Monthly client report template
A client report template that answers the client's questions before they ask: what you need from us, what you got, what is next, where the budget stands. With a filled example.
A client report should answer the client's questions before they ask them. What do you need from me? What did I get? What is next? Where is the budget? In their words, with links. One page.
When to use it
Monthly for retainers and long projects. Adapt it for fortnightly if the client wants more. Send it the same day each month.
The template
[Client name] · [Project or retainer] · [Month]From [your name], [agency]WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU- [Approval, decision, or file], by [date] (link)(or: Nothing this month.)WHAT YOU RECEIVED THIS MONTH- [Deliverable], [status: delivered / approved], (link)- [Deliverable], (link)IN PROGRESS- [Deliverable], ready [date]- [Deliverable], ready [date]NOT STARTED YET- [Scope item], scheduled [month]CHANGES OR DELAYS- [What], [new date], [why in one sentence](or: Everything is on schedule.)HOURS AND BUDGET- Included this month: [X] hours. Used: [Y] hours.- [One sentence if Y is above X, with what you propose.]NEXT MONTH- [What the client should expect]Full activity log: [link]
Build it with the tool
A filled example
Acme · Website retainer · May 2026From Dana, Northwind StudioWHAT WE NEED FROM YOU- Approval of the homepage design, by June 5 (link)WHAT YOU RECEIVED THIS MONTH- Homepage design, delivered for review (link)- About, Services, Team, and Contact page copy, approved (link)- Monthly social assets, 12 posts, delivered (link)IN PROGRESS- Signup flow, in testing, ready June 12NOT STARTED YET- Email templates, scheduled JulyCHANGES OR DELAYS- Signup flow moved from June 5 to June 12. The payment provider's test system was down for three days.HOURS AND BUDGET- Included: 40 hours. Used: 46 hours.- The extra 6 hours were the two additional homepage revisions requested on May 14 and 21. We have absorbed them this month. If revisions continue at this level, we propose discussing the retainer size at the June review.NEXT MONTH- Signup flow live. Homepage build starts once approved.Full activity log: (link)
Rules that make it work
- The ask is first. Buried asks do not get answered.
- Every scope item appears somewhere. Delivered, in progress, not started, or paused. A missing item looks forgotten.
- Delays get a date and a reason. Clients forgive delays. They do not forgive surprises.
- No internal words. Not "sprint," "ticket," "staging." Say "being tested," "the draft version."
- Hours over the limit get a sentence now, not a surprise at renewal.
Where M-Tracker fits
In M-Tracker, client work lives in a project with each deliverable as a task. Client reports are built from that record, so every scope item is accounted for, and sent to the client through a link where they can approve each deliverable. Hours come from the timer, so the budget line is real. Deliverables were checked against their briefs before they were marked done.
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