Question 1

What exactly does TAV handle?

Accepted Answer

The full client lifecycle. Send proposals. Convert accepted proposals into invoices. Track billable hours with a timer that feeds into invoicing. Automate payment reminders so you never chase a client. Your clients get a portal where they view and download every document: proposals, invoices, signed contracts. No account needed on their end. Everything connects. Time tracked on Monday becomes a line item on Friday. No copying between tools, no spreadsheets, no manual follow-up. One system for proposals, invoicing, contracts, time tracking, payment collection, and client communication.

Question 2

What does my client see?

Accepted Answer

A portal. Clean, branded, showing every document you have shared. Proposals, invoices, signed contracts. All in one place. No account to create, no app to download, no password to remember. Click the link, see the documents, download PDFs. When you send an invoice they see amount, due date, and your payment details. The portal updates as you send new documents. If your client works with multiple freelancers on TAV they see a consolidated view. One portal, every document, organized by freelancer.

Question 3

Are the contracts legally valid?

Accepted Answer

Yes. TAV generates contracts with electronic signatures compliant with eIDAS in the EU and the E-SIGN Act in the US. When a client signs, TAV captures the full audit trail: name, email, IP address, timestamp, and a document hash to verify nothing was altered after signing. The signed contract is stored as a PDF with the signature embedded. Signing is simple: client gets a link, reviews the contract, signs. No account needed. Every event is logged and timestamped. You get a complete chain of evidence if you ever need to reference the agreement.

Question 4

What's the difference between time tracking and the work log?

Accepted Answer

Time tracking is a timer. Start when you work, pause during breaks, stop when done. TAV logs the duration against a client and project with your hourly rate. End of the week, tracked hours are ready to invoice. No data entry. The work log captures items that are not time-based. A design delivery, a hosting fee, a consultation, a reimbursable expense. Description, quantity, rate. Both feed into invoicing. Consultants who bill hourly use the timer. Designers who deliver fixed-scope work use the log. Most freelancers use both.

Question 5

How does payment follow-up work?

Accepted Answer

When an invoice passes its due date, TAV sends reminders to your client automatically. First at three days overdue, second at seven, third at fourteen. Each reminder references your invoice with a link for the client to view it. In your dashboard you see status for every reminder: sent, opened, clicked. You know where things stand without sending an awkward email. Client stays accountable. You stay informed. Relationship stays clean. When payment arrives and you mark the invoice paid, reminders stop.

Question 6

Do I still need accounting software?

Accepted Answer

For day-to-day client operations, no. TAV handles proposals through to payment. Your accountant steps in at year-end or quarterly. Export all financial data as CSV: every invoice, credit note, payment date, tax amount, client detail. Hand that to your accountant and they have what they need. TAV tracks VAT automatically based on your region so records are organized by tax jurisdiction. TAV is your operating system for client work. Your accountant handles compliance and filing. The two work together. Clean records without maintaining a separate system.

Question 7

Can I try it before paying?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Full access to the entire platform. Proposals, invoicing, time tracking, contracts, client portal. First two documents free. After that, Professional starts at $49/month when you are ready. No trial that expires. No feature restrictions. No credit card to explore. Set up your workspace, add your business details, create a client, send a real proposal or invoice before paying anything. If it is not right, you have lost nothing. If it is, you are already running.

Question 8

How does invoicing from tracked time work?

Accepted Answer

Every timer session logs the client, duration, description, and your hourly rate. When you invoice, TAV pulls unbilled entries for that client and converts them into line items. Each line shows date, hours, description, amount. Your client sees exactly what they are paying for. Review, adjust if needed, send. Time entries get marked as billed so you never double-bill. TAV can also batch unbilled hours automatically each week and prepare draft invoices every Monday morning. Review and send, or let them queue.

Question 9

What happens when a client accepts my proposal?

Accepted Answer

The accepted proposal becomes an invoice. Line items carry forward: descriptions, quantities, rates. You do not re-enter anything. Review, confirm, send. Your client sees the same items they approved in the proposal now on the invoice. Paper trail stays clean. No misunderstandings about scope or pricing. Every accepted proposal links to its invoice in your dashboard. You can trace from payment back to the original agreement. The flow from proposal sent to accepted to invoice delivered is tracked with timestamps in one view.

Question 10

What payment methods can my clients use?

Accepted Answer

Bank transfer. Your payment details are printed on every invoice PDF. EU invoices show your IBAN. US invoices show routing and account numbers. You enter bank details once in Settings and they appear on every invoice. TAV formats the details for your region. No processing fees from TAV. Your client pays directly to your bank account. Full invoice amount, no platform cut, no transaction charges, no waiting for a processor to release funds.

Question 11

How does digital signing work?

Accepted Answer

You create a contract. Your client gets a signing link by email. They open a signing page: full contract, every clause, clean layout. Review, scroll, sign. No account, no app, no password. TAV records the audit trail: name, email, IP, browser, timestamp. A cryptographic hash locks the document so any change after signing is detectable. Signed PDF stored securely, downloadable by both parties. Compliant with eIDAS (EU) and the E-SIGN Act (US).

Question 12

Which countries does TAV support?

Accepted Answer

Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each gets region-specific formatting: currency symbols, tax labels (BTW, USt-IdNr, TVA, VAT, EIN), date formats, number formatting. Invoices, proposals, and contracts generate with correct legal formatting for your jurisdiction. EU freelancers get IBAN fields and VAT handling. US freelancers get routing numbers and EIN fields. Tax calculations adjust automatically. Your clients can be anywhere. Regional settings apply to your business identity and document formatting.

Question 13

Is my data secure?

Accepted Answer

Multiple layers. Encryption in transit and at rest. Access controls so you only see your own data. No cross-account visibility. Every document action is logged: created, sent, opened, paid. Contract signatures carry a full audit trail with integrity verification. Automatic backups, DDoS protection, 99.9% uptime. No data sold. Not shared with third parties. Not used for advertising. Your business data is yours.

Question 14

Can I use TAV on my phone?

Accepted Answer

Yes. TAV is a progressive web app. Install from your browser to your home screen on iOS and Android. Opens full-screen like a native app. Dashboard is mobile-optimized: send proposals, review invoices, track time, check your pipeline. Timer runs in the background while you switch apps. Syncs instantly. Start a timer on your phone, stop on your laptop, send the invoice from either. No app store required. Open TAV in your browser, add to home screen, done.

Question 15

Does TAV handle VAT automatically?

Accepted Answer

Yes. TAV detects your region and applies the correct rate. EU invoices calculate VAT automatically: subtotal, VAT, total as separate lines. Override the rate per invoice if needed. Your tax ID (BTW, USt-IdNr, TVA, VAT number) prints on every document. CSV exports include VAT breakdowns per invoice for filing. US freelancers operate without federal VAT and TAV adjusts accordingly.

Question 16

Can I upload my company logo?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Upload in Settings. It appears on every document: invoices, proposals, contracts. All PDF templates display your logo in the header with your business name and details. Update once, every future document reflects the change. Previously generated PDFs keep the logo from when they were created.

Question 17

How do credit notes work?

Accepted Answer

Issue a credit note directly from the original invoice. References the original number, includes reversed line items, generates a PDF. You and your client see it in the portal, linked to the original invoice. Financial exports include credit notes alongside invoices so your accountant gets the full picture. Books stay clean and audit-ready.

Question 18

Can TAV verify my client's business details?

Accepted Answer

EU clients: TAV connects to VIES, the EU's VAT verification system. Enter a VAT number, TAV validates it and pulls back the registered company name and address. Netherlands: TAV also connects to KVK (Chamber of Commerce). Search by company name or number, auto-fill legal details. No manual entry errors. Verified details carry through to every document for that client.

Question 19

What does the activity timeline show?

Accepted Answer

Every document has a timeline. Invoice sent, delivered, opened, clicked. You see when your client viewed it. No guessing. Reminders tracked separately so you know which one prompted action. Bounced emails flagged immediately. Contracts show the signing process: link opened, signature completed. Full visibility into your client communications.

Question 20

How does the focus queue work?

Accepted Answer

Dashboard opens to a priority card. The most important action right now. Overdue invoice needing a reminder. Accepted proposal ready to invoice. Unbilled hours to send. Prioritized by urgency and value. Complete the action or snooze it: later today, tomorrow, next week. Next card surfaces. Snoozed items return when you chose. You never open your dashboard wondering what to do. TAV tells you. No task list, no project board, no separate to-do app.

Question 21

Can I run my freelance business through an AI assistant?

Accepted Answer

Yes. TAV has a production MCP server at mcp.withtav.com with 19 tools. Connect it to Claude, ChatGPT, or any AI assistant that supports the Model Context Protocol. Then manage your business in natural language. "Create an invoice for Acme, 40 hours at $150, due net-30." "Log 2 hours on the Nova project." "Show me all unpaid invoices." "Send a reminder to Sarah." The AI calls TAV directly. No switching tabs, no clicking through forms. Same data as your dashboard, same security.

Question 22

What is MCP and why does it matter for freelancers?

Accepted Answer

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It is an open standard that lets AI assistants connect to external tools. TAV was one of the first freelancer platforms to ship a native MCP server. That means your AI assistant can create invoices, look up clients, log time entries, send reminders, and check contract status without you opening TAV at all. The ecosystem has grown to thousands of MCP servers. TAV covers the financial and client management side. Combine it with Notion for notes, Google Calendar for scheduling, and your AI handles the glue between all of them.

Question 23

What can TAV automate without me touching anything?

Accepted Answer

Payment follow-up runs on its own. When an invoice passes its due date, TAV sends reminders at three days, seven days, and fourteen days overdue. Each references the invoice with a direct link. You see delivery status for every reminder. Beyond that: accepted proposals can trigger contract generation automatically. Time entries roll into draft invoices. The focus queue surfaces your next most valuable action every time you open the dashboard. Notifications fire when contracts get signed, offers get accepted, invoices get sent, and payments land. The goal is that admin work happens in the background while you do billable work.

Question 24

How does expense tracking work?

Accepted Answer

Log expenses as they happen. Snap a receipt photo, enter the amount, pick a category. Mileage calculates automatically from distance and your region's rate. Expenses link to clients and flow into invoices as line items. Tax-deductible categories are pre-configured for your region — EU VAT reclaimable, US Schedule C aligned. Everything exports cleanly at tax time.

Question 25

Does TAV handle bookkeeping?

Accepted Answer

Yes. TAV runs a full double-entry general ledger under the hood. Every invoice, payment, expense, and credit note creates journal entries automatically. Chart of accounts seeds per region — EU gets BTW accounts, US gets Schedule C categories. Trial balance, account drill-downs, and CSV exports are built in. Your accountant gets clean books without you touching a spreadsheet.

Question 26

How does bank sync work?

Accepted Answer

Connect your bank account and TAV pulls in transactions automatically. Debits match to expenses, credits match to invoice payments. Unmatched transactions surface for review. Create expenses directly from bank transactions — amount, date, and merchant pre-fill. TAV learns your categorization patterns and suggests categories for future transactions.

Question 27

Can I run my business through an AI assistant?

Accepted Answer

Yes. TAV has a production MCP server with 19 tools. Connect it to Claude, ChatGPT, or any AI assistant that supports Model Context Protocol. Create invoices, log time, check clients, send reminders — all in natural language. Snap a receipt photo in the chat and TAV creates the expense automatically. Same data, same security as your dashboard.

Question 28

What can TAV automate?

Accepted Answer

Payment follow-up runs on its own — reminders at 3, 7, and 14 days overdue. Accepted proposals trigger contract generation. Time entries batch into draft invoices weekly. Bank transactions auto-match to journal entries. Expense categories auto-learn from your patterns. The focus queue surfaces your next most valuable action every time you open the dashboard.

Date	Description	Category	Status	Amount
Mar 28	Adobe Creative Suite	Software	Unbilled	$54.99
Mar 25	WeWork day pass	Office	Billed	$45.00
Mar 22	Client lunch — Voss Group	Meals	Unbilled	$87.20
Mar 18	Domain renewal	Hosting	Unbilled	$14.99
Mar 15	Mileage: Office → Client	Travel	Billed	$31.50
Mar 10	Figma Pro subscription	Software	Unbilled	$15.00
Mar 05	Slack Business	Software	Billed	$12.50

Type	Subject	To	Status	When
Invoice	INV-042 — March development	finance@vossgroup.de	clicked	2h ago
Reminder	Payment reminder: INV-038	ap@meridianlabs.com	opened	5h ago
Contract	Service Agreement — Q2	legal@polarisstudio.nl	delivered	1d ago
Proposal	Website Redesign Proposal	ceo@keller.co	sent	2d ago
Reminder	Payment reminder: INV-036	finance@vossgroup.de	clicked	3d ago
Invoice	INV-041 — February retainer	ap@meridianlabs.com	opened	5d ago
Contract	NDA — Confidentiality	hr@keller.co	delivered	6d ago

The back office
you never hired.

Every client touchpoint. Zero gaps.

Everything between you and getting paid.

Log it. Forget about it. Get paid.

Log hours. They build up automatically.

Add line items as you go.

TAV batches everything into an invoice.

Overdue? TAV handles it.

Snap a receipt.

The books keep themselves

expenses

Expense tracking

Double-entry ledger

Tax computation

Bank reconciliation

Reports and delivery tracking. Built in.

Reports

Email

Know where every dollar went

Know when they read it

Run your business in natural language

Your client sees everything in one place

Simple pricing. No surprises.

Sharpen your edge.

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Built for your jurisdiction

Questions we get asked. Straight answers.

The freelancer's contract checklist

Your next client deserves a better experience. So do you.

The back office you never hired.