> ## 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.

# Quickstart

> Set up a TimeTracker workspace, add a client and project, invite your team and track your first hour – a complete first run in about ten minutes.

This gets you from nothing to a tracked, priced hour in about ten minutes.

You will create a workspace, add one client and one project, set a rate, and record
some time. Everything else in TimeTracker builds on those five things.

<Note>
  Use a real client and a real project, not a test one. The setup is the same either
  way, and you will not have to redo it.
</Note>

## Before you start

You need a TimeTracker account. If you have just signed up, you land on a welcome
screen while your workspace is prepared, then go straight into the app.

## 1. Create your workspace

A workspace holds your team, clients, projects and data.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Name it">
    Use your business name – "Northwind Studio". A short URL name (a **slug**) is
    suggested from it, like `northwind`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set currency and timezone">
    These become the defaults for budgets, invoices and reports. Both can be changed
    later.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create">
    You are the **Owner**, which means you hold every permission.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Full detail: [create a workspace](/getting-started/create-a-workspace).

<Warning>
  Pick the slug carefully. It appears in every URL, so changing it later breaks
  bookmarks and links you have shared.
</Warning>

## 2. Add a client

A **client** is a company you bill.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Clients">
    Choose **New client**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the company name">
    "Bluebird Coffee". Contact details are optional now and needed later for
    invoicing.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    The client appears in your list, ready for projects.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Full detail: [create a client](/clients/create-a-client).

## 3. Create a project

A **project** is one engagement for that client. One client can have many.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Projects">
    Choose **New project**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name it and pick the client">
    "Website Redesign", for Bluebird Coffee.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set a budget (optional)">
    A money budget of \$40,000, or an hours budget – whichever matches your deal. You
    can add this later. See [set a project budget](/budgets/set-a-project-budget).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    The project is ready for tasks and time.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Full detail: [create your first project](/getting-started/create-your-first-project).

## 4. Set your billable rate

This is the step people skip, and then wonder why their reports show hours but no
money.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Settings → Rates">
    You will see everyone in the workspace.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set your billable rate">
    What you charge a client for one hour – say \$100.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a cost rate if you have Pro">
    What that hour costs the business. This is what unlocks margin. See
    [cost rates](/rates/cost-rates).
  </Step>
</Steps>

Without a rate, hours are still tracked – they just have no monetary value.

Full detail: [set a person rate](/rates/set-a-person-rate).

## 5. Add a task

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the project and go to Tasks">
    Choose **New task**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name it">
    "Homepage wireframes".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add an estimate (optional)">
    8 hours. This is a prediction, not a limit. See
    [task estimates](/tasks/task-estimates).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign it">
    To yourself, for now.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## 6. Track your first hour

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start the timer">
    Use the timer in the top bar, pick the task, and start.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Do the work">
    Or stop it after a minute – this is just to see the mechanism.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Stop">
    A time entry is created, marked billable by default, and priced at your rate
    immediately.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Prefer to type hours in afterwards? That works identically – see
[add time manually](/time-tracking/add-time-manually).

Full detail: [track your first hour](/getting-started/track-your-first-hour).

## What just happened

That single timer stop did five things at once:

| Where                                       | What changed                                     |
| ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Your [timesheet](/timesheets/overview)      | The hours appear in your week automatically      |
| The [budget](/budgets/overview)             | Burn moved by the billable value                 |
| [Margin](/budgets/profitability-and-margin) | Revenue and cost both recorded                   |
| [Reports](/reports/overview)                | The entry is now reportable                      |
| [Invoicing](/invoicing/overview)            | The hour is queued as billable, ready to invoice |

That is the whole idea of the product: record once, and everything downstream is
already correct.

## 7. Invite your team

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

  <Step title="Enter an email and pick a role">
    **Member** for most employees. See
    [roles](/concepts/roles-and-capabilities) if you are unsure.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send">
    They get an email with a link. An open invitation counts toward your
    [seats](/billing/seats) straight away.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Full detail: [invite your team](/getting-started/invite-your-team).

## What to do next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Setup checklist" icon="list-check" href="/getting-started/setup-checklist">
    The rest of the setup, in the order that matters.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Take the tour" icon="signs-post" href="/getting-started/product-tour">
    A guided walk through the app.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Track work for a client" icon="route" href="/guides/track-work-for-a-client">
    The full journey through to a paid invoice.
  </Card>

  <Card title="How TimeTracker works" icon="diagram-project" href="/concepts/how-timetracker-works">
    The model behind what you just did.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do I need to set everything up before my team starts?">
    No. Clients, projects and rates are enough to begin. Budgets, schedules,
    approvals and invoicing can all come later without redoing anything.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I change the workspace name or currency later?">
    Yes, both. The URL slug is the one to be careful with, because changing it breaks
    existing links.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if I do not want to use timers?">
    Type hours in instead. Manual entries and timer entries produce exactly the same
    record. Many teams fill their week in on Friday.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need a paid plan to start?">
    No. Free covers tracking, projects, timesheets, expenses and time off for up to
    3 people. See [Free vs Pro](/billing/free-vs-pro).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related guides

* [Set up a new workspace](/guides/set-up-a-new-workspace) – the thorough version
* [Set up for an agency](/guides/setup-for-an-agency) – a shape that fits most agencies
* [Set up for a consultant](/guides/setup-for-a-consultant) – for a team of one
* [Glossary](/concepts/glossary) – any term you did not recognise