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Help · Retainer Burn & Capacity Planner

Set up the Retainer Burn & Capacity Planner

Updated

This guide covers version 1.0.0, the version you download today. Setup takes about 10 minutes, plus about 1 minute per retainer.

Before you start

  • You need Excel 365 on a Windows desktop computer. That is where this version was tested. Other apps are listed on the compatibility page.
  • Have this month's hours so far for each retainer, from your time tracker, and each person's hours per week.
  • Sheet names and column labels below are quoted exactly as they appear in the version 1.0.0 file.

Yellow cells: you type. Leave every other cell to the workbook.

1. Download the ZIP file

About 2 minutes.

  1. After payment, Payhip shows a download link on the confirmation page and sends the same link by email.
  2. Click the link and save the ZIP file (about 788 KB) somewhere you will find it again, such as a "Metricvalley" folder in Documents.

Can't find the email? Search your inbox and spam folder for "Payhip". If it isn't there, email [email protected] with the address you used at checkout and we'll resend the link.

2. Unzip it

About 1 minute.

Excel can open a file from inside a ZIP, but it opens a temporary read-only copy, and your changes may be lost. Extract the files first.

  • Windows: right-click the ZIP file, choose Extract All, then Extract.
  • Mac: double-click the ZIP file. The files appear in a new folder beside it.

You now have ten files:

File What it is
retainer-burn-capacity-planner-v1.0.0-blank.xlsx The planner for your own retainers
retainer-burn-capacity-planner-v1.0.0-worked-example.xlsx The same planner filled with a fictional five-person studio
START-HERE.html Open this first: what each file is and where to begin
quick-start.md Setup steps and how to read the Dashboard
metric-dictionary.md Every input and calculated field defined
support-and-compatibility.md What is tested, what isn't, and how to ask for help
license.md License terms for both licenses
release-notes-v1.0.0.md What is in this version
money-back-guarantee.md The 30-day money-back guarantee
MANIFEST-retainer-burn-capacity-planner-v1.0.0.sha256 SHA-256 checksums, so you can check every file arrived intact

START-HERE.html opens in any browser. The .md files open in any text editor, such as Notepad or TextEdit.

3. Open the worked example, then save your own copy of the blank file

About 2 minutes.

  1. Open retainer-burn-capacity-planner-v1.0.0-worked-example.xlsx to see a finished Dashboard: a fictional five-person studio on 14 Aug 2026. The status reads SAMPLE until the sample data is cleared.
  2. Open retainer-burn-capacity-planner-v1.0.0-blank.xlsx. Excel may show a yellow Protected View bar that says the file came from the internet. This is normal for any downloaded file. Click Enable Editing. The file has no macros, so you will not see a macro or content warning.
  3. Choose File > Save As and save a copy with your business name in the file name. Keep the format as Excel Workbook (.xlsx).
  4. Keep the original download untouched in its folder. It is your clean copy if you ever need to start again.

The planner has seven sheets: Start Here, Dashboard, Retainers, Hours Log, Summary, Team and Guide. It opens on Start Here. The Guide sheet explains every input, calculation and check, so you can work without this page.

Every sheet is protected without a password, so a formula can't be overwritten by accident. You never need to unprotect a sheet to enter data. If you want to change the workbook itself: Review > Unprotect Sheet.

4. Fill in the Setup block on Start Here

About 1 minute.

  1. Type your business name.
  2. Leave Hours counted up to blank, and the planner uses today's date. Type a date to look at a month as it stood on that day, for example the last day of last month.

Type dates the way your computer shows them. A date written as 31 Aug 2026 works on US, UK and Australian settings alike, so it can't be read as the wrong day or month.

5. List your team on Team

About 2 minutes.

  1. Type each person once, with their hours per week and the share of those hours that can go to client work.
  2. From column V, type your public holidays. They apply to everyone. Weekend dates are ignored.

6. Add your retainers on Retainers

About 1 minute per retainer.

One row per retainer: client, retainer name, type, included hours, start date, status and lead person. Choose a rollover rule for each one: None, Next month only or Carry forward, with an optional cap. A retainer that starts mid-month gets a prorated first month.

7. Log this month's hours on Hours Log

About 30 seconds per row.

  1. Add the hours used so far this month for each retainer. One row per retainer per month is enough; update the number as the month goes on. A row per timesheet works too.
  2. Add next month's time off and project work for each person, so next month's capacity is right.

The first four columns of the Hours Log match the Client Profitability Tracker's Work Log. To use its hours, filter the tracker's Work Log, copy the rows, and paste values only: in Excel, Home > Paste > Paste Values (on Windows also Ctrl+Alt+V, V, Enter). Rows that don't match a retainer are marked Review.

A row with a missing detail, an unknown retainer or a date outside the retainer's term is marked Review. It stays visible and is left out of the totals until you fix it.

8. Read the Dashboard

About 2 minutes.

  1. Check the status in row 3. OK means every check passes. CHECK (n) means n checks fail; the Checks block names each one and says what to do. SAMPLE means only the sample data check fails.
  2. Read the key figures for the plan month (the month of the date used) and next month: retainers running out or over, projected hours left at month end, projected overage to bill, term ends in the next 30 days, people overbooked and team headroom.
  3. Read the retainers with the least hours left, and next month's capacity by person.

Projections assume the rest of the month continues at the pace so far, counted in working days (Monday to Friday, minus the public holidays you list). In the first three working days of a month a retainer reads Too early instead of guessing.

9. Each month, and rolled-over hours

About 5 minutes a month.

  1. To finish last month, set Hours counted up to to its last day, check the Dashboard and note each retainer's suggested rollover.
  2. Log the rollover you agreed with the client as a Rolled over row on the Hours Log, in the month it moves into, then clear Hours counted up to.
  3. Add Time off and Project work rows for the month after, so next month's capacity stays current.
  4. Keep old rows. The planner reads only the plan month, last month and next month.

The planner never carries hours forward on its own. It suggests a figure from each retainer's rule, and you log what you agreed.

10. Clear the worked example (only if you want to reuse it)

About 2 minutes.

For your own data, start from the blank workbook. You don't need to clear anything.

If you have been practicing in the worked example and want to keep going in that file:

  1. Save a copy of the worked example under a new name first.
  2. Click the Name Box, the box left of the formula bar that shows the cell address.
  3. Choose MV_Clear_Retainers and press Delete. Then do the same for MV_Clear_HoursLog and MV_Clear_Team.
  4. On Start Here, select Hours counted up to and press Delete, so the planner uses today's date.
  5. Check the Dashboard: the Sample data check reads OK and the status reads OK.

Getting help

Email [email protected]. Support replies within 1 business day (Monday to Friday, Australian Eastern time). Include the version (1.0.0, on Start Here), your Excel version, the sheet and row, and what you saw. Send demo or redacted data only.

The Google Sheets edition is free for every buyer when it ships, delivered through your Payhip download link. Don't import the .xlsx files into Google Sheets.