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TimeTracker

Effective dated rates software

Historical rates
Date-locked

Historical rates

Retroactive calculations
Zero

Retroactive calculations

Rate schedule transitions
Automated

Rate schedule transitions

What it means

What this means

What it is

Effective dated rates allow teams to schedule or record rate updates that only apply to hours tracked after a set date, keeping past calculations unchanged.

Who needs this

Finance directors, agency leads, and consultants who update rates annually and must protect the accuracy of historical reports.

The problem

Updating rate sheets corrupts historical financial records

If your tracking system only stores a single rate per person, updating a rate changes every hour they ever tracked. This corrupts past financial reports, changes closed project margins, and makes year-over-year reporting impossible.

Sound familiar?

Signs this is happening on your team

  • Updating a rate changes past timesheet valuations
  • Historical project profitability reports change overnight
  • You must manually lock database tables to protect closed periods
  • Rebuilding historical billing reports requires manual spreadsheet math
  • Annual rate increases require creating brand-new user accounts
The cost

What this costs you

Corrupting historical reports ruins financial audit trails, delays annual reviews, and causes billing errors if past unbilled hours change value.

The solution

Date-specific rate schedule timelines

TimeTracker supports effective-dated rate schedules. When you update a rate, you select the date it takes effect. Hours logged before that date use the old rate, while new hours use the updated rate automatically.

How it maps

From problem to outcome

  • Problem

    Historical report corruption

    FeatureRates
    Outcome

    Date-locked rate schedules

  • Problem

    Complex manual rate transitions

    FeatureTimesheets
    Outcome

    Automatic rate selection by entry date

  • Problem

    Painful audit preparation

    Outcome

    Consistent, historical financial reporting

How it works

How it works in TimeTracker

Create a rate entry with an effective start date

Set the billing and cost rates for the schedule

Track hours across rate changes without gaps

Generate reports that preserve correct historical valuations

Best for

Built for teams like these

By industry

Effective Dated Rates by industry

Popular features

Rates

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

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
Reports & Dashboards

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
Free tools

Related free tools

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What happens to old time entries when a rate changes?
Nothing. All time entries dated before the effective date of the new rate keep their original billing and cost values.
Can we schedule rate changes in advance?
Yes. You can set a future effective date for a rate (e.g., January 1st), and the system will switch rates on that day automatically.
Can billing and cost rates have different effective dates?
Yes. Billing and cost rates are managed independently, allowing you to update costs (like salary changes) on a different schedule than client billing rates.
How are reports calculated across rate changes?
Our reporting engine calculates each entry using the rate active on its specific date, rolling up accurate totals even if the period spans a rate update.

Protect billing history

Change rates with confidence and protect your historical data. Start using effective-dated rates today.

Track dated rates