> ## 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.

# Invite your team

> How to invite people to your TimeTracker workspace, choose the right role for each person, and understand how invitations affect your seat count.

Adding people is two decisions: **who**, and **what role**. The role decides
everything they can see and do, so it is worth thirty seconds of thought.

## Invite someone

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Settings → Team members">
    Choose **Invite**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter their email address">
    Use the address they will sign in with.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a role">
    See the table below. **Member** is right for most people.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add them to a group (optional)">
    Groups make reporting and supervision easier later. See
    [groups](/team/groups).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send">
    They get an email with a link. Until they accept, they show as a pending
    invitation.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  **An invitation takes a seat straight away**, before the person signs in. An open
  invitation is access. See [seats](/billing/seats).
</Note>

## Which role?

| If they…                                         | Give them                               |
| ------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------- |
| Own the business                                 | **Owner** – there is one, and it is you |
| Run operations and need full control             | **Admin**                               |
| Run client delivery and approve time             | **Project Manager**                     |
| Send invoices and chase payments                 | **Finance**                             |
| Do the work and track their hours                | **Member**                              |
| Are a freelancer who should not see your clients | **Contractor**                          |
| Work *for* your client and need a read-only view | **Client**                              |

The full picture is on [roles and permissions](/concepts/roles-and-capabilities), and
the exact grid is on the
[permissions matrix](/reference/roles-and-permissions-matrix).

<Tip>
  Start people on **Member** and widen later. Narrowing someone's role after they have
  grown used to a screen is more disruptive than widening it.
</Tip>

### Owner is not invitable

You cannot invite someone as Owner. There is one Owner, and the role is handed over
deliberately rather than granted at invite time. See
[change someone's role](/team/change-someones-role).

### Client contacts are invited elsewhere

A **Client** contact must be tied to a client company, so they are invited from that
client's own page – not from the team list. An invitation with no company attached is
rejected.

See [invite a client contact](/portal/invite-a-client-contact).

## Adding someone without an email

You can add a person directly, without sending an invitation. This suits someone who
does not need a login yet – a part-time worker whose hours a manager records, for
example.

They exist as a person you can assign work and rates to, and you can invite them
properly later.

See [add a member directly](/team/add-a-member-directly).

## What happens after you invite

<Steps>
  <Step title="They receive an email">
    With a link to join your workspace.
  </Step>

  <Step title="They sign in or sign up">
    If they already have a TimeTracker account, the workspace is added to it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="They land in your workspace">
    With the role you chose, seeing only what that role allows.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The pending invitation becomes a membership">
    The seat does not double-count – it was already taken by the invitation.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Managing invitations

Pending invitations are listed with your team.

| Action     | What it does                                |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| **Resend** | Sends the email again                       |
| **Revoke** | Withdraws the invitation and frees the seat |

Revoking matters for more than tidiness. **An open invitation is access** – if you
change your mind about someone, revoke it rather than ignoring it.

See [pending invitations](/team/pending-invitations).

## Seats and the Free plan

Free workspaces hold **3 people**, and the count includes:

* Every active member, of every role
* Every outstanding invitation
* Every client-portal contact

**Example.** Northwind has Maya and Sarah – 2 seats. Maya invites Jonas, which takes
the third immediately. Inviting a fourth person is blocked until they upgrade or
revoke an unused invitation.

Being over the limit is never punished – it only blocks the *next* add. See
[plans and features](/concepts/plans-and-features).

## Permissions

| Action                | Capability          | Roles                         |
| --------------------- | ------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Invite a member       | `member.invite`     | Owner, Admin, Project Manager |
| Revoke an invitation  | `invite.revoke`     | Owner, Admin, Project Manager |
| Add a member directly | `member.create`     | Owner, Admin                  |
| Change someone's role | `member.changeRole` | Owner, Admin                  |
| Remove a member       | `member.remove`     | Owner, Admin                  |

Note that a Project Manager can grow the team but cannot change existing roles or
remove people.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="They did not get the invitation email">
    Check spam first, then resend. If it still does not arrive, see
    [email not arriving](/troubleshooting/email-not-arriving).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I change someone's role after they join?">
    Yes, any time, with `member.changeRole`. Their existing work is untouched – only
    what they can see and do changes.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can one person be in several of my workspaces?">
    Yes, with a different role in each. One login, many workspaces.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do client contacts really use a seat?">
    Yes. They sign in and read their company's work, so they hold a login like anyone
    else. Plan for that before inviting several contacts per client.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to their work if I remove someone?">
    Their tracked hours stay – invoices and reports depend on them. Reassign their
    open tasks first. See [remove a member](/team/remove-a-member).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I invite a lot of people at once?">
    Invite them one at a time, or add people directly if they do not need logins yet.
    See [add a member directly](/team/add-a-member-directly).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Roles and permissions" icon="lock" href="/concepts/roles-and-capabilities">
    What each role can do.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Groups" icon="users" href="/team/groups">
    Organise people into teams.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Onboard a new employee" icon="user-plus" href="/guides/onboard-a-new-employee">
    The full checklist for a new starter.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Seats" icon="chair" href="/billing/seats">
    How the count works.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>