How to run your business in Kwill

1 Getting started

Kwill is one place to run your business, whether you’re a photographer, a model, a content creator, a consultant or a small company. Keep track of clients, win work with proposals, get agreements signed, send invoices and get paid. Your clients get their own branded client portal. There they can sign, pay, message you and share files, without needing a password.

Creating your account

Go to: the Kwill sign-in page → Sign up

1. Enter your Full name (optional), Email and a Password of at least 8 characters.
2. Pick your Country (optional). Kwill then shows which ways of getting paid are available where you live, such as connecting your own Stripe account or taking bank transfers.
3. Click Create account. You can also click Continue with Google to use your Google account.

If Kwill asks you to confirm your email, you’ll see “Check your email to confirm your account, then sign in.” Click the link in that email to continue.

Signing in and resetting your password

• Sign in: enter your email and password and click Log in, or use Continue with Google. There is no “remember me” box.
• Signed up with a password? Use email and password. Google sign-in with that same email shows “An account with this email already exists. Please sign in with email instead.”
• Forgot your password? Click Forgot password?, enter your email and click Send reset link. For privacy, Kwill shows the same message whether or not an account exists.
• Set a new password from the link in the email. It must be at least 8 characters and include a number. Reset links work once, in the same browser that asked for them, and expire.

Setting up your portal (onboarding)

The first time you sign in, Kwill asks two quick questions:

1. Business: “What should we call your business?” This name appears on every proposal, invoice and page your clients see.
2. Portal: “Pick your portal address.” This is your subdomain, such as janesmith.usekwill.com. It’s where your clients log in. Use lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens only.

Click Launch my portal. Kwill creates your workspace on the Free plan and opens your Dashboard. If you chose a paid plan when signing up, you go to checkout first.

Joining someone else’s workspace

If a Kwill owner invites you to their team, open the link in the invitation email. Kwill accepts the invitation automatically and opens their Dashboard.

• No account yet? You’re taken to sign-up with your email filled in.
• Already have an account? Click Log in on that screen.
• You must use the same email address the invite was sent to. Invitations expire after 7 days.
• While you have a pending invite, you can’t create your own workspace. To start your own instead, choose Decline this invitation and set up my own portal instead.

Finding your way around

The left sidebar is grouped like this. Items your plan or role doesn’t include are hidden, not greyed out.

• View client portal (bottom of the sidebar) opens your portal in a new tab, so you can see what clients see.
• Quick jump: press ⌘ K (Mac) or Ctrl K (Windows) to open a palette. From it you can go to any page or create a new client, proposal, contract or invoice.
• Collapse the sidebar: ⌘/Ctrl B, or Collapse sidebar at the bottom. The light/dark switch is there too.
• Your account menu (top of the sidebar) shows your workspace name and plan. It has links to Profile, Plan & billing, Settings and Sign out.
• More than one workspace? A Workspaces list appears in that menu so you can switch. Other open Kwill tabs will ask you to reload.
• On a phone, the menu button at the top opens the sidebar, and the search icon opens the palette.

Notifications: there’s no notification bell. Things clients do (opening a proposal, paying an invoice, uploading a file and so on) show up in your Inbox Independent+, and many also send you an email.

The welcome tour

The first time you open the Dashboard, a short tour walks you through the main areas. Use Next →, Back or Skip tour. It shows once per browser, so you may see it again on a new device.

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2 Words you’ll see

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3 How Kwill fits together

Kwill works best in this order. Each step reuses what you entered before, so you rarely type the same thing twice.

1. 1ClientAdd who you work for
2. 2ProjectOne job for that client
3. 3ProposalQuote it; client signs
4. 4ContractAgree terms; client signs
5. 5InvoiceBill the work
6. 6PaymentClient pays; you’re notified

A client is required for everything. Every project, proposal, contract, invoice and form must belong to a client, so add the client first. Linking documents to a project is optional but recommended. It keeps each job’s paperwork together, both for you and in the client’s portal.

The Pipeline sits beside this flow. It tracks work you’re chasing. Moving a deal to “Won” does not create anything automatically, so create the project and proposal yourself.

What connects to what

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4 Dashboard

Go to: Home

What it is

Your home screen: a summary of clients, proposals, money owed and earned, plus upcoming events and messages.

Why use it

See in ten seconds what needs attention today.

When

Every time you open Kwill.

Top of the page

• A greeting that uses the first word of your business name, e.g. “Good morning, Acme”.
• + New: create a client, proposal, contract or invoice Owner/Admin.
• Customize dashboard Owner only: see Customizing.

Getting-started checklist

“Let’s get your business up and running” lists four essentials: Get your first client, Send your first proposal, Send your first contract, and Get paid for the first time. Each has a button that takes you straight there. Finished steps are crossed out, and the card disappears once all four are done.

“Finish setting up your portal” paid plans

On paid plans, a second card suggests optional finishing touches:

• Go to Branding: add your logo and brand colour.
• Set up payouts: choose how you get paid.
• Import clients: bring clients over from another tool. See Import & export.

Close it with the ×. Closing it is remembered in this browser only.

The four numbers

Revenue chart

Shows money from paid invoices. Choose Day (today), Month (last 6 months, the default) or Year (last 5 years). If nothing has been paid yet, it says “No revenue yet — send your first invoice and your earnings will chart here.”

Widgets

• Pipeline progress: how many deals sit in each stage. Link: View all pipeline →
• Upcoming events Independent+: your next 5 calendar items. Free users see a blurred preview with Upgrade now.
• Recent messages Independent+: your latest 3 conversations. Free users see a locked preview.

Customizing the dashboard Owner only

1. Click Customize dashboard.
2. Drag a widget by its handle to reorder it, or click the eye icon to hide or show it.
3. Click Done customizing. Changes save automatically.

Only the three widgets can be moved or hidden. The four numbers and the revenue chart always stay. Your layout is saved for you in this workspace.

Team members who only see some clients get numbers for those clients only.

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5 Clients

Go to: Clients

What it is

Your list of the people and companies you work for, with their contact details, tags, notes and history.

Why use it

Every project, proposal, contract, invoice and form needs a client. Each client also gets a login to your portal.

When

As soon as someone new wants to work with you, before you send them anything.

Adding a client

Go to: Clients › Add client

1. Contact info: Full name and Email address are required. Phone is optional.
2. Business details (all optional): Company, Country / Statutory Jurisdiction, Website, Address. The country is used for late-payment interest rules.
3. Notes & access: Internal notes are only visible to you. Send portal invite email is ticked by default, and emails the client a link to their portal. They log in with their email, with no password needed.
4. Click Add & send invite, or Add client if you unticked the invite.

The new client appears at the top of your Clients list.

• Duplicate emails aren’t allowed: “A client with this email already exists.”
• Email of an archived client: you’ll be asked to restore them instead.
• Plan limit reached: you’ll see “Your {plan} plan includes up to N clients. Upgrade your plan to add more.” See Plans.
• No clients yet and you start a new proposal, contract, invoice or form? The Client box offers a quick Add client panel without leaving the page.

Finding clients

• Search (Search clients…) matches name or email, not company.
• Status filter: Active (has at least one proposal or invoice), Pending (has neither yet) or Archived. “Pending” does not mean the client hasn’t opened their invite.
• Tag filter: show clients with a particular tag.
• Card view / Table view: cards show proposals, invoices and amount earned per client. The table shows email, phone, status and date added.
• The list is always sorted newest first.

The client page

Click a client to see their contact details and the buttons Edit, New proposal, New invoice and Archive. The page also shows:

• Totals for Proposals, Invoices and Earned.
• Tags: type and press Enter to add. Up to 50 tags per client, each up to 50 characters. Tags are saved in lowercase.
• Team assignment Owner/Admin: choose which team members can see this client, and whether they can see the client’s email and phone.
• Notes, if you added any.
• Activity: a timeline of what the client did, such as opening or signing a proposal, paying an invoice, sending a message or uploading a file. When empty it says “No activity yet.”

Editing: click Edit, change the details and click Save changes.

Working with many clients at once

In Table view, tick the boxes next to clients. A bar appears with:

• Tag: add a new or existing tag to everyone selected.
• Archive (or Restore in the Archived view). This happens immediately, with no confirmation.
• Export CSV Owner/Admin: download up to 500 selected clients.

With a tag chosen in the tag filter, you can also Email all clients with that tag. Write a subject and message; you can use {{name}} and {{email}} to personalise it. Review, then confirm. Up to 200 recipients per send. Sent emails can’t be recalled.

Archiving and restoring

Kwill doesn’t delete clients from the app. Instead you archive them.

• Click Archive on the client page, then Archive client to confirm.
• The client, and their projects, invoices, proposals, contracts and inbox items, drop out of your lists. Nothing is deleted.
• Automatic payment reminders to them stop.
• You can’t create new work for an archived client.
• Archived clients don’t count towards your plan’s client limit.
• To restore: set the status filter to Archived, open the client and click Restore. Everything comes back. Restoring can be blocked if you’re at your plan’s client limit.

If you have no clients yet

You’ll see “No clients yet — Add a client to give them access to their own documents through your portal.” Click Add client, or Import CSV to bring in a list (see Import & export).

Team members only see clients assigned to them. Contact details may be hidden unless an owner or admin allows them.

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6 Projects

Go to: Projects

What it is

One piece of work for one client. It’s a home for that job’s proposals, invoices, time, stages, files, requests and messages.

Why use it

Keeps each job’s paperwork together, and organises the client’s portal by project.

When

When you start (or quote for) a new job. Messaging a client also needs a project.

Creating a project

Go to: Projects › New project

1. Project basics: Project name (required), Description (optional), and Project type: Fixed price (one-time payment on completion) or Retainer (recurring monthly).
2. Client: search and pick an existing client, or choose Add a new client instead and enter a name and email. No invite email is sent from here.
3. Timeline & budget (optional): Project value / budget, Start date, Target end date.
4. Click Create project. The project opens, marked Active.

The project page

Status: change it with the status menu next to the title: Active, On hold or Complete. You can’t mark a project Complete while any of its invoices is unpaid, including drafts.

Below that are panels:

• Proposals and Invoices: everything linked to this project, with New proposal and New invoice buttons.
• Time Log Independent+: click Log time and enter a date (not in the future), hourly rate, hours and minutes, and what you worked on. The footer shows uninvoiced time and its value. Click Create invoice to turn it into invoice lines. Time that’s already been invoiced is marked “Invoiced” and can’t be deleted. Other entries delete immediately, with no confirmation.
• Project Stages Independent+: see below.
• Requests Studio+: change orders, tasks and questions from the client. Set each to Open, In Progress, Resolved or Declined.
• Messages Independent+: Open chat takes you to this project’s conversation.
• Files: see Files & deliverables.

Panels your plan doesn’t include are simply not shown.

Project stages Independent+

Stages show you and your client how far along the job is. The client sees them on their Timeline.

1. On the project page, find Project Stages. Click Use the default template (Brief, Design, Review, Revisions, Delivery), or Add a stage to build your own.
2. In edit mode, rename, remove or drag stages to reorder them. Click a stage’s circle to move it from pending → active → done. Only one stage can be active at a time.
3. Click Save.

A final “Complete” milestone is added automatically once every stage is done, so don’t name a stage “Complete”. When the active stage changes, the client is emailed. This is on by default and controlled by the automation “Notify client when project stage changes”.

If you have no projects yet

You’ll see “No projects yet” with a Create your first project button.

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7 Pipeline

Go to: Pipeline

What it is

A board of the work you’re trying to win. Each piece of work is a deal, sitting in a column for its sales stage.

Why use it

So leads don’t slip through the cracks, and you can see how much work is in the pipe and your win rate.

When

When someone enquires or you pitch for work, before there’s anything to invoice.

The stages

These five stages are fixed and can’t be renamed or added to. The numbers above the board show Total pipeline (everything except Lost), Won revenue, Active deals (not Won or Lost) and Win rate (Won ÷ Won + Lost).

Adding a deal

1. Click New deal, or the + at the top of a column to start in that stage.
2. Enter a Deal title (required), choose a Stage, and optionally add a Deal value, a Client and Notes.
3. Click Add deal.

Deals can only be linked to clients that already exist. You can’t create a client from the deal form.

Moving, editing and deleting deals

• Move: drag a card by its handle to another column. It saves straight away, and the deal’s Activity shows “Moved from X to Y”.
• Edit: click the title (or ⋯ › Open deal) and change the details. The deal page also shows its full Activity.
• Delete: ⋯ › Delete. This happens immediately, with no confirmation.

If you have no deals yet

You’ll see “No deals yet — Add the work you are chasing and move it through your stages as it progresses.” Click Add your first deal, or Import CSV to bring in past deals.

Pipeline is available on every plan.

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8 Proposals

Go to: Proposals

What it is

A quote the client can read, customise with optional extras, and accept by signing online.

Why use it

Agree scope and price in writing, see when the client opens it, and get a signature without printing or scanning.

When

After a first conversation, when you’re ready to put a price on the work.

Creating a proposal

Go to: Proposals › New proposal

Choose how to start Independent+: pick from 48 ready-made templates (search or filter by Design, Development, Marketing, Writing and so on), one of your saved templates, or Blank proposal. On the Free plan there’s no template picker, so the editor opens blank.

Then fill in the editor:

1. Title (required). This is the heading your client sees.
2. Client (required), and optionally a Project for that client.
3. Start date (needed before sending) and Valid until (optional). The client can sign up to and including the “valid until” day, but not after.
4. Intake form Independent+ (optional). The client is taken to this form right after signing. See Forms.
5. Fill in the four sections. Drag them by their handles to reorder:
   • Scope of work: a description of the job.
   • Deliverables: a list of what you’ll hand over.
   • Pricing:
     • Included items are always charged.
     • Optional add-ons are extras the client can tick if they want them. Switch an add-on off to hide it from the client without deleting it.
     • The total shows as a range when there are add-ons.
   • Terms: anything the client agrees to, such as payment, revisions or cancellation. Up to 30 terms.
6. Click Save draft, Preview to see it as the client will, or Send to client.

Writing with AI

Owners and admins can use Draft with AI. Describe the project (up to 1,500 characters) and click Generate Proposal. Each section also has its own small AI bar, e.g. to generate just the scope.

Sending a proposal

Click Send to client in the editor, or on a draft in the list. Kwill:

• emails the client “{You} sent you a proposal: {Title}” with a Review & Sign Proposal button,
• creates a PDF copy,
• moves the proposal to Awaiting response, and it appears in the client’s portal.

Proposal statuses

There’s no separate “Expired” status. After the “valid until” date the proposal still shows as Awaiting response, but the client can no longer sign it.

What happens when the client signs

• The client can tick any optional add-ons. The final total is the included items plus the add-ons they chose.
• The proposal becomes Signed, and the PDF is updated with their signature.
• You get an email: “{Client} signed your proposal: {Title}”. The client gets their own copy.
• The client also gets a welcome email, unless you switched that automation off.
• If you attached an intake form, the client goes straight to it.
• If you switched on “Draft an invoice when a proposal is signed” Studio+, a draft invoice is created for you to check and send.

If the client declines, you get an email with their reason (if they gave one), and the proposal moves to Declined.

Version history (drafts)

Every time you save or send, Kwill keeps a snapshot. While editing a draft, click the {n} versions link, then Restore on an older version. Restoring only loads that version into the editor; nothing is saved until you save again. Your latest version is always kept. Restoring clears the project link, so re-pick it if needed.

Finding proposals

• Tabs: All, Draft, Awaiting response, Accepted, Declined.
• Search Search title, client, project…, and Filters for client, project, created date, expiry date and value.
• Totals at the top: Out for signature, Accepted this quarter, Awaiting response, Acceptance rate.
• Delete is available on drafts only, from the list (bin icon → Delete draft). It’s permanent.
• “Send reminder” and “Duplicate” buttons are shown but not available yet.

No proposals yet? Click Create your first proposal.

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9 Contracts

Go to: Contracts

What it is

A written agreement, such as an NDA or services agreement, that your client reads and signs in their portal.

Why use it

Protects you both: what you agreed is written down and signed before work starts.

When

Before starting paid work, usually after the proposal is accepted.

Creating a contract

Go to: Contracts › New contract

1. Choose a template or Start with a blank template. There are four templates, available on every plan: Non-Disclosure Agreement, Freelance Services Agreement, IP Assignment Agreement and Retainer Agreement.
2. Pick the Client (required) and optionally a Project.
3. Enter the Title (required), Effective date and Expiry date (optional; leave empty for no expiry).
4. Payment enforcement (optional): Governing law, Late interest rate % and Interest basis (Annual or Monthly). These are only used if an invoice goes overdue. See Late-payment enforcement.
5. Edit the Agreement: click any paragraph to edit it, use Add block below or Add clause, or delete blocks. Clauses renumber themselves.
6. Click Save as draft or Send for signature. Preview shows it as the client will see it.

AI help (owners/admins): Draft with AI writes the whole agreement from your description. It asks before replacing text you’ve already written. Draft clauses with AI adds a single clause at the end, for scope, payment terms, revision policy or termination.

Changing a contract after saving

Sending and signing

• Send to Client (on a draft) emails the client “{You} sent you a contract: {Title}” with Review & Sign Contract. A PDF is created.
• The client reads it in their portal and signs by drawing or typing their name, or declines with an optional reason.
• On signing: the PDF is updated with the signature, and the client is emailed a copy. You get “{Client} signed your contract”. This is on by default and can be changed under Automations.
• On declining: you get an email with the reason.
• A contract can’t be signed after its expiry date.

Contract statuses

The Contracts list has tabs (All, Draft, Awaiting signature, Signed, Declined) but no search. “Send reminder” and “Duplicate” are shown but not available yet.

No contracts yet? Click Create your first contract, or pick one of the template shortcuts (NDA, Freelance Services, Retainer).

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10 Invoices & getting paid

Go to: Invoices

What it is

Bills for your work. Clients can pay online by card (and local methods) or by bank transfer.

Why use it

Get paid faster: clients pay in a click, Kwill reminds them when they’re late, and you see who owes what.

When

When work, or a milestone, is done, or on a schedule for retainers.

Before your first invoice

• Choose how you get paid. Under Business › Business Settings, connect Stripe to take online payments, and/or add bank transfer details. See Business Settings.
• Set your currency and tax. Invoices use your workspace Invoice Currency (Business Settings). There’s no per-invoice currency picker. Your default tax rate and label come from Business › Tax.

Creating an invoice

Go to: Invoices › New invoice

1. Pick a starting point Independent+: one of 48 templates, one of your saved templates, or Blank invoice. Free users go straight to a blank invoice.
2. Client (required) and Project (optional).
3. Payment terms: Immediate, Net 15, Net 30 or Net 60. These set the Due date, which defaults to 30 days from today and can also be picked directly.
4. Line items: description, quantity and rate. Add as many as you need.
5. Discount (a fixed amount, not a percentage) and Tax %. Tax is worked out after the discount.
6. Note to client (optional): a thank-you, payment terms, and so on.
7. Repeat this invoice Studio+ (optional): Monthly or Quarterly. See Recurring invoices.
8. Click Save draft or Send invoice. Send is available once you’ve chosen a client and the total is above zero.

Invoice numbers are given automatically when you save: INV-0001, INV-0002 and so on.

• AI line items: describe the work, e.g. “3 days of UI design for a SaaS dashboard”, and click Generate. Kwill creates 1–6 line items and a short payment note. It replaces your existing line items and note. If you didn’t mention a rate, the rate is 0, so check the prices.
• Save as template Independent+: saves the line items, discount, tax and note for reuse.
• From logged time Independent+: on a project’s Time Log, click Create invoice. Each unbilled time entry becomes a line, and saving marks that time as invoiced.
• From a signed proposal: the Invoices page lists signed proposals that are ready to bill. Click one to start an invoice with the client and project filled in.

What happens when you send

1. Kwill creates an online payment link (if online payment is set up) and a PDF.
2. The client is emailed “Invoice {number} from {you}”. The email has a Pay Now button, or your bank details if there’s no online payment option, plus a link to view the invoice in their portal.
3. The invoice becomes Sent and appears in the client’s portal.

If the email couldn’t be delivered, the invoice goes back to Draft. Kwill retries automatically, up to 3 attempts in total, and the invoice page shows a “Delivery failed” banner. You can also send it again yourself.

Invoice statuses

There’s no partial payment, void or cancel. A payment for less than the full amount leaves the invoice unpaid.

The invoice page

For a sent or overdue invoice you’ll find:

• Payment link: opens the payment page.
• Send reminder: only works once the invoice is overdue. It sends a friendly reminder, or a firmer one from 7 days late.
• Mark as paid: see below.
• Pause escalation Independent+: see Enforcement.

For a paid invoice you’ll find Send receipt and Download PDF. The Activity timeline shows when the invoice was sent, opened, reminded, paid or disputed.

Getting paid

• Online: the client clicks Pay Now in the email or pays on the invoice in their portal. Card is always offered. Some currencies also get local methods, e.g. SEPA and iDEAL for EUR, Bacs for GBP, UPI for INR, Pix and Boleto for BRL.
• By bank transfer: if there’s no online payment link, clients see your bank details and are asked to use the invoice number as the reference. When the money arrives, mark the invoice as paid.
• Marking as paid yourself: click Mark as paid. It records the full amount straight away, with no confirmation, and closes the online payment link.

When an invoice is paid (either way):

• You get “Payment received”, and the client gets a receipt email.
• The PDF is stamped PAID.
• Any files gated behind the invoice unlock.
• Any “Invoice paid” automations run.

Automatic reminders

On every plan, Kwill emails the client about unpaid invoices:

• 3 days overdue: “Friendly reminder: Invoice {number} is overdue”
• 7 days overdue: “Action required: Invoice {number} — N days overdue”

Each goes out once per invoice. These are on by default. Only Studio+ users can switch them off, on the Automations page. Reminders stop for archived clients.

When a client disputes an invoice

Clients can click Dispute this invoice in their portal and say what’s wrong. You get an email, and the invoice page shows “Client disputed this invoice on {date}” with their reason. Sort it out with the client, e.g. through Inbox. Kwill has no button to clear a dispute; the notice goes away once the invoice is paid.

Recurring invoices Studio+

Turn on Repeat this invoice when creating an invoice, and choose Monthly or Quarterly.

• Once that invoice is paid and its due date has passed, Kwill creates the next one as a draft, due a month or a quarter later.
• You get an email with Review & Send Invoice. Nothing is sent to the client until you send it.
• If an invoice in the series isn’t paid, no further invoices are created.
• Repeating can only be set when an invoice is first created. There’s currently no way to change it or stop a series from the app.

Finding invoices

• Tabs: All, Draft, Sent, Overdue, Paid.
• Search by number, client or project, with filters for dates, amount, payment method, client and project.
• Totals at the top: Outstanding, Overdue, Paid this quarter and Average time to pay. If you use more than one currency, these totals add amounts together without converting them.
• Delete drafts with the bin icon → Delete draft. This is permanent, and any time entries on the draft become unbilled again.

No invoices yet? Click Create your first invoice, or start from one of your signed proposals shown underneath.

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11 Late-payment enforcement Independent+

Go to: Business › Enforcement

What it is

An optional, step-by-step process for overdue invoices. It sends firmer notices over time and can add late fees and interest.

Why use it

Chase late payers consistently without writing awkward emails yourself.

When

If late payment is a regular problem, and your contracts allow late fees.

It’s off by default. Free users see the settings but can’t turn them on.

Settings

• Enable Late Payment Enforcement: the main switch.
• Grace Period (Days): how long after the due date before the process starts, from 0 to 30. The default is 3.
• Auto-Advance Threshold (Max Rung): how far Kwill may go on its own. Rung 1, 2 (the default) or 3.
• Auto-pause on dispute (on by default): pauses the process when a client’s portal message or request contains words like “dispute”, “fraud” or “wrong”.

The rungs

Kwill moves up at most one rung per day, and never beyond your max rung. Each rung emails the client a notice with an updated payment link that includes any fee or interest. The invoice then shows a “Late fee” or “Late interest” line.

Pausing one invoice: on the invoice page click Pause escalation. Fees and interest stop growing and no further rungs are sent. Click Resume to continue. Paying the invoice ends the process.

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12 Forms Independent+

Go to: Forms Owner/Admin

What it is

Questionnaires you send to a client, such as a client intake, project brief, feedback round or request for brand assets.

Why use it

Collect everything you need in one go, in a tidy format, instead of chasing it over email.

When

At the start of a job, or whenever you need structured answers or files.

Creating a form

1. Click New form. Pick a template (Client intake, Project brief, Feedback & approval, Brand assets), one of your own templates, or Blank form.
2. Give it a name (required) and a short description.
3. Add fields from the panel:
   • Short text, Long text, Dropdown, File upload, Checkbox, URL / link.
   • Under Custom field: Radio group, Checkbox group, Number, Date, Section heading.
4. Click a field to set its label, help text, placeholder and options, and whether it’s Required. Drag fields to reorder them or move them into sections.
5. Choose the Assigned client. Only that client can open the form.
6. Set the status (see below) and click Save form.

File-upload fields accept PDF, PNG, JPG and ZIP files. A form can have up to 300 fields. Save as template lets you reuse the fields on a future form.

Form status

Getting a form to your client

There’s no public or shareable link. Forms reach clients in three ways:

• Assign it and set it Live. It appears in the client’s portal under Forms.
• Attach it to a message: in Inbox, click Attach form in a reply. Only Live forms assigned to that client can be attached, up to 5 per message.
• Attach it to a proposal as an intake form. The client fills it in right after signing.

Seeing responses

Open the form and switch to the Responses tab. You’ll see who answered, when, and every answer. You’re also emailed “{Client} completed "{form}"”.

• Each client can submit a form once.
• Files the client uploads are saved to their project’s Files. If they have more than one project, they choose which one.
• Submitting a form doesn’t create a new client or deal.

Deleting a form (bin icon) is permanent. A form attached to a proposal can’t be deleted.

No forms yet? Click Create your first form.

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13 Calendar & booking Independent+

Go to: Calendar

What it is

Your schedule of calls, reviews and focus time, plus a booking page where clients and leads can book calls with you.

Why use it

See client work and deadlines in one place, and stop the back-and-forth of arranging calls.

When

Daily planning, and whenever someone wants to talk to you.

Adding events

• Click New event, or click or drag on the calendar grid.
• Fill in Title, Category, Type (Call, Review or Invoice due), start and end, and optionally a Client and Project. Leave the end empty for a one-hour block.
• If the time overlaps another event, Kwill warns you and offers Create anyway.
• Drag an event to move it. Click it to Edit or delete it (More actions › Delete event).
• Switch between Day, Week and Month views, and filter by category (Meeting, Task, Focus time, Reminder, Out of office, and so on).

Shown automatically: project due dates, and due dates for sent or overdue invoices, appear as all-day items.

AI helpers: Add event — type it in plain English (e.g. “Client call with Acme Thursday 2pm”) and Plan my day, which suggests a schedule for your tasks.

Your booking page

Go to: Calendar › Scheduling

1. Under Weekly availability, tick the days you’re available and set your hours. You can add more than one time window per day.
2. Click Save availability. Your booking page offers times once you’ve saved your hours.
3. Copy your link (…/book/your-name) and share it anywhere.

Rules: calls are 30 minutes long. They must be booked at least 2 hours ahead, and can be booked up to 30 days ahead. Visitors see times in their own timezone.

When someone books through the public page, Kwill:

• adds a 30-minute “Call with {name}” to your calendar,
• finds or creates the client by email (a new client counts towards your plan limit),
• adds a Prospect deal to your Pipeline, with their message as notes,
• puts a “New booking” item in your Inbox.

Prefer Calendly or similar? Under Use an external scheduler, paste your Booking URL. While it’s set, your Kwill booking page and portal send people there instead. The Button label (default “Book a call”) is used on the booking button in your client portal. Click Save Scheduling.

Clients in the portal can book, reschedule or cancel calls under Bookings, and you’re emailed each time. They can’t reschedule or cancel within 2 hours of the call.

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14 Inbox (messages) Independent+

Go to: Inbox

What it is

One place for client conversations, client requests, and updates about your documents and payments.

Why use it

Keep project conversations out of your personal email, in real time, next to the work they’re about.

When

Any time you need to talk to a client about a project.

What’s in the Inbox

• Client Messages: one conversation per project, not per client.
• Requests Studio+: change orders, tasks and questions clients raise. See Requests.
• Proposals & Contracts and Payments: updates like “Proposal viewed”, “Proposal signed”, “Contract signed”, “Invoice viewed” and “Invoice paid”.
• System: e.g. “File uploaded” and “New booking”.

Filter by All, Unread, Starred, Snoozed, Archived or Trash, and by labels (Follow up, Urgent, Waiting on client, Reviewed). The sidebar badge counts unread items.

Messaging a client

1. Click Compose and pick the project, or open an existing conversation.
2. Type your reply. You can add emoji, Attach files (up to 10 MB each), Attach form, or use Draft AI reply.
3. Click Send or press ⌘/Ctrl Enter.

The client sees it instantly in their portal and gets an email. If you send several messages in a row, they get at most one email per project every 10 minutes. You get an email for every client message.

• Internal note: switch from Reply to Internal note. Only you and your team can see it.
• Organise: star, snooze (later today, tomorrow morning, next week), label, archive, mark as unread, or forward a message to another conversation.
• Delete moves a conversation to Trash, and you can restore it from there.

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15 Files & deliverables

Go to: Projects › (a project) › Files

What it is

A shared file area for each project. Both you and the client can upload.

Why use it

Deliver work and collect materials in one place, with optional “pay to unlock” and image feedback.

When

Whenever you hand over work or need files from the client.

• Upload: click Upload. Files can be up to 500 MB each, within your plan’s total storage (see Plans).
• Every project file is visible to the client in their portal. There’s no private-file option.
• Each file shows who uploaded it (You, Client or Synced). Delete a file with its delete button. This happens straight away, with no confirmation.
• Client uploads count towards your storage. If you get “Storage limit reached”, delete files or upgrade.

Gated delivery: “pay to unlock” Studio+

On a file, choose Gate to an invoice and pick the invoice. The client sees the file as “Locked until payment”, with a Pay now button, and is emailed that their deliverables are ready. When the invoice is paid, the file unlocks automatically and you’re both emailed. To unlock early, use Ungate — release immediately.

Proofing: comments on images Studio+

Clients click View & comment on an image and pin comments onto it. You’re emailed when they leave feedback. See it with View client feedback on the file.

Google Drive & Dropbox sync

1. Go to Account › Integrations Owner/Admin and click Connect Google Drive or Connect Dropbox.
2. On a project’s Files, click Link a Google Drive / Dropbox folder.
3. Files in that folder appear in the project (marked “Synced”). Use Sync now to refresh. Tick Also push Kwill uploads to cloud to copy uploads the other way.

Disconnecting doesn’t remove files that were already synced.

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16 Automations Studio+

Go to: Automations

What it is

Things Kwill does for you automatically when something happens: built-in switches, plus simple rules you create.

Why use it

Save repetitive admin, like thank-you emails, notifications and invoice drafts.

When

Once you notice yourself doing the same follow-up every time.

Built-in automations

Switch these on or off Owner/Admin. Changes save immediately and apply from the next event.

Your own rules

1. Click New rule and give it a name, e.g. “Thank client when they pay”.
2. When: Proposal signed · Invoice paid · Project stage changed · New message from client · Service request submitted · Client uploaded a file.
3. Then: Send email (subject and body), or Post to Slack (paste a Slack incoming-webhook URL and a message).
4. Click the variable chips to insert details like {{client_name}}, {{invoice_number}} or {{amount}}.
5. Save. New rules start switched on.

Emails go to the client, or to you if there’s no client involved. Rules have no extra conditions: every switched-on rule for that event runs. Use the switch to pause a rule, or delete it (this can’t be undone). Each time a rule runs, it’s recorded in the Audit Log.

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17 Import & export

Bring your existing clients and deals into Kwill from a spreadsheet or another tool, and take copies of your data out.

What you can import

Projects, proposals, contracts and invoices can’t be imported.

How to import Owner/Admin

Go to: Clients › Import CSV, Pipeline › Import CSV, or Account › Import Data

1. Get a CSV file. Export one from your spreadsheet (e.g. Excel or Google Sheets: “Download as CSV”) or from your old tool. Save it as CSV UTF-8. The limits are 4 MB and 1,000 rows; split bigger files and import each part.
2. Choose what to import (Clients or Deals) and drag the file in, or click Choose a file.
3. Match your columns. Kwill guesses which column is which, e.g. “E-mail” or “Organisation”. Check each field, choose Don’t import for anything you don’t want, and look at the preview of the first 5 rows. Click Check file.
4. Review. Kwill shows how many rows are Ready to import, Skipped and Can’t be imported, with a reason for each. Nothing has been imported yet at this point.
5. Click Import N clients (or deals). When it’s done you’ll see “N imported · N skipped · N failed”, with buttons to view the skipped rows and errors, and Go to Clients or Go to Pipeline.

Tips for deal files

• Stage: Prospect, Proposal sent, Negotiating, Won or Lost. Blank means Prospect.
• Value: a number like 1500 or $1,500.00. Blank means 0.
• Date: year-month-day, e.g. 2026-09-04. Dates like 04/09/2026 are rejected.
• Client email must match a client already in Kwill, so import clients first, then deals. You can also leave it blank.

Duplicates and failed rows

• Clients: if a client with the same email already exists (even archived), that row is skipped and the existing client is left unchanged. If the same email appears twice in your file, only the first row is imported.
• Deals: there’s no duplicate check. Importing the same deals file twice adds the deals twice.
• Bad rows are listed with their row number and reason. The good rows still import. Fix the bad rows in your file and import it again; the rows already imported are skipped next time.
• Plan limit: if a clients file would take you over your plan’s client limit, nothing is imported. Upgrade, or trim the file and try again.
• Imported clients are not sent a portal invite.

Quick client import from the Dashboard paid plans

While you have no clients yet, paid plans show Import your existing clients on the Dashboard. Choose where the file came from (HoneyBook, Bonsai, Dubsado, FreshBooks, QuickBooks or CSV / Other), upload a CSV and click Import.

What you can export

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18 Branding & your portal address

Go to: Branding & Portal Owner/Admin

What it is

Your logo, brand colour and fonts, and the web address clients visit.

Why use it

Your portal and documents look like your business, not a generic tool.

When

Right after onboarding, and whenever your brand changes.

Logo, colour and font

• Logo: drag and drop or click to upload. PNG, JPG or SVG, up to 5 MB.
• Brand Color: pick one of 10 presets or enter your own hex colour. It becomes the accent colour throughout your client portal. Kwill automatically picks white or dark text on top of it so it stays readable.
• Font: headings and text in your portal. Kwill Default, Editorial, Modern or Classic.
• Click Save Branding. Clients see the change the next time they load the portal.

Branding is available on every plan. On Studio+, the small “by Kwill” mark inside the portal is removed. The portal sign-in page still shows “Powered by Kwill”.

Payment, overdue and other status colours stay the same (green, red and so on), whatever your brand colour.

Your portal address

• Subdomain: yourname.usekwill.com. This is set during onboarding and can’t be changed.
• Custom domain Studio+: use your own address, e.g. clients.yourdomain.com.

1. Enter it and click Add Domain. It must be a subdomain (at least two dots); a bare domain like yourdomain.com isn’t accepted.
2. In your domain provider’s DNS settings, add a CNAME record pointing to cname.vercel-dns.com.
3. Click Re-check, or wait. Kwill checks every 30 minutes. When it shows Verified, your portal is live on your own domain.

You can have one custom domain at a time. Remove (then Confirm removal) puts your portal back on its Kwill address.

Sending email from your own domain Studio+

Under Email Sending Domain, enter your domain (e.g. studiomike.com), add the DNS records Kwill shows you at your domain provider, and click Re-check. Once it’s verified, emails to your clients come from noreply@yourdomain instead of Kwill’s shared address. The sender name is always your name.

There’s no email template editor. Kwill writes the emails, and you can add your own emails through automation rules.

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19 Settings

Settings aren’t one page. Each one is its own item in the sidebar under Manage. Team members only see Profile and Team.

Business Settings Owner/Admin

Go to: Business › Business Settings

• Invoice Currency: USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, INR, NGN, KES, BRL, MXN, AED, ZAR or PKR. Applies to new invoices and proposals only; existing ones don’t change.
• Timezone: used to show due dates and expiry dates.
• Date & Number Format: e.g. English (UK) shows DD/MM/YYYY and 1,000.00.
• Country: decides which payment options you can use, and is the fallback for late-payment interest rules.
• Click Save Business Settings.

Getting paid online

• Connect your Stripe account Owner only: sign in to (or create) your own Stripe account. Invoice payments then go straight to you, and you stay responsible for refunds and disputes. Disconnect stops new invoices from using it. Save your country first; if Stripe isn’t available in your country, Kwill tells you which options you can use.
• Kwill-hosted Stripe Owner only: where your country qualifies, click Let Kwill set this up for you. Kwill holds the Stripe account for you and handles disputes and chargebacks. Stripe may charge a 0.25% cross-border fee on each payout to your country; the page tells you if this applies or is waived. If Stripe needs more information, click Continue setup or Finish requirements.

Bank transfer details

Choose where the account is (International, United States, United Kingdom, European Union or India). The right fields appear, e.g. sort code for the UK, routing number for the US, IBAN and SWIFT for the EU, IFSC for India. Clients see these when an invoice has no online payment option.

Payout Methods Owner/Admin

Go to: Business › Payout Methods

Tax Owner/Admin

Go to: Business › Tax

• Tax Label: e.g. VAT or GST. The default is “Tax”.
• Default Tax Rate (%): filled in on new invoices. You can change it on each invoice.
• Tax ID / VAT Number: printed on invoices when set.

Profile

Go to: Account › Profile

Shows your email and your role in this workspace, plus the light/dark Appearance setting, which is saved per browser. Your name and email can’t be edited here. To change your password, sign out and use Forgot password?.

Integrations Owner/Admin

Go to: Account › Integrations

Connect Google Drive or Dropbox to sync project files (see Files). Stripe is connected in Business Settings, and Slack is used through automation rules. There’s no Zapier, public API or Google/Outlook calendar sync.

Privacy: client data deletion requests Owner/Admin

Go to: Account › Privacy

Clients can ask you to delete their data from their portal (a GDPR request). The request appears here, and you’re emailed. You’re expected to respond within 30 days.

• Reject: add an optional reason. The client is emailed.
• Process Deletion: permanently deletes the client and their portal access, projects, proposals, contracts, invoices, payments, messages and files. Pipeline deals are kept. The client is emailed a confirmation. This can’t be undone, and you may still need to keep some records, such as for tax.

Your data Owner/Admin

Go to: Account › Your data

• Export your data: see Export. This works for the workspace owner.
• Delete account Owner only: type DELETE and click Delete my account. This permanently removes your workspace, clients, documents, messages, files, custom domain and login.

Audit Log Studio+ Owner/Admin

Go to: More › Audit Log

A record of every create, update and send in your workspace, e.g. “Invoice marked paid manually” or “Automation rule fired”. Actions taken by clients are tagged “Client action”. Expand a row to see the details. Search, filter by type and date range, and Export CSV. Only the 500 most recent events are shown.

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20 Analytics & cash flow

Analytics Independent+ Owner/Admin

Go to: Business › Analytics

See how your business is trending:

• Revenue in range, Paying clients and Win rate.
• A Revenue over time chart covering the last 1, 3, 6 or 12 months.
• Top clients by lifetime value.
• Deals by stage.

Amounts are converted to US dollars so different currencies can be compared. On Free you see a blurred preview and Upgrade to Independent.

Cash Flow Owner/Admin

Go to: Business › Cash Flow

A forecast of money you can expect to come in. It’s based on your unpaid invoices and how quickly clients have paid you before.

• Next 7 days, Days 8–30 and Days 31–60.
• Recurring baseline, from recurring invoices.
• At risk: invoices in enforcement.
• An Average days to pay chart.

Amounts are shown in US dollars. With no invoices yet, it says “No invoice history yet” and offers Create invoice.

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21 Referrals

Go to: More › Referrals

Copy your referral link and share it with other people who run their own business. Your referral code is your portal subdomain. The page counts how many people you’ve Referred. If someone referred you, enter their code under Were you referred? Enter a code and click Apply. You can apply only one code, and not your own.

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22 Team & roles

Go to: Account › Team

Free, Independent and Studio each have one user. Inviting teammates needs the Collective plan, which includes up to 5 team seats with owner/admin/member roles and email invites. On lower plans the invite form is disabled with “Collective and above include team seats.”

What each role can do

Inviting (once available): enter the email and role, then click Send Invite. Invites expire after 7 days and count as a used seat while pending. Removing someone cuts off their access immediately.

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23 The client portal: what your clients see

Your clients never use the Kwill dashboard. They use your branded portal. Knowing what they see helps you guide them.

How clients get in

• No passwords. Clients sign in with a magic link: a one-time link emailed to them.
• They get a link in the invite email when you add them, and in every proposal, contract, invoice and message email. These links take them straight to the right page.
• Any time, they can visit your portal address, enter their email and click Email me a sign-in link. For privacy, the screen always says a link was sent if the email has a portal.
• Sign-in links work once and expire after 24 hours. A client stays signed in for 24 hours, then needs a new link.
• To sign out: portal Settings › Sign out.

Clients with more than one project pick a project when they arrive, and can switch using the project switcher in the portal sidebar. Timeline, Files, Messages and Requests follow the selected project.

To see your portal as a client would, use View client portal in your sidebar. You can preview proposals as the client sees them; the signature pad is hidden so nothing can be signed on their behalf.

Portal sections

Clients only ever see documents you’ve sent, never drafts. Sections your plan doesn’t include are hidden. On phones, the bottom bar shows the main sections; the others are reached through the portal’s Search.

What happens when clients act

Requests Studio+

From Requests, clients click New request, pick the project and a type (General, Change Order, New Task, Bug / Issue, Question), and describe what they need. You’ll find requests in your Inbox under Requests and on the project page. Set a request to Open, In Progress, Resolved or Declined, and the client sees the status.

Client settings

In portal Settings, clients can:

• see their details (read-only; they ask you to change them),
• switch light or dark mode,
• sign out,
• Request data deletion.

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24 Plans & billing

Go to: Account › Billing

Every new workspace starts on Free. Prices shown in the app: Independent $19/month, Studio $39/month, and Collective $79/month.

Limits

Features by plan

Each plan includes everything in the plans before it.

What you see when something isn’t in your plan

• Sidebar items for features you don’t have are hidden. If you open one by link, you’re taken to Billing with an “Upgrade required” notice.
• Some places show a locked preview, e.g. the Dashboard’s events and messages widgets, and Analytics.
• Buttons for locked features open a dialog: “Your {plan} plan does not include {feature}. Upgrade to {plan} to unlock this feature.”
• At a limit you’ll see messages like “Your Free plan includes up to 3 documents total. Upgrade your plan for unlimited documents.”

The Billing page shows your plan and usage (client slots, storage, and documents on Free). Bars turn amber at 80% and red at 100%.

Upgrading, changing and cancelling Owner only

1. Go to Account › Billing and click Upgrade to Independent or Upgrade to Studio.
2. Pay on the secure Stripe checkout page. You’ll return to Kwill with “Your plan has been upgraded successfully”.
3. To change plans or cancel later, click Manage Subscription. This opens Stripe’s billing page.

• Cancelling takes effect at the end of your billing period. Your workspace then returns to Free.
• If a payment fails, you get 7 days’ grace and an email, then the workspace moves to Free.
• After dropping below Studio, a custom domain is removed after 7 days unless you upgrade again. A banner shows the date.
• On Free, you can’t add clients or documents beyond Free’s limits.

Admins can see the Billing page, but only the owner can upgrade or manage the subscription.

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25 Common questions

I can’t find Inbox, Calendar, Forms or Automations in my sidebar.

They’re hidden when your plan doesn’t include them: Inbox, Calendar and Forms need Independent, and Automations needs Studio. Team members also don’t see some items. See Features by plan.

My client says they never got the invite / can’t log in.

Send them your portal address. On the sign-in screen they enter their email and click Email me a sign-in link. Links expire after 24 hours and only work once. Ask them to check spam, and to use the same email you saved for them.

Can I edit a proposal or invoice after sending it?

No. Sent proposals and invoices are locked. Create a new one instead. Drafts can be edited freely.

How do I fix a typo in a contract?

If it’s still a draft, delete it and create it again. Contract text can’t be edited once saved. Signed contracts can’t be changed at all.

Why are there [CLIENT_NAME]-style brackets in my contract?

They’re template placeholders. Kwill doesn’t fill them in, so replace each one with the real details before sending.

How do I delete a client?

You can’t delete clients from the app; you archive them. Archiving hides them and everything linked to them, and you can restore them. If a client asks for their data to be erased, they can request it from their portal and you process it under Privacy.

A client paid by bank transfer. What do I do?

Open the invoice and click Mark as paid. The client gets a receipt. This can’t be undone.

Why hasn’t my recurring invoice created the next one?

The next invoice is only drafted after the current one is paid and its due date has passed. You’re emailed when a new draft is ready. It isn’t sent to the client until you send it.

My client disputed an invoice but still got a reminder.

Disputes don’t stop the 3- and 7-day reminders. On Studio+ you can switch reminders off under Automations. With enforcement on, use Pause escalation on the invoice.

I can’t message a client.

Messages belong to projects. Create a project for that client first.

My booking page says I’m not taking bookings.

Go to Calendar › Scheduling, set your weekly availability and click Save availability. Booking also needs the Independent plan or higher.

The search box doesn’t find my client.

The Search anything… palette only finds pages and actions. Use the search box on the Clients page (it searches name and email).

I imported deals twice and now have duplicates.

Deal imports don’t check for duplicates. Delete the extras from the Pipeline board (⋯ › Delete).

Can I change my portal address or business name?

Your .usekwill.com address is permanent, and there’s currently no setting to rename your business. On Studio+ you can add a custom domain.

I hit “Storage limit reached”.

Client uploads count towards your storage too. Delete files you no longer need, or upgrade for more space.

How do I change my password?

Sign out and use Forgot password? on the sign-in page. Your new password needs at least 8 characters and a number. You’ll be signed out everywhere.

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