{"id":"acct-freelancer-invoice-from-time-log","audience":"freelancers","category":"finance-work","track":"finance","technique":"format","level":"beginner","title":"Build an invoice summary from a time log with non-billable entries","free":false,"task":"You're a freelance consultant invoicing a client. Write a prompt for plain text with exactly five lines starting \"Billable hours:\", \"Labor:\", \"Expenses:\", \"Total due:\" and \"Pay by:\". Show the math on the first four. Leave out non-billable and contract-covered time. Payment terms are net 15 days from the invoice date. Under 70 words. No bullets or numbering. Do not mention the internal admin time, the revision round or Priya's note anywhere.","materialLabel":"Time log, contract terms and expenses (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"TIME LOG - Priya Nair Consulting, client: Maple Street Studio, invoice date Nov 6, 2026\n\nNov 2   Brand workshop prep        4.0 h\nNov 3   Client workshop (on site)    6.5 h\nNov 4   Own bookkeeping and admin    3.0 h   (internal, not for the client)\nNov 5   Deliverable drafting         5.0 h\nNov 5   Revision round 1             2.0 h\n\nContract terms: hourly rate $75. One revision round is included at no charge; further rounds are billable.\nPass-through expenses at cost, receipts attached: train tickets $120.00.\nPayment terms: net 15 days from invoice date.\n\nPriya's note: \"Round 1 revisions were pretty heavy so I wish I could bill them, but the contract says what it says.\"","rules":[{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":70},{"type":"maxBullets","max":0}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Names the five lines","patterns":["billable hours","labor","expenses","total due","pay by"]},{"label":"Excludes non-billable","patterns":["leave out","exclude","internal"]},{"label":"Covers the included revision","patterns":["revision"]},{"label":"Asks for date math","patterns":["15 days","net 15"]},{"label":"Caps length","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","plain"]}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Billing every hour","why":"The AI totals all 20.5 hours.","fix":"Say: \"Leave out internal time and the revision round the contract covers.\"","checks":["r0","r1"]},{"title":"Billing the heavy revisions","why":"The AI follows Priya's wish and bills round 1.","fix":"Add: \"One revision round is included in the contract; don't bill it.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Wrong due date","why":"The AI uses the last log date or net 30.","fix":"Add: \"Pay by = invoice date plus 15 days.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Markdown extras","why":"The AI adds bold labels, headings and a closing note.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text, no bold. Output only the lines asked for.\"","checks":["plainText","maxBullets"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits.","fix":"Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each line short.","checks":["maxWords"]}],"hint":"Not every logged hour is billable. Say what to exclude, and ask for the five lines with the due date.","rubricLabels":["The line starting \"Billable hours:\" shows 4.0 + 6.5 + 5.0 = 15.5 and leaves out the internal admin time and the included revision round","The line starting \"Labor:\" shows 15.5 x $75 = $1,162.50 and the line starting \"Total due:\" shows $1,162.50 + $120.00 = $1,282.50","The line starting \"Expenses:\" shows $120.00 and the line starting \"Pay by:\" shows Nov 21, 2026 (net 15 from Nov 6), and the output never mentions the internal admin time, the revision round or Priya's note"]}