French billing totals depend on approved hours, agreed rates, and VAT treatment. Everhour connects tracked work to billing workflows.
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A French billable-hours calculation answers a practical question: how much should a client be charged for approved professional time? For lawyer billing, the core formula is hours multiplied by the agreed hourly rate, with totals stated in euros. The written fee agreement matters because French lawyer-fee rules require the fee amount or calculation method, expected costs, and disbursements to be agreed in writing except for emergency, force majeure, and specified legal-aid situations.
The result usually separates the service value excluding VAT from the amount the client pays including VAT. French invoices must show each service line with quantity, precise description, unit price excluding VAT, applicable VAT rate or exemption, and totals excluding and including VAT. That means the calculation is not only a revenue estimate; it is also the basis for the invoice structure.
French national lawyer-fee rules identify time spent as a fee factor, but they do not prescribe a national 6-minute, 15-minute, or annual billable-hour standard. The increment comes from the fee agreement or engagement terms. If the agreement says time is billed in 15-minute units, convert entries to that unit before multiplying by the hourly rate. If it says actual approved time, use the approved time record directly.
VAT is a separate billing step. The normal VAT rate in metropolitan France is 20% and applies to ordinary taxable professional services. For regulated lawyer activities in 2026, the VAT exemption threshold is prior-year turnover of €50,000 or less, with a current-year increased threshold of €55,000 before VAT becomes due from the relevant date. Use the firm's actual VAT status before adding VAT.
Start with each approved time category, multiply hours by its agreed rate, then add the line totals. For example, a French client matter includes 24 approved advisory hours at €180 per hour and 16 approved drafting hours at €125 per hour. Advisory work equals €4,320, drafting equals €2,000, and the total excluding VAT is €6,320. At 20% VAT, VAT is €1,264 and the total including VAT is €7,584.
Payment timing is separate from the hourly calculation, but it changes the invoice controls. Between professionals in France, the default payment deadline is 30 days from completion of the service if no other deadline is agreed. Professional parties may agree to up to 60 days from invoice issue or 45 days end of month. For the first half of 2026, late payment can carry 12.15% plus a €40 fixed recovery indemnity.
A one-off calculation is enough when you have a signed agreement, one rate, a small set of approved hours, and a clear VAT status. It is not enough when several people bill at different rates, some tasks are non-billable, time is rounded by agreement, or invoice lines need approval before they are sent to a professional client.
For ongoing French client work, the calculation needs a durable handoff: time capture, billable flags, rate checks, approval, invoice grouping, and accounting export. Everhour can support that handoff by embedding time tracking in project tools, syncing project and task metadata, exposing timesheets and budgets inside supported tools, and connecting billing data to accounting workflows.
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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The core formula is approved billable hours multiplied by the agreed hourly rate. For French lawyer billing, that calculation method should match the written fee agreement unless an emergency, force majeure, or specified legal-aid exception applies. After the service total is calculated, VAT is handled separately according to the lawyer's VAT status.
Yes. French invoices must show service quantity, precise description, unit price excluding VAT, the applicable VAT rate or exemption, and totals excluding and including VAT. For ordinary taxable professional services in metropolitan France, the normal VAT rate is 20%. If a VAT exemption applies, the invoice should show the exemption instead of treating VAT as a 0% charge.
French national lawyer-fee rules do not prescribe a national 6-minute, 15-minute, or annual billable-hour standard. The billing increment is agreement-based. Use the increment stated in the fee agreement or engagement terms, then multiply the resulting approved billable time by the agreed hourly rate.
A common mistake is mixing the service total excluding VAT with the client total including VAT. Keep the hourly calculation in HT first, then add the applicable VAT rate or exemption to reach TTC. This keeps the invoice aligned with French invoice-field requirements and avoids overstating the hourly rate itself.
Payment terms do not change the number of billable hours or the hourly rate, but they affect the invoice deadline and late-payment controls. Between professionals in France, the default deadline is 30 days if no other deadline is agreed. Agreed terms are capped at 60 days from invoice issue or 45 days end of month, with specific caps for periodic invoices.
Everhour embeds tracking controls inside supported tools such as Asana, ClickUp, Jira, Monday, Notion, Trello, and others, then syncs project and task metadata into one reporting layer. That keeps the approved time, task context, and billing status connected before invoice preparation.
Everhour Billing & Invoicing turns tracked billable time and expenses into invoices, calculates amounts from rates and billable expenses, and excludes non-billable work. Invoices can be exported to QuickBooks Online, Xero, or FreshBooks as drafts, with invoice status synced back to Everhour.
Track approved client work where it happens, then move clean billable totals into invoice preparation. Everhour connects project-tool tracking with billing and accounting workflows.
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