Question 1

What is Handld?

Accepted Answer

Handld is an all-in-one business platform built specifically for independent Virtual Assistants. It combines time tracking, invoicing, task management, a client portal, contracts, scheduling, file sharing, and reporting, all in one place. It's designed to replace the five or six separate tools most VAs currently use to run their business.

Question 2

Who is Handld for?

Accepted Answer

Handld is built for independent and freelance Virtual Assistants, primarily in the UK. Whether you're just starting out with your first client or managing a full roster of ten, Handld is designed to grow with you. It's also suitable for VAs who work with a small team of associates. The Agency plan supports up to five people.

Question 3

How is Handld different from Toggl, Harvest, or Dubsado?

Accepted Answer

Tools like Toggl, Harvest, and Dubsado are built for freelancers in general. Handld is built specifically for VAs, includes a branded client portal where clients can log in, view hours, submit tasks, and pay invoices, and replaces multiple tools with one subscription.

Question 4

Do I need to be tech-savvy to use Handld?

Accepted Answer

Not at all. If you can use Toggl or manage a spreadsheet, you can use Handld. The interface is simple and intuitive, and most VAs are fully set up within five minutes.

Question 5

How do I sign up?

Accepted Answer

Click 'Get Early Access' on any page. You'll create an account with your email address (or sign in with Google), and you can immediately start adding your first client and tracking time. No credit card is required for the free plan.

Question 6

How long does it take to set up?

Accepted Answer

Most VAs are up and running within five minutes. You'll add your business details, create your first client profile, and you're ready to start tracking time and creating invoices.

Question 7

Can I import data from other tools?

Accepted Answer

We're working on direct import from tools like Toggl and Harvest. In the meantime, you can manually add your existing clients and start fresh with time tracking and invoicing.

Question 8

Is there a mobile app?

Accepted Answer

Handld is fully mobile-responsive, so it works beautifully in your phone's browser. A dedicated mobile app is on our roadmap.

Question 9

How much does Handld cost?

Accepted Answer

We have three plans. Starter is completely free: one client, basic time tracking, and manual invoicing. Pro is £39/month (or £390/year) and unlocks unlimited clients, the client portal, online payments, contracts, scheduling, reporting, and your own branding. Agency is £69/month (or £690/year) and adds team features for up to five people, advanced reporting, and expense tracking.

Question 10

Is there a free trial of Pro?

Accepted Answer

The Starter plan is free forever with one client, so you can try the core features without any commitment. If you'd like to trial the full Pro experience, get in touch and we'll arrange a trial period for you.

Question 11

Can I switch plans at any time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can upgrade from Starter to Pro or Agency at any time, and your new features will be available immediately. Your data is never deleted when you downgrade — features are simply disabled until you upgrade again.

Question 12

What payment methods do you accept?

Accepted Answer

We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) via Stripe. Annual plans can also be paid by bank transfer.

Question 13

Is there a discount for annual billing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Annual billing saves you the equivalent of two months: £390/year for Pro (vs £468 monthly) and £690/year for Agency (vs £828 monthly).

Question 14

What happens if I downgrade from Pro to Starter?

Accepted Answer

Your account will revert to Starter features at the end of your billing period. You'll retain access to one client, and your other client data will be safely stored but inaccessible until you upgrade again. Nothing is deleted.

Question 15

How do I cancel my subscription?

Accepted Answer

You can cancel at any time from your account settings. There's no contract, no notice period, and no cancellation fee. Your account will remain active until the end of your current billing period, then revert to the free Starter plan.

Question 16

Will I get an invoice for my subscription?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You'll receive a VAT invoice by email each time you're billed. You can also download all past invoices from your account settings.

Question 17

How does time tracking work?

Accepted Answer

You can track time with a live timer (click play, select a client and optionally a task) or by adding manual entries after the fact. Both methods are available on all plans.

Question 18

Can I track time against specific tasks?

Accepted Answer

Yes. When you start a timer or add a manual entry, you can link it to a specific task within that client's task list.

Question 19

What is retainer tracking?

Accepted Answer

Retainer tracking is a Pro feature that lets you set a monthly hour allowance per client. As you track time, Handld shows how many hours have been used and how many remain, with alerts at 80% and 100% of the allowance.

Question 20

Can I round my time entries?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the Pro plan. You can set rounding preferences to the nearest 5, 10, or 15 minutes, applied when generating invoices and reports.

Question 21

Can I add notes to time entries?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every time entry has a notes field where you can describe what you worked on. These notes appear on time reports and can optionally be included on invoices.

Question 22

Can I track time on my phone?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Handld is fully responsive, so the timer works on any device. You can start a timer on your laptop and check it on your phone.

Question 23

Can I export my time data?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the Pro plan. You can export time reports as CSV or PDF, filtered by client, date range, or task.

Question 24

How do I create an invoice?

Accepted Answer

On the Starter plan, you create a manual invoice by adding line items and downloading it as a PDF. On the Pro plan, you can auto-generate invoices from your tracked time: select a client, choose a date range, and Handld creates an itemised invoice in one click.

Question 25

Can my clients pay online?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the Pro plan. When you connect your Stripe account, clients receive an invoice with a 'Pay Now' link and can pay by card instantly.

Question 26

Does Handld handle VAT?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the Pro plan. You can toggle VAT on or off and enter your VAT number. VAT is automatically calculated and displayed on your invoices at the standard 20% UK rate, adjustable per invoice.

Question 27

Can I set up recurring invoices?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the Pro plan. If you bill a client the same amount each month, you can create a recurring invoice that's automatically generated and sent on your chosen date each month.

Question 28

What happens when an invoice is overdue?

Accepted Answer

On the Pro plan, Handld automatically sends payment reminders at 7 days and 14 days overdue. Overdue invoices are also flagged on your dashboard.

Question 29

Can I customise how my invoices look?

Accepted Answer

On the Pro plan, you can add your logo, brand colours, and payment terms to your invoices. Upgrading to Pro removes the 'Powered by Handld' branding.

Question 30

Can I track which invoices have been viewed?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the Pro plan. Invoice statuses include Draft, Sent, Viewed, Paid, and Overdue, so you always know where things stand.

Question 31

Can I add expenses to an invoice?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the Pro plan. You can add expense line items alongside your tracked time, useful for purchases made on a client's behalf.

Question 32

What is a billing mode?

Accepted Answer

A billing mode tells Handld how invoicing works for each individual client — ad hoc, scheduled, prepaid, or external. You set the billing mode on each client's profile and can update it at any time.

Question 33

What is Ad hoc mode?

Accepted Answer

Ad hoc is the default mode for all clients. It means 'invoice when you're ready.' You track time throughout the month, then raise an invoice whenever you like. Nothing is automatic.

Question 34

What is Scheduled mode?

Accepted Answer

Scheduled mode is for clients you bill on a regular date every month. You set a billing day and Handld reminds you to raise an invoice on that date, surfacing uninvoiced hours and estimated amounts.

Question 35

What is Prepaid mode?

Accepted Answer

Prepaid mode is for clients who pay in advance for a block of hours. Handld tracks how many hours have been used against their prepaid credit.

Question 36

What is External mode?

Accepted Answer

External mode is for clients whose invoicing is handled completely outside Handld. The invoice section is hidden for that client, keeping things clean. You can still track time and tasks as normal.

Question 37

Can I change a client's billing mode later?

Accepted Answer

Yes, at any time. Switching modes doesn't affect historical invoices or time entries — it only changes how that client's invoicing section works going forward.

Question 38

Is choosing a billing mode required?

Accepted Answer

No. Every client defaults to Ad hoc, which is the most flexible option. You only need to set a different mode if you want a more structured workflow.

Question 39

What is the client portal?

Accepted Answer

The client portal is a branded, secure login area where clients can view their retainer hours, check task progress, see and pay invoices, access shared files, and send you messages. It's available on the Pro plan and above.

Question 40

How do my clients access the portal?

Accepted Answer

When you add a client on the Pro plan, you can send them an invitation email with a link to their portal. They create a login and access it at your custom subdomain, for example yourname.handldhq.com.

Question 41

Can I brand the client portal?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the Pro plan. You can upload your logo and set your brand colours. On the Business plan, you can also use your own custom domain.

Question 42

Can clients submit tasks through the portal?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Clients can create task requests directly from their portal, including a title, description, priority level, deadline, and file attachments.

Question 43

Can clients see how many hours I've worked?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If you're tracking time against a retainer, your client can see their usage, for example '14 of 20 hours used this month.' You control exactly what your clients can see.

Question 44

Can clients pay invoices through the portal?

Accepted Answer

Yes. When you send an invoice, your client can view it in their portal and pay online with a card via Stripe.

Question 45

How does task management work?

Accepted Answer

Each client has their own task list. On Starter you get a simple list view with up to five active tasks per client. On Pro you unlock kanban boards, unlimited tasks, recurring tasks, file attachments, and client task submission via the portal.

Question 46

Can I create recurring tasks?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the Pro plan. Tasks like 'Post to Instagram every Monday' can be set to recur automatically on the schedule you choose.

Question 47

Can I link time entries to tasks?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on all plans. When you start a timer or add a manual time entry, you can select a specific task, making time reports and invoices more detailed.

Question 48

Can I attach files to tasks?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the Pro plan. You can attach files (documents, images, links) to individual tasks, visible to your client if they submitted the task via the portal.

Question 49

What contract features does Handld include?

Accepted Answer

On the Pro plan, Handld includes a library of contract templates for VA service agreements. You can customise scope, hours, rate, payment terms, notice period, and confidentiality clauses, then send to your client for e-signature.

Question 50

Are the contract templates legally sound?

Accepted Answer

Our templates are a solid starting point based on common VA industry practices, but we recommend having a solicitor review any contract before use. Handld is not a legal service.

Question 51

What is the proposal builder?

Accepted Answer

The proposal builder lets you create professional service proposals with your branding, service descriptions, and pricing packages. You can track whether they've been viewed and convert accepted proposals into active client profiles automatically.

Question 52

Can clients sign contracts digitally?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Clients receive an email with a link to view and sign your contract. The signed copy is automatically stored in Handld against their client profile.

Question 53

How does scheduling work?

Accepted Answer

On the Pro plan, you set your available working hours and days, then share a booking link with clients. They can book a discovery call or meeting at a time that suits both of you, like a built-in Calendly.

Question 54

How do I connect Google Calendar?

Accepted Answer

Google Calendar sync is available on the Pro plan. Go to Scheduling, open the Availability tab, scroll to Google Calendar Sync, and click Connect Google Calendar. Sign in to Google, grant permission, and you're done. Existing events will block out your availability and new bookings will appear in Google Calendar automatically.

Question 55

Does it sync with my calendar?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Once connected, existing Google Calendar events block out your availability and every new booking is automatically added to Google Calendar with the client's name, service booked, and video call link.

Question 56

Can I set buffer time between bookings?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can add buffer time before and after each booking slot, for example 15 minutes either side.

Question 57

Does it handle different time zones?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Handld automatically detects your client's time zone and shows them availability in their local time.

Question 58

What reports are available?

Accepted Answer

On the Pro plan, reporting includes monthly and quarterly earnings, hours tracked by client, income by client, utilisation rate, busiest days and times, and year-to-date income vs target. Agency adds year-on-year comparisons and income forecasting.

Question 59

What is the utilisation rate?

Accepted Answer

Your utilisation rate shows what percentage of your available working hours are billable. For example, if you're available 30 hours a week and track 22 billable hours, your utilisation rate is 73%.

Question 60

Can I export reports?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All reports can be exported as PDF or CSV on the Pro plan.

Question 61

Can I set an income target?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the Pro plan. You can set a monthly or annual income target and your dashboard will show your progress towards it.

Question 62

Can I add my own logo and colours?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the Pro plan. Your logo and brand colours are applied across your client portal, invoices, proposals, and contracts.

Question 63

Can I get a custom subdomain?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the Pro plan. Your client portal lives at a subdomain like yourname.handldhq.com. On the Agency plan, you can connect your own custom domain.

Question 64

How do I remove "Powered by Handld" branding?

Accepted Answer

The 'Powered by Handld' badge appears on invoices and portal pages on the Starter plan. Upgrading to Pro removes it entirely, giving you a fully white-labelled experience.

How can we help?

Getting Started

Account & Billing

Time Tracking

Invoicing & Payments

Billing Modes

Client Portal

Task Management

Contracts & Proposals

Scheduling

Reporting

Branding & Customisation

Teams

Security & Data

Integrations

Affiliate Programme

Support