Guides

Paythread is a web app that helps freelancers track billable work, create professional invoices, and get paid. The workflow is simple: track your hours with the built-in timer (or log fixed-rate and quantity-based items), review your unbilled work, select the items you want to bill, and create a polished invoice in seconds. Send invoices via email with a PDF attachment. Attach a credit card payment method and a checkout link is included automatically.

Paythread gives you three ways to create work items. The Timer lives in the header bar and lets you clock hours in real time — it persists across page refreshes so you never lose progress. For flat-rate deliverables, use Fixed items (just a description and amount). For quantity-based work, use Multiplier items (quantity times rate). All three types land in your Unbilled Queue, ready to be turned into invoices.

Go to your Unbilled Queue, check the items you want to bill, and click "Create Invoice." Pick one of six professional templates, confirm your client and line items, set the date and optional due date, then click "Create Invoice" to save it as a draft. From the invoice detail page, download the PDF or send via email. If a Credit Card (Stripe) payment method is attached, the email automatically includes a checkout link.

Paythread supports multiple payment methods. Connect Stripe and add a Credit Card payment method — when attached to an invoice, a checkout link is automatically included in the email. Money goes directly to your Stripe account. You can also add bank transfer, Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, or custom payment instructions. Mix and match per invoice.

Paythread is free to use with up to 3 invoices per month, unlimited work items, full time tracking, AI-powered dashboard insights, and all 6 invoice templates. Pro costs $4.99/month and unlocks unlimited invoices plus higher daily limits for email sends, PDF downloads, AI insights, and AI chat support. No credit card is required to get started.

Choose from six distinct templates: Classic, Modern, Elegant, Bold, Fresh, and Sunset. Upload your business logo in Settings and it appears on every invoice and PDF. Fill in your company name, address, phone, and email — all of this flows onto your invoices automatically. Set a default invoice message in Settings that pre-fills on every new invoice — you can still edit it per invoice. You can also toggle due dates on or off and attach your preferred payment methods.

Yes. The Reports section includes a Tax Summary tab that shows annual income from paid invoices, broken down by quarter. You can filter by fiscal quarter, view year-to-date or quarter-to-date totals, and see which clients exceed the 1099 reporting threshold. For year-end filing, click "Download Tax Package" from the Tax Summary tab to get an accountant-ready ZIP containing a per-invoice CSV, a per-client summary with 1099 flags, and a README explaining the methodology — all on a cash basis using payment dates. You can also export individual tabs as CSV.

Your data is stored securely with Supabase (built on PostgreSQL) with row-level security ensuring you can only access your own data. You can change your password and email anytime from the Account page, and there's a forgot password option on the login page if you ever get locked out. You can export all your data as a ZIP file of CSV files anytime from Settings. You can also delete all your data or your entire account — both with confirmation safeguards. We never share your data with third parties.

Yes! The Paythread browser extension lets you track time, log fixed-rate and multiplier work items, and select clients directly from your browser toolbar — without switching tabs. Sign in with email/password or Google, and everything syncs to your Paythread account instantly. Works with any Chromium-based browser including Chrome, Brave, Arc, Edge, Opera, and Vivaldi. Install from Chrome Web Store.

If you're on Pro, go to the Account page and click "Manage subscription" to open the Stripe billing portal where you can cancel your subscription. You'll keep access until the end of your billing period, then your account reverts to the Free plan. To delete your account entirely (free or paid), go to Settings, scroll to "Your Data," and click "Delete Account." This permanently removes your account and all associated data. Both free and paid users can delete their account at any time.

Go to Settings and scroll to "Your Data." You can export all your data as a ZIP file of CSVs at any time. To delete, you have two options: "Delete all data" removes your work items, invoices, clients, and settings but keeps your account so you can start fresh. "Delete account" removes everything including your account permanently. Both require confirmation. These actions cannot be undone.