Billable Hours from Time Entries

Excel Formulas › Legal & Billing

All versionsSUMIFS

A timekeeper’s day is a list of entries tagged billable or not, by matter. SUMIF/SUMIFS totals only the billable hours — per matter, per timekeeper — and multiplies by rate for fees.

Quick formula: total only the billable hours for a matter:
=SUMIFS(hours, matter, "Smith", billable, "Yes")
Sum the hours where the matter matches and the billable flag is Yes. Multiply by the rate for the fee.

Functions used (tap for the full reference guide):

SUMIFSSUMIF

The example

Entries flagged Yes/No, by matter.

AB
1ItemValue
2Billable hrs (Smith)6.4
3× $350→ $2,240

The formula

The formula:

=SUMIFS(hours_col, matter_col, "Smith", billable_col, "Yes") // billable hours for one matter

How it works

How it works:

  1. SUMIFS sums the hours where both the matter and the billable flag match.
  2. Add a timekeeper criterion to split by attorney or paralegal.
  3. Multiply the billable hours by the rate for the matter fee.
  4. Compare billable to total logged hours for the utilization picture.

Tag every entry, then the report writes itself. With columns for matter, timekeeper, hours, billable flag, and rate, one SUMIFS per matter gives fees, a second over all hours gives utilization, and a third filtered to non-billable shows write-off exposure — all from the same entry list. Capture the flag at entry time; reconstructing billability later is where leakage happens.

Try it: interactive demo

Live demo

Billable hours and rate.

Fee:

Variations

By timekeeper

Add an attorney:

=SUMIFS(hours, matter, m, billable, "Yes", who, "JRD")

Matter fee

Hours × rate:

=SUMIFS(hours, matter, m, billable, "Yes") * rate

Utilization

Billable ÷ total:

=SUMIFS(hours,...,"Yes") / SUMIF(matter, m, hours)

Pitfalls & errors

Flag consistency. Use one spelling ("Yes"/"No") so the criterion matches every row.

SUMIFS order. Sum range first, then criteria pairs.

Rate per matter. Blended or per-timekeeper rates change the fee — pick the right one.

Practice workbook

📊
Download the free Billable Hours from Time Entries practice workbook
A billable-hours sheet with the by-timekeeper, fee, and utilization variants, plus 4 challenges with answers. No sign-up required.

Frequently asked questions

How do I total billable hours in Excel?
Use SUMIFS on the hours, filtered to the matter and a billable=Yes flag: =SUMIFS(hours, matter, "Smith", billable, "Yes").
How do I split hours by attorney?
Add a timekeeper criterion pair to the SUMIFS: ..., who, "JRD".
How do I get the matter fee?
Multiply the billable hours by the rate: =SUMIFS(...) * rate.

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Function references: SUMIFSSUMIF