How to Create a Client Portal in Notion in 2025 [ Step-by-Step Guide]

Looking to create a client portal in Notion is a smart move for businesses on a budget. The best part is that you can continue adding to the portal and customizing it to your needs.

However, you do need to take some time to build a professional-looking portal for your clients. Yet, it won’t reach the level of dedicated client portal software. 

We share the steps to create a client portal that allows you to manage time tracking, meeting schedules, tasks and projects. 

How to Create a Client Portal in Notion

With the following step-by-step guide, you can easily create a Notion-based client portal:

1. Setting Up Templates

Sign in to your Notion and open a new page. To create pages in Notion, navigate to the sidebar and select Add New>Empty Pages. 

Now you want to add two subpages for tasks and projects separately. To do so, click on the template option at the bottom of the screen. 

Search for “Task Tracker” or tasks to load Notion templates. Browse and preview them to find the best fit. 

Now, do the same for the Notion project portal. Find a template that you can work with.

2. Create a Time Entries Database

Here’s how to create a database in Notion for your time entries:

Enter / and choose the Database option to create a new page for time entries. Name the new page Time Entries. Add an Icon if you like. 

Now, Add a New Property. Search for “Status”. Now, you need to make slight changes to the property. 

Rename In Progress to “Running” and Done to “Stopped”. You can change the colors to green and red, respectively, for a cleaner look.

Add a Date property. Rename it to Start Time. Add Another Date property and rename it to End Time. Now, input a sample date and time in both fields. 

Enter 3 more Formula properties. Here’s the formula you have to input for each:

• Minutes Spent: dateBetween(End Time,Start Time, “minutes”)

• Total Hours: ∑ Minutes Spent/60

• Billable Amount:  ∑ Total Hours*(your hourly rate. I entered 150)

Choose the calculate function at the bottom of the billable amount column. Select More>Sum. 

Add a Relation property. Select Task Tracker database to link. Turn on two-way relation. Enter Property Name as “Time Entries” and click on Add Relation. Add a task file from the demo data to the relation column in your task template. 

3. Edit Time Entries Page Template

Select the drop-down option next to the New button. Select +New Template and make adjustments to the properties list by dragging them to change the sequence if needed.

Select Customize Layout from the top section of the page. 

Click on the plus sign below to add Task Tracker as a page section. 

From the right side of the screen. Select Task Tracker and click on Apply to all pages. 

This is how your edited template should look.

4. Creating Buttons for the Timer

Now, go to the Task Tracker page and open its template to add automation for time tracking. On the body of the page type /button to enter a button. Click on the settings Icon to edit. 

Enter button name as “New Time Entry”. You can choose a green stopwatch for an icon. Set action to Add a page to “Time Entry” as “Time Entry”.

Now, click on Edit Property and input the following actions before clicking on Done. 

Type /button to create an “End Time Entry” button. Add the following action with these three filters. 

Next, click on Edit properties to set the following rules before clicking on Done. Both your buttons should be functioning. 

5. Managing Time Entries for Each Task

Enter the H2: Time Entries. Underneath it, type/data to select the table view option. On the right-hand side, there’s an add data source option. Select the time entries database created earlier. 

Select the table view option. From the top of the table, click on the three dots to hide the database title. Next, rename the view to “Related Tasks”. Here’s what it should look like. 

Click on the filter option to select the tasks template page and the sort option to set Start Time to Descending. 

6. Creating Meeting Database

Now, add a database for meetings. You can use the free Notion templates and make adjustments where needed to fit it to your business specifically. 

For example: change meeting types, add a relation with projects, add new views, etc.)

7. Polish The Notion Client Dashboard 

It’s time to polish the view of your client dashboard and add some finishing touches. Under the databases type /2 columns. Drag and drop the databases to the first column. 

In the second one, type /database and choose table view. Add the Meetings database as the source and choose calendar view. 

Click on the triple-dot menu to choose the property. Hit the eye next to Meeting type to make it visible on the calendar. Set it to a weekly view. 

You can add a callout for the databases. Type /callout and select the callout option. Give a heading and add an icon. Drag and drop the databases under the call-out. 

Add another callout for the quick add section. Then, type /button to create an “Add New Task” button. Set the action as shown below. Click on Done. 

Duplicate the button 3 times so you can do a similar one for adding projects, timers, and meetings. Then, you just need to change the icon, title, and the first action. 

It’s time to provide clients easy access to projects, tasks, and time entry data. First, enter /H2 and set the heading as “Projects”. 

Type /Database and select table view. Select project database as data source and choose All Projects view. Click on the add view icon and repeat the process to add the Active and Gantt views.

Repeat the process of entering the task database and adding views for it. If you only want to show tasks under active projects, click on add property and type rollups and choose relation to set it as projects. Then set property to Status. 

Set the following filter to only show tasks for projects that have yet to be completed. This helps to avoid cluttering the portal with irrelevant tasks. 

Now, it’s time to enter the Database for Time Entries. We’ll create three views for your clients to view entries (weekly, monthly, and all time. 

First, click on Add View, and name it “This Week”. Click on the filter option, Select Start Time, and click on Save for Everyone. 

Now, repeat this process for the “This Month” view, but you have set the filter to Start Time: This Month instead. You can add a Sort option: Start Time to Descending to make the recent entries appear on top. 

To add an all view, duplicate the This Month View. Change the name and icon and then click on the filter option and delete filter.  Close by selecting Save for Everyone.

With that, you’re done creating your client portal. Now, it’s time to share it with clients.

8. Share With Clients

Go to the sidebar and click on the … sign next to the client portal page. Select Duplicate. A copy of the original page will show up. Rename it for the client.

Note to Designer: I sent an invite to the client portal on my Notion so you can retake screenshots where needed. If that’s hard to understand, you can take screenshots from this YT video, too. I uploaded all the SS I added to the file to this Google Drive folder.

Click on the share option from the top right corner of the page. Enter email address. Select the downward arrow to select access level. I recommend going with can Edit. 

Next, press the invite button. Your new page will be moved to the Shared section of the sidebar. 

Every time you want clients to have access to your portal, you have to duplicate the master client portal. This is due to Notion’s limited access control features. 

So, getting a bird’s eye view of what’s happening with multiple clients at once goes out the window. To make things simpler, a better alternative is a dedicated client portal software like Agency Handy. 

Note: For a visual guide, you can take a look at this video for a better understanding of the entire process of creating a client portal in Notion. 

Notion Masterclass: Build a Client Portal From Scratch

How Does Agency Handy Compare to Notion?

While Notion is a powerful all-purpose workspace, Agency Handy is purpose-built for client and service management. Here’s how it compares:

1. Service Catalog System

• Agency Handy offers a multi-tiered service catalog, intake/order forms, and custom proposal creation.
• Notion doesn’t offer built-in service ordering. You’d need to create templates or embed external tools to mimic this.

2. Invoicing and Payment Integration

• Agency Handy supports automated invoicing, recurring payments, and integrations with Stripe, PayPal, Wise, and more.
• Notion doesn’t support payments or invoicing. You’ll need third-party tools.

3. White-Labeling

• Agency Handy gives you custom domains, white-label portals, and secure client logins. It makes you appear a lot more professional.
• Notion can share pages publicly or privately, but it isn’t meant to be a client login system. No white-labeling features and custom domains.

4. Client Support Features

• Agency Handy includes support ticketing, file feedback, reporting dashboards, and client-specific notifications.
• Notion does not support ticketing or automated client communication natively.

5. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

• Agency Handy offers built-in role-based access control. You can assign users as Super Admin, Admin, Manager, or Assignee, each with predefined access levels.
• Notion uses basic sharing permissions like “Can view,” “Can edit,” or “Full access.” It does not have role templates or structured RBAC.

FAQs

How can I collect payments through my Notion client portal?

Notion doesn’t support direct payment processing, so tracking and automation will be limited.

You’ll need to use third-party tools like Stripe, PayPal, or Gumroad. Create a payment link or embed a checkout button, then manually place it inside your Notion page. 

How secure is client data in a Notion-based portal?

Client data in Notion is only as secure as your permission setup. Since Notion doesn’t support role-based access or granular user controls, you must manually manage sharing settings for each page. 

Can clients leave feedback or comments in Notion?

Only if they have edit access. Clients can leave comments on pages or database items. For you to create forms in Notion for client feedback will require using third-party tools like Tally or Fillout.com.

How to Create Recurring Tasks in Notion?

Notion doesn’t support true recurring tasks, but you can mimic them using templates. Create a task template with preset dates, then duplicate it weekly or monthly. Tools like Zapier can automate recurring task creation using your Notion database.

What’s the advantage of switching to dedicated client portal software like Agency Handy?

You get built-in features like service management, role-based access, invoicing, client communication tools, and a white-label portal. All this without spending hours building or duplicating anything.

Final Words

Building a client portal in Notion is a cost-effective solution if you’re tech-savvy and only managing a few clients. But as your business grows, the manual work adds up. 

For a scalable, secure, and professional setup, Agency Handy offers a sophisticated system that saves time. However, if you’re low on resources and a basic client portal will do the trick, Notion is a good solution.