China attorney invoices need RMB totals and VAT treatment. Everhour keeps time capture tied to billing workflows.
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An attorney billing calculation in China answers three practical questions: how much approved legal time is billable, which rate applies to each entry, and what the VAT-inclusive invoice amount becomes. The calculation starts with RMB-denominated time charges because the renminbi is China's legal tender, with yuan as the main unit and jiao and fen as fractional units.
For hourly legal work, the key inputs are approved hours, the agreed rate, billable status, write-downs, and VAT treatment. China's national lawyer-fee guidance says lawyer service fee items, billing methods, and fee standards are in principle set by the law firm and filed annually with the local lawyers association, so the client agreement and firm policy drive the billing structure.
Calculate the fee subtotal before VAT by multiplying each approved billable entry by its assigned hourly rate. Do not average partner, associate, consultant, or paralegal rates unless the engagement agreement uses a blended rate. If a matter includes non-billable admin work, internal review, or written-off time, exclude those entries from the VAT-exclusive sales amount.
For example, a China matter includes 13 approved partner hours at RMB 1,800 per hour and 8 approved associate hours at RMB 900 per hour. The partner subtotal is RMB 23,400, and the associate subtotal is RMB 7,200, creating a VAT-exclusive service amount of RMB 30,600. For a general VAT taxpayer using the 6% service VAT rate, output VAT is RMB 1,836, and the total is RMB 32,436.
China uses VAT rather than GST or retail sales tax for billed professional services. Paid sales of services in China are taxable VAT transactions when the service is consumed in China or the seller is a Chinese domestic entity or individual, unless a statutory exclusion applies. For a general VAT taxpayer, sales of services and intangible assets are taxed at 6% unless they fall into listed 13%, 9%, or zero-rated categories.
Eligible small-scale taxpayers follow a different rule: a small-scale taxpayer is one whose annual taxable VAT sales do not exceed RMB 5 million, and the simplified VAT collection rate is 3%. PRC law does not set a general statutory payment term, so due dates normally come from the engagement letter, invoice terms, or course of dealing. Lawyer billing increments are also contractual, not a national standard.
A one-off calculator is enough when you have a finished time list, one client rate structure, no disputed entries, and a clear VAT category. It is also enough for a quick fee estimate before issuing a formal VAT invoice. Keep the output separate from approval records, because a calculator total does not prove who approved each time entry.
A managed workflow is better when lawyers track time across matters, clients require billing narratives, or accounting needs an invoicing handoff. Everhour can embed tracking controls inside supported work tools, sync project and task metadata, and keep timesheets and budgets visible inside workflows. That gives billing staff a consistent source before VAT invoices, write-downs, and accounting exports are prepared.
This content is for general information only, may not be fully up to date, and is provided without any warranty or liability.
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A China attorney billing total should include approved billable hours, the correct hourly or matter rate, write-downs, and the applicable VAT treatment. For domestic professional services billed by a general VAT taxpayer, the usual service VAT rate is 6% on the VAT-exclusive sales amount. Non-billable entries stay in records but do not increase the client invoice.
Yes. China uses VAT rather than GST or retail sales tax for billed professional services. Paid sales of services in China are taxable VAT transactions when the service is consumed in China or the seller is a Chinese domestic entity or individual, unless a statutory exclusion applies. Taxpayers must issue and use VAT invoices lawfully, including electronic VAT invoices.
Yes, billing increments are generally set by the law firm's engagement terms rather than by a national billable-hour standard. China's national lawyer-fee guidance says lawyer service fee items, billing methods, and fee standards are in principle set by the law firm and filed annually with the local lawyers association. Use the agreed increment consistently on the matter.
Calculate VAT on the VAT-exclusive sales amount that remains billable after approved write-downs. If a firm records RMB 30,600 of time but writes down RMB 2,000 before invoicing, the VAT base is RMB 28,600, not the original internal value. Keep write-downs visible so realization analysis does not get confused with tax calculation.
Risk-based lawyer fees have national cap tiers in China. The total service fee is capped by claim-value bands: up to 18% under RMB 1 million, 15% for RMB 1-5 million, 12% for RMB 5-10 million, 9% for RMB 10-50 million, and 6% above RMB 50 million. Hourly billing calculations should stay separate from any risk-fee cap review.
Everhour integrates with major project management and accounting tools, embeds tracking controls in supported workflows, and syncs project and task metadata into one reporting layer. Legal teams can keep matter work in familiar tools while billing staff review time, budgets, and timesheets from the same tracked source.
Everhour Billing & Invoicing turns tracked billable time and expenses into client invoices, calculating amounts from rates, time, and billable expenses while excluding non-billable work. Invoice data can be grouped by project, task, person, or date so billing staff can match the client's expected matter breakdown.
Track matter time where work happens, then use Everhour integrations to carry approved entries into reporting, budgets, and invoice preparation without rebuilding billing totals manually.
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