> ## 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.

# Seats

> How TimeTracker counts seats – every active member, every open invitation and every client portal contact – and what happens when a Free workspace fills up.

A **seat** is one person with access to a workspace. The Free plan includes **3 seats**. Pro has no limit.

## What counts as a seat

Seats count **people with access**, not only staff.

| Counts                                 | Why                                                                       |
| -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Every **active member**, of every role | Owner, Admin, Project Manager, Finance, Member and Contractor all sign in |
| Every **client-portal contact**        | A portal contact is a login like any other                                |
| Every **open invitation**              | An open invite is access – the link is live, so the seat is spoken for    |

An invitation counts only while it is genuinely open: still pending **and** not past its expiry date. An expired invite that nobody accepted does not hold a seat.

<Note>
  A person is never counted twice. When someone is added to the roster and also sent an invitation so they can claim a login, that is one person and one seat, not two.
</Note>

## What does not count

* Expired or revoked invitations
* Deactivated members
* Clients and projects – you can have as many as you like on any plan
* Tasks, time entries, invoices – none of these affect the bill

## The seat meter

Where people are added, TimeTracker shows the count **before** you click, so a full workspace is never a surprise after you have filled in a form.

The meter reads like this:

```
8 of 8 seats – 3 members, 5 client contacts
```

It itemises on purpose. Client-portal contacts bill like anyone else, and a workspace that discovers that on an invoice would rightly ask why. Pending invites are listed the same way:

```
3 of 3 seats – 2 members, 1 pending invite
```

## What happens when you hit the limit

On Free, at 3 seats, the **next** add is refused. That is the whole of the rule.

Trying to invite, add or resend past the limit gives you a message naming the 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.

A dialog offers the same thing in the app: **The Free plan includes 3 people**, with a **See plans** button for anyone who holds `billing.manage`, and a "Ask an owner or admin to upgrade this workspace" note for anyone who does not.

### Three ways the limit applies

| Action                                         | Blocked at the limit?                 |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| Invite a new member                            | Yes                                   |
| Add a member directly                          | Yes                                   |
| Resend an expired invitation                   | Yes – it becomes an open invite again |
| **Accept** an invitation you were already sent | **No**                                |

Accepting is deliberately never blocked. The seat was authorised when the invite was sent, and blocking someone at the door would leave them holding a valid link with no screen to fix it on.

## Being over the limit is fine

This is the part worth reading twice.

**A workspace that is over the cap keeps every person working.** The rule bounds *adding*, never *holding*.

If Northwind Studio has 5 people and its Pro subscription lapses to Free:

* All 5 people keep signing in.
* All 5 keep tracking time and doing their work.
* Nothing is deleted and nobody is removed.
* Northwind cannot add a 6th person.
* If someone leaves and the count drops to 2, Northwind can add one back.

There is no penalty, no lockout and no forced downgrade of your roster.

## Example

Northwind Studio drops to Free with 5 staff and 2 client-portal contacts – 7 seats against a limit of 3.

| What Tom tries                                     | Result                                                                        |
| -------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Sarah signs in and tracks time                     | Works                                                                         |
| Ruth Castillo opens the client portal              | Works                                                                         |
| Tom invites a new designer                         | Blocked. "The Free plan includes 3 people, and this workspace already has 7." |
| Ana's contractor invite expires and Tom resends it | Blocked – a resend re-opens a seat                                            |
| Ana accepts an invite sent last week               | Works. Accepting is never blocked.                                            |
| Maya upgrades to Pro                               | Everything is allowed again                                                   |

## Permissions

Seeing the seat count needs no special permission – any member can see how full the workspace is.

| Action                    | Capability       |
| ------------------------- | ---------------- |
| Invite a member           | `member.invite`  |
| Add a member directly     | `member.create`  |
| Revoke an invitation      | `invite.revoke`  |
| Upgrade to lift the limit | `billing.manage` |

<Note>
  Running out of seats is **not** a permission problem. `member.invite` works on every plan – the room has run out. That is why the message says "the Free plan includes 3 people" rather than "invitations need Pro".
</Note>

## What happens next

* On **Pro**, adding a person raises the billed quantity, prorated immediately.
* Removing a person lowers it at your next renewal.
* On **Free**, freeing a seat – by removing someone or revoking an invite – lets you add someone else straight away.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do client-portal contacts really cost a seat?">
    Yes. A portal contact signs in, so it counts and it bills. The seat meter names them separately so you can see why your count is what it is.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does a pending invite cost a seat?">
    Yes, while it is still open. Revoke it and the seat frees up immediately.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I added someone and also invited them. Is that two seats?">
    No. One person, one seat.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I go over 3 on Free?">
    Not by adding. But a workspace that is already over 3 – because it came down from Pro – keeps everyone it has.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do deactivated members count?">
    No. Only active memberships count.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there a seat limit on Pro?">
    No. Pro has no cap. You are billed for the people you have.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I free up a seat?">
    Remove a member, revoke a pending invitation, or remove a client-portal contact.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

| Problem                                   | Likely cause                                             | Fix                                                       |
| ----------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| The count is higher than the people I see | Open invitations or portal contacts                      | Check **Settings → Team Members** and pending invitations |
| Cannot invite even though someone left    | Their invitation is still open, or they are still active | Revoke the invite, or remove the membership               |
| Cannot resend an expired invite           | The resend would re-open a seat at the cap               | Free a seat, or upgrade                                   |
| Billed for more than my staff count       | Portal contacts bill too                                 | Read the itemised seat meter                              |

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Seats and billing" icon="user-plus" href="/team/seats-and-billing">
    Adding people and what it costs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Free vs Pro" icon="scale-balanced" href="/billing/free-vs-pro">
    What the paid plan unlocks.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pending invitations" icon="envelope" href="/team/pending-invitations">
    Find and revoke open invites.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Invite a client contact" icon="user-tie" href="/portal/invite-a-client-contact">
    Portal contacts, and why they bill.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Start a subscription" icon="credit-card" href="/billing/start-a-subscription">
    Lift the limit by upgrading.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Roles and capabilities" icon="shield" href="/concepts/roles-and-capabilities">
    Who can add or remove people.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>