Switching guide
Switching from spreadsheets
Save each sheet as a CSV and import it in Settings → Data → Import. You match your columns to Hello Bean's once, read the preview, and nothing is saved until you confirm. Your own column names are fine; the templates below show the simplest shape.
1 · Your time sheet
One row per piece of work. Download the time template.
| Your column | What Hello Bean reads |
|---|---|
| Date (needed) | 2026-10-06 or 6/10/2026, day first |
| Client (needed) | Matched by name; created if new |
| Project or job (needed) | Matched by code, then by client and name; created if new |
| Hours, or Days, or Start and End (one of them) | Hours as 7.5 or 7:30; Days as 1 or 0.5 (8 hours to a day); or clock times such as 9:00 and 2:15 pm |
| Project code, Task, Notes | Optional |
| Billable, Invoiced | Yes or No. Blank Billable means Yes; Invoiced "Yes" marks the hours as already billed |
2 · Your invoice register, and where the numbering carries on
One row per invoice line; rows that share an invoice number become one invoice. A register with one row per invoice works too. Download the invoice template.
- Needed: invoice number, issue date and client. Each invoice keeps its number.
- Money: a unit price or a line amount ex GST, or just a total inc GST with a GST column in dollars. A GST column of 0.00 marks the invoice GST-free.
- Paid: a paid date, or a "Paid?" column of Yes / No (paid on the due date). Paid invoices from your history never trigger a thank-you email.
- If your numbers look like 2026-041, tick Continue numbering after the import and your next Hello Bean invoice is 2026-042. It only moves forward.
Invoices sent as Word or PowerPoint files come across through the register, not the files themselves: number, client, date and total are enough.
3 · Your client list
Client, contact name (or first and last name), role, email, phone, and Primary (Yes for the person invoices go to). A person already on a client (same email, or else same name) is skipped. Download the contacts template.
What stays behind
- Formulas and formatting. Hello Bean reads the values in a CSV, one sheet at a time.
- Rates. Set your day and hourly rates, and any job or task rates, in Hello Bean.
- The link between old invoices and old time. Imported invoices are kept as their own record.
Imported hours stay in your history and reports. Figures that judge how you work now, such as your realised day rate, count only time logged in Hello Bean.
Ready to move?
Questions about your sheet? Send it our way and we'll tell you how it maps.