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There are three ways to retire a client, and they are not the same. Archive hides it. Delete moves it to the Trash. Delete permanently destroys the record. Read /concepts/archive-trash-and-delete for how this works across the whole product.

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Archive a client

Archive when the relationship is over but the record still matters – for reporting, for old invoices, for the audit trail.
1

Open the client

Click it in Clients.
2

Click Actions

The dropdown beside the client name.
3

Choose Archive

A confirmation modal opens.
4

Read what it says, then click Archive

“It disappears from pickers and the client list. Its projects, invoices and history are untouched. You can restore it from Settings → Archive.”
You see “Client archived.” and land back on the client list.

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After archiving

  • The client leaves the Active list. Switch the dropdown to Archived or All to find it.
  • It disappears from the Client picker on projects.
  • Its projects keep running. Time tracking, budgets and invoicing are unaffected.
  • Opening the client’s page still works and shows an archived banner with a Restore button.
Archiving is idempotent. Archiving an already-archived client changes nothing, and the original “archived on” stamp is never reset.

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Delete a client (move to the Trash)

Delete is the recoverable delete. Nothing is destroyed at this point.
1

Open the client and click Actions

Same menu as Archive.
2

Choose Delete

The modal explains that nothing is destroyed yet.
3

Click Delete

You see “Client moved to Trash.”
The client leaves every list and picker. Find it again under the Trash view, or at Settings → Trash.
A trashed client is permanently deleted when the retention window ends. The default window is 30 days, and an owner or admin can change it at /settings/trash.

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Restore a client

1

Find it

Switch the client list to Archived, Trash or All. Or use Settings → Archive / Settings → Trash.
2

Open it and click Restore

Either from the Actions menu, or from the Restore button on the banner at the top of the page.
3

Confirm

You see “Client restored.”
Restoring always returns the client to Active, never to the other retired state. Restoring from the Trash gives you a usable client, not an archived one.

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Delete a client permanently

This is the only option that destroys anything. It is available only while the client is in the Trash.
1

Switch the list to Trash and open the client

Or reach it from Settings → Trash.
2

Click Actions → Delete permanently

The modal states exactly what will be destroyed, and lists what still points at the client.
3

Type the client name to match

The name is shown ready to copy, with a copy button. The Delete permanently button stays disabled until what you type matches exactly.
4

Click Delete permanently

You see “Client permanently deleted.”

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What a permanent delete destroys

The client record is destroyed. Its projects are kept but become unassigned. This cannot be undone.
Projects survive. They lose their client link, and you can point them at another client afterwards.

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When TimeTracker refuses

A client that is still referenced by the financial record cannot be permanently deleted. If invoices exist, you see a message naming the exact count, such as “this client still has 6 invoices and cannot be permanently deleted. Archive it instead.” This is by design. A system of record does not orphan an invoice to make a delete succeed.

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Example

Fenwick Legal winds down. Northwind Studio has finished Brand Refresh and already invoiced it.
  1. Tom Whitfield opens Fenwick Legal and clicks Actions → Archive.
  2. Fenwick Legal drops out of the client list and out of the project Client picker.
  3. Reports on last year’s revenue still include Fenwick Legal.
  4. Six months later Tom tries Delete permanently. TimeTracker refuses – three invoices still reference the client. Archive stays the right answer, and Tom leaves it archived.

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Permissions

Without client.manage the Actions menu does not render at all.
Restore deliberately stays reachable even if the Projects & tasks app has been switched off. Recovery must never depend on a toggle.

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What happens next

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Common questions

No. Archiving a client only hides the client. Its projects stay active. Archive each project separately if you want them out of the way too.
Yes, in every case. Time entries belong to tasks and projects, not to the client, and no client transition touches them.
Settings → Archive lists every archived record in the workspace. Settings → Trash lists everything waiting to be purged.
Until the retention window ends – 30 days by default. See /settings/trash.
Yes – both Archive and Delete work. Delete permanently keeps the projects and unassigns them, but it is blocked entirely while invoices exist.
Yes. Archiving keeps a record reportable. That is the whole point of archiving instead of deleting.

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Troubleshooting

Archive, Trash and Delete

How the lifecycle works everywhere.

Settings → Trash

The retention window and bulk restore.

Settings → Archive

Everything you have archived.

Archive a project

The same idea, one level down.

Client details

Where the Actions menu lives.