taxable base | 1.679,00 € |
| VAT 21% | 352,59 € |
| Invoice total | 2.031,59 € |
- The retainer line comes from the recurring invoice: it's issued automatically every month with the same description and amount, with no one typing it in. This is March's version; April's is already scheduled.
- The ad spend and the license were expenses logged against this client and marked as rebillable: when the month's invoice is issued, they get pulled in as line items instead of being forgotten and eating the margin.
- Business-to-business invoice: no withholding (the 15% withholding applies when the issuer is a self-employed professional). VeriFactu record signed and chained, like the rest of the series.
Frequently asked questions
Can I automate retainers with different amounts per client?
We're raising a client's fee mid-year — what happens to the recurring invoice?
Can the whole team log hours, freelancers included?
How do I rebill the ad spend I front for clients?
We're a small SL — from when does VeriFactu apply to us?
Does it integrate with what we already use (task manager, CRM)?
Cofactu is also built for
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Comercio y retail
Vende en mostrador y online con el stock sincronizado, gestiona lotes y caducidades, y aplica el recargo de equivalencia sin pensar. Cada venta cumple el RD 1007/2023 desde el primer día.
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Construcción y reformas
Presupuesto, obra, gastos y factura final en el mismo sistema: sabes qué margen deja cada obra mientras la ejecutas, no seis meses después. Y todo conforme al RD 1007/2023.
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Invoice compliant with VeriFactu in your agencies and studios
Free plan with full VeriFactu invoicing. Deadline: January 2027 for companies, July 2027 for self-employed. Fines of up to €50,000 per year for non-compliant software.