Employee time tracking your team will actually use
What this feature does
Time tracking is the base of everything else. Your team starts a timer or types in hours, and each entry is linked to a client, project, and task. Because time is logged as the work happens, you stop guessing at the end of the week and stop losing hours you could have billed.
Everyone signs in as themselves and logs their own hours, so there is no shared device and no screenshots, just an honest record of who worked on what.
How to set up time tracking in TimeTracker
Open Settings, then Time policies
This is the one screen that holds rounding, the idle limit and the editing window.
Pick your rounding
Choose none, 6, 15 or 30 minutes. Rounding is half up to the nearest step.
Set the idle limit
Choose how many quiet minutes count as idle. A new workspace starts at 10 minutes.
Start your first timer
Pick a client, project and task, then start the timer. One timer runs per person.
What admins and owners see
Approve with the flags in view
The queue marks an entry with no description, no task, more than the estimate, or a day longer than 12 hours.
See cost next to the bill rate
Owners and admins see the internal cost rate on an entry. Everyone else only sees what the client is billed.
Close a period
Close time through a date and every approved entry in that range locks against edits.
What your team sees day to day
Start and stop, nothing else
The server stamps the start and stop times, so the running total is never a number you have to type.
Answer the idle prompt
If you step away for longer than the idle limit, the app asks whether to keep that time or drop it.
Copy last week
One button brings last week's project and task rows into this week as blank drafts to fill in.
Popular features
Bill for every hour you earn
Mark each entry billable or non-billable while you work. Approved hours roll straight into reports you can bill from.
Explore Billing→See where the time really goes
Break hours down by client, project, and team member. Find the work that pays off and the projects that run over.
Explore Reports & Dashboards→Expense management software built for client work
Log a cost against the project it belongs to, attach the receipt, and send it for approval. Approved expenses go on the client invoice.
Explore Expenses→Invoicing software that bills from tracked hours
Approved time turns into itemised invoice lines with tax and multiple currencies handled for you. Check it over, then send it.
Explore Invoicing→
Keep projects on track and in budget
Define project phases, set budget caps, and track work progress in real-time. See margins and utilization without building reports manually.
Explore Project Management→Configure custom rates for every agreement
Manage complex billing agreements with ease. Set client rates, assign member role pricing, and handle multi-currency projects with zero confusion.
Explore Rates→Timesheets your team submits on time
Hours build into a timecard as people work. Send the week for approval, lock it once it is signed off, and bill from a number that cannot quietly change.
Explore Timesheets→A worked example
One timer, one meeting, one lock
A designer starts a timer on Landing page build for Northwind and it runs 1h 24m. A one hour review meeting arrives from the calendar, and one tap logs it as 1.0h. The week now holds 125 entries. The manager closes the period through Jun 30, and those approved hours lock.
Limits and edge cases
- A new workspace rounds nothing. Rounding to 6, 15 or 30 minutes is off until an admin turns it on.
- Only one timer runs per person. Starting a second one is refused until the first is stopped.
- Closing a period cannot be undone from that screen, and the close date only ever moves forward.
- Cost rates stay hidden from everyone except owners and admins.
- Approval flags are advice, not blocks. An approver can approve an entry that still has a flag on it.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I start tracking time in TimeTracker?
- You can start tracking time immediately with one-click timers on our time tracking page or by logging entries manually.
- Can I manually add past time entries?
- Yes. You can add or edit past entries manually. For a guide on locking entries, see our timesheets feature details.
- Is it free to start tracking time?
- Absolutely. You can start for free with no credit card required. For plan limits, check our pricing plans page.
- How do I assign time entries to projects?
- Every entry can be assigned to a project and task. Learn how this feeds budgets on our project management page details.
- Does the time tracker support tags?
- Yes, you can use tags to categorize your activities. Read about organizing your workflow on our use cases page.
- Can I track non-billable time?
- Yes, you can toggle between billable and non-billable entries. Learn more on our dedicated billing page details.
- Is there an idle time detector?
- Yes, our desktop app detects periods of inactivity. Find more features listed on the features hub.
- Can I import entries from other tools?
- Not automatically. There is no importer for another tracker's data, so past entries are added by hand or left where they are. What you track here exports to CSV whenever you want it. See the freelancer page.
- How do I view my tracked hours?
- You can view detailed breakdowns of your hours in the dashboard. Read about our reports and dashboards to learn more.
- Does it support mobile tracking?
- Yes, we offer fully native iOS and Android apps. You can review all other supported workflows on the industries hub page.
Start tracking time today
Set up TimeTracker in minutes and put time tracking to work. Track hours by client, project, and task, and bill for every hour your team works.
Start free