> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.timetracker.in/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Billing troubleshooting

> Fixes for TimeTracker billing problems – checkout will not open, payment taken but plan not active, a failed card, and features still locked after upgrading.

Start here: open **Settings → Plan & billing** and read the **status pill** on the plan card. Almost every billing question is answered by it.

| Status      | Meaning                                                 |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| `trialing`  | On a trial with every Pro feature                       |
| `active`    | Paying, everything unlocked                             |
| `past_due`  | A payment failed. Pro continues through a grace window. |
| `paused`    | The subscription is paused                              |
| `cancelled` | Cancelled. Access runs to the date shown.               |
| `expired`   | On the Free plan                                        |

<Note>
  A workspace that has **never** paid also shows the Free plan card. That is correct, not an error – it has not expired anything, it has no subscription at all.
</Note>

## Checkout will not open

**Symptom:** you click **Upgrade to Pro** and see "We couldn't open checkout. Try again in a moment."

<Steps>
  <Step title="Wait for the button to enable">
    The button stays greyed out for a moment while checkout loads. That is deliberate – it stops a click creating a payment that no window can display.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reload the page">
    Then click **Upgrade to Pro** again.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check for a blocker">
    An ad blocker, a strict privacy extension or a corporate proxy can stop the checkout window loading. Try a different browser or an incognito window.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm you can act">
    If you see "Only workspace owners and admins can start a subscription", you do not hold `billing.manage`. Ask an owner or admin.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Nothing is charged when checkout fails to open.

## I paid, but the plan has not changed

**Symptom:** the billing page shows **Confirming your subscription** with a spinner.

This is normal for a few seconds. The page updates by itself – you do not need to reload.

TimeTracker only unlocks Pro when the payment is **confirmed** by our payment provider, never when the checkout window closes. That is what stops a half-finished payment from unlocking features.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Give it a few seconds">
    The card says "This page updates by itself, usually within a few seconds."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reload after a minute">
    If it is still confirming after a minute, reload the page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check your receipt">
    Look for a receipt email at the workspace owner's address, or open the billing portal from **Manage billing**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Contact support">
    If money left your account and the plan is still not active after 15 minutes, email [hello@timetracker.in](mailto:hello@timetracker.in) with the date and amount.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## The billing page says a checkout is pending, but I never paid

If you opened checkout and closed it without paying, the pending state clears by itself. Nothing was charged.

## My payment failed

**Symptom:** a red banner reading "Payment didn't go through."

<Steps>
  <Step title="Do not panic">
    You keep every Pro feature through the grace window – 7 days after the end of the billing period by default. Nothing changes before then.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the billing portal">
    Click **Manage billing** on the banner or the plan card.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Replace the card">
    Enter a new payment method.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for the retry">
    Once the retry succeeds the status returns to `active` and the banner clears itself.
  </Step>
</Steps>

If the grace window ends first, the workspace moves to Free. Nothing is deleted, and paying still restores everything.

## A feature is still locked after upgrading

<Steps>
  <Step title="Confirm the status is active">
    **Settings → Plan & billing**. If it still says **Confirming**, the payment is not confirmed yet.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reload the app">
    A full reload picks up the new plan everywhere.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check whether it is an app, not a plan">
    A feature that disappeared from the sidebar **entirely** is a switched-off app, not a plan gate. Check **Settings → Apps**. A plan gate keeps the page in the sidebar and shows a blurred paywall.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check your capability">
    Being on Pro does not grant you a permission. If you lack `invoice.manage`, invoicing stays out of reach on any plan. See [Roles and capabilities](/concepts/roles-and-capabilities).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## I cannot invite a 4th person

That is the Free seat limit, not a permission problem. The message names your real numbers:

> The Free plan includes 3 people, and this workspace already has 3 (2 people plus 1 pending invite). Upgrade to Pro to add more.

Free a seat by revoking a pending invitation or removing a member, or upgrade. See [Seats](/billing/seats).

## The price on the page is not what I was charged

The figure on the plan card is the amount **before tax**. VAT or GST is added at checkout where it applies, so the checkout total is higher. The checkout screen always shows the exact total before you pay.

## "Pricing is unavailable right now"

The app asks our payment provider for a live price. When that call fails, the page says so rather than showing a number that might be wrong. You can still continue – the exact amount is confirmed at checkout.

## My seat count looks wrong

Seats count everyone with access:

* every active member, of every role
* every client-portal contact
* every open invitation that has not expired

A person who has both a roster row and a pending invite counts once, not twice. See [Seats](/billing/seats) for the full rules and the itemised meter.

## I cannot see the billing page at all

**Plan & billing** appears in the settings menu only for people with `billing.manage` – owners and admins by default. If it is missing, ask an owner or admin, or have them grant `billing.manage` to a custom role.

## Example

Tom at Northwind reports that invoicing is locked, two days after Maya upgraded.

1. Tom opens **Settings → Plan & billing**. The status pill says `active`, so the plan is fine.
2. Invoices is still in his sidebar, so the app is on.
3. The page shows a blurred outline and a locked card – but the card names **Invoicing**, and the plan already includes it.
4. Tom reloads the app. The paywall is gone. His session was still holding the old plan.

## Permissions

Most billing problems come down to who is allowed to act.

| Action               | Capability         | Roles by default      |
| -------------------- | ------------------ | --------------------- |
| See and fix billing  | `billing.manage`   | Owner, Admin          |
| Export the workspace | `data.export`      | Owner, Admin, Finance |
| Delete the workspace | `workspace.delete` | Owner only            |

A plan and a permission are different things. Upgrading to Pro never grants you a capability, and holding a capability never lifts a plan gate. Both have to pass.

## When to contact support

Email [hello@timetracker.in](mailto:hello@timetracker.in) if:

* money left your account and the plan is still not active after 15 minutes
* a receipt is missing from the billing portal
* the status pill does not match what the billing portal shows

Include the workspace name, the date, and the amount.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Was I charged when checkout failed to open?">
    No. A payment only happens inside the checkout window.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I pay twice by accident?">
    A workspace holds one subscription. If a second checkout is opened, it still ends up with one plan.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why does the app not unlock the moment I pay?">
    TimeTracker waits for the payment provider to confirm. That takes a few seconds and is what makes the unlock trustworthy.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A button has a Pro badge but still clicks. Is it broken?">
    No. Locked controls stay clickable so you find out what they need instead of hitting a dead button. Nothing is charged by clicking.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I upgraded but my colleague still sees the paywall.">
    Ask them to reload the app. The plan applies to the whole workspace at once.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Start a subscription" icon="credit-card" href="/billing/start-a-subscription">
    The upgrade flow, step by step.
  </Card>

  <Card title="When a plan lapses" icon="clock-rotate-left" href="/billing/when-a-plan-lapses">
    Failed payments and grace windows.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payment methods and receipts" icon="receipt" href="/billing/payment-methods-and-receipts">
    Update a card, find a receipt.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Seats" icon="users" href="/billing/seats">
    Seat-limit messages explained.
  </Card>

  <Card title="I cannot see a feature" icon="eye-slash" href="/troubleshooting/i-cannot-see-a-feature">
    App switch, plan gate or permission.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Contact support" icon="life-ring" href="/troubleshooting/contact-support">
    What to include when you write in.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>