> ## 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.

# Client projects

> How projects attach to a client in TimeTracker, how to move a project between clients, and what changes for billing and portal access when you do.

One client, many projects. A project points at exactly one client, or at no client at all.

## How the link works

The link lives on the **project**, not on the client. You set it in the project's **Client** field, either when you create the project or later in **Settings → General**.

That means:

* A client page has no "add project" button. You create the project, then pick the client.
* Changing a project's client is one dropdown on the project.
* Removing a client from a project is choosing **No client**.

## Where to see a client's projects

Open **Projects** in the sidebar. Each row shows the project name with its client underneath. Use the search box to filter to one client by typing its name.

| Column           | Reads                                                                      |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Project Name** | The icon, the project name, and the client name as a subtitle              |
| **Status**       | Draft, Planned, Active, On hold, Waiting on client, Completed or Cancelled |
| **Budget**       | Spent against total, plus the percentage                                   |
| **Tasks**        | How far through the tasks the project is                                   |
| **Group**        | Avatars of the people staffed on it                                        |

A project with no client shows no subtitle.

## Assign a project to a client

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the project">
    Click it in **Projects**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go to Settings → General">
    The **Settings** tab, then the **General** section.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick the client">
    Use the **Client (optional)** dropdown. **No client** clears the link.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Save changes">
    You see **"Project updated."**
  </Step>
</Steps>

You can also set the client at creation time – see [/projects/create-a-project](/projects/create-a-project).

## What changes when you move a project

Moving a project between clients is not just a label change.

<Warning>
  Portal access is re-derived immediately. The new client's contacts gain access to the project. The old client's contacts lose it. Nothing else about the project changes.
</Warning>

| Thing                         | Effect of the move                                                                       |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Portal access                 | Re-derived at once – granted to the new client's contacts, revoked from the old client's |
| Tasks, sections, time entries | Untouched                                                                                |
| Budget                        | Untouched                                                                                |
| Existing invoices             | Untouched. They keep the client they were issued to.                                     |
| Future invoices               | Billed to the new client                                                                 |
| Billing rate fallback         | The new client's default rate becomes the fallback tier                                  |

## Example

Northwind Studio has four projects:

| Client           | Project          | Shape                              |
| ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| Bluebird Coffee  | Website Redesign | Fixed money budget, \$40,000       |
| Bluebird Coffee  | Monthly Retainer | Recurring monthly budget, 40 hours |
| Harbor Logistics | Mobile App       | Hours budget, 600 hours            |
| Fenwick Legal    | Brand Refresh    | Small project, no budget           |

Bluebird Coffee has two projects under one client record, one currency and one set of payment terms. Reports can roll both up under Bluebird Coffee.

Later, Fenwick Legal is acquired by Harbor Logistics. Tom Whitfield opens **Brand Refresh → Settings → General**, changes **Client** to `Harbor Logistics` and saves. Harbor's portal contacts can now be given access to Brand Refresh; Fenwick's cannot.

## Projects with no client

Choose **No client** for internal work – a website rebuild for yourselves, an R\&D spike, admin time.

| Works                          | Does not work                                     |
| ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Tasks, time tracking, sections | Invoicing – an invoice needs a company to bill    |
| Budgets and profitability      | Portal sharing – there is no client to share with |
| Reports                        | The client default rate tier                      |

## What you can see

Client reach follows project reach. If your role is scoped to your own projects, you see a client only while you can see at least one of their projects. Archive the last visible project and the client drops out of your list too.

This is why a client and its projects can never disagree about who sees what. Read [/projects/project-visibility](/projects/project-visibility) for the full rule.

## Permissions

| Action                                     | Capability                         |
| ------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------- |
| See which projects belong to a client      | `client.view` (plus project reach) |
| Assign or change a project's client        | `project.manage`                   |
| Grant a portal contact access to a project | `project.manage`                   |

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I create a project directly from the client page?">
    Not today. Go to **Projects → New project** and pick the client there.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to old invoices if I move a project?">
    Nothing. An invoice records who it was billed to at the time it was issued. Moving the project does not rewrite history.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I archive a client that still has active projects?">
    Yes. Archiving a client hides it from lists and pickers but leaves its projects, invoices and history untouched. The projects keep running.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to projects if a client is permanently deleted?">
    The projects are kept but become unassigned – they lose their client link. A client with invoices cannot be permanently deleted at all.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can two clients share a project?">
    No. If two companies split the cost, create one project per company.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

| Problem                                     | Cause                                                                    | Fix                                                            |
| ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| The client is not in the project's dropdown | It is archived or in the Trash                                           | Restore it from **Settings → Archive** or **Settings → Trash** |
| A portal contact suddenly lost a project    | The project was moved to another client                                  | Move it back, or grant access under the new client             |
| I cannot change the client                  | You lack `project.manage`                                                | Ask an admin or the project manager                            |
| A project shows no client                   | It was created with **No client**, or its client was permanently deleted | Set the client in **Settings → General**                       |

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Projects overview" icon="briefcase" href="/projects/overview">
    How the project list works.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create a project" icon="folder-plus" href="/projects/create-a-project">
    Pick the client at creation time.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Project settings" icon="sliders" href="/projects/project-settings">
    Where the Client field lives.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Project visibility" icon="eye" href="/projects/project-visibility">
    Why client reach follows project reach.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Client contacts" icon="users" href="/clients/client-contacts">
    Sharing projects with the portal.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>