Retainers in Retainero: Types, Time Tracking, Real-Time Transparency, and Notifications

Learn about Retainero's retainers: pre-paid for fixed budgets, post-paid for flexibility, running for ongoing support. Real-time tracking, gratis tasks, bonus time, and client notifications build trust.

Keywords: retainer management, pre-paid retainers, post-paid retainers, running retainers, time tracking software, client transparency, gratis tasks, agency billing tools

What is a Retainer in Retainero?

Retainers are the heartbeat of recurring client work. In Retainero, a retainer is a time or budget container linked to a client. Your team logs tasks against it, and Retainero shows—in real time—how much resource remains, which tasks consumed it, and what’s next.

Retainer Types and When to Use Each

  • Pre‑paid Retainers

    • Intention: Fixed budget/time engagement (e.g., 20 hours per month).
    • How it works: The retainer’s amount represents available seconds. Non‑gratis task time subtracts from this amount until it reaches zero.
    • Best for: Budget certainty, proactive burn‑down monitoring, predictable scope.

  • Post‑paid Retainers

    • Intention: Flexible engagements where you track work and bill after the fact.
    • How it works: Tasks accrue time without a hard cap. Visibility still shows total time used. Payment/invoicing is handled outside the cap.
    • Best for: Evolving scopes, advisory work, high‑trust relationships.

  • Running Retainers

    • Intention: Continuous, ongoing support with effectively unlimited budget within the period.
    • How it works: The retainer presents an indefinite/∞ total. Time accrues for visibility; there’s no fixed depletion.
    • Best for: Dedicated support arrangements, embedded teams, maintenance SLAs.

How Time Deduction Works (and What “Gratis” Means)

  • Task‑driven burn‑down: Each task logged to a retainer includes a precise seconds value. Retainero automatically subtracts these (non‑gratis) seconds from amount to compute remaining.
  • Gratis tasks don’t reduce client allocation: If a task is marked gratis, it is visible for transparency but excluded from depletion. This helps you “do the right thing” without charging the client’s balance.
  • Grand totals and percentages: Retainero computes total time spent and percentage remaining to give both teams and clients a clear picture of progress.

Real‑Time Transparency for Clients

  • Client‑facing retainer view (share link): Optionally generate a secure share link so clients can view retainer details without a full login. They’ll see task descriptions, durations, current remaining time, and bonus time if applicable.
  • Client portal integration: Retainers also appear within the client portal alongside projects, tickets, and notes—forming a unified customer experience.
  • Clear labeling: Tasks display whether they were gratis; remaining time shows in human‑readable format; bonus time is explicitly called out.

Keeping Customers Informed (Automated Summaries)

  • Smart email summaries: When tasks are updated, Retainero can compile and send periodic “Latest Updates” emails to the client’s primary and additional addresses—so they see fresh progress without asking.
  • Consolidated recipients: Updates can include the client, additional contacts, and your internal owner for complete visibility.
  • Rate‑limited and logged: Email sends are limited per month and recorded, preventing over‑notification.

Pausing Notifications When Needed

  • Pause per retainer: If a client prefers fewer updates (or you want to quietly progress work), toggle paused_notifications on the retainer.
  • Effect: Retainero will skip sending summary emails for that retainer while paused. You can resume at any time.
  • Use cases: Sensitive work, internal catch‑up periods, clients who dislike frequent notifications.

Bonus Time and Hourly Cost

  • Bonus time: Add bonustime to reward loyalty or handle goodwill effort. It’s shown alongside remaining time for clarity.
  • Hourly cost options: For teams tracking internal rate or charging hourly, retainers support hourly_unit_cost and an option to charge hourly.

Status and Lifecycle

  • Active vs. closed: Active retainers continue to accrue time until depleted or closed. A closed retainer shows as “Closed,” and remaining is treated as 0.
  • Exhaustion: Pre‑paid retainers naturally deplete to zero as tasks log time. Running retainers don’t “exhaust.” Post‑paid retainers aren’t capped but still report usage.

Why Clients Love Retainero Retainers

  • Always know what’s left: Remaining time updates instantly as your team works.
  • See what was done: Task‑level detail (who, what, how long) builds trust and reduces back‑and‑forth.
  • Choose your visibility: Share links and portal access let clients watch closely—or you can pause emails when discretion is preferred.

Best Practices

  • Use pre‑paid retainers for clear budgets; post‑paid for flexibility; running for continuous support.
  • Mark kindness as gratis so clients see the work without burning their allocation.
  • Share the retainer link for real‑time visibility, and pause notifications when a quieter cadence is better.
  • Leverage bonus time to manage goodwill and keep relationships strong.

Retainero retainers turn recurring work into a transparent, predictable, and client‑friendly experience—balancing full visibility with nuanced control over notifications and communication cadence.