> ## 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.

# Set up a new workspace

> The right order to set up TimeTracker on day one: settings, apps, people, roles, schedules, rates and your first client project, without redoing work.

Set your workspace up in this order and you will not have to undo anything later.

The order matters for one reason: **a time entry snapshots the rate that applied on the day it was tracked**. So rates come before hours, and structure comes before both.

<Info>
  **The example:** Maya Ellis (Owner) is setting up **Northwind Studio**, a 12-person agency. Slug `northwind`. Currency USD.
</Info>

## Before you start

<Note>
  Most of this is free. Approvals, budgets, invoicing, the client portal, the planner and exports are **Pro**. You can set everything up on Free and turn Pro on when you are ready to bill. See [Free vs Pro](/billing/free-vs-pro).
</Note>

**Free seats: 3 people.** That counts everyone with access – staff, contractors and client portal contacts, plus anyone with an open invitation. The fourth person is the paid wall. See [Seats](/billing/seats).

Almost every step here needs Owner or Admin. Maya can do all of it. Tom (Admin) can do all of it except delete the workspace.

## Set it up in this order

<Steps>
  <Step title="Maya creates the workspace">
    Pick the name and the URL slug. The slug appears in every link your team uses, so choose something short and permanent.

    → [Create a workspace](/getting-started/create-a-workspace)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Maya sets the workspace basics">
    Go to **Settings → General**. Set the workspace name, the base currency and the timezone.

    The base currency is the currency of last resort for every rate and invoice. Change it later and you will be reconciling numbers, so get it right now.

    → [General settings](/settings/general) · [Date and time formats](/settings/date-and-time-formats)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Maya turns off the apps she does not need">
    An **App** is a switchable area of the product. **Settings → Apps** turns each one on or off. Turning one off hides it – it never deletes data.

    Northwind turns off **Time Clock** and **Location rules**, because a design agency does not need clock-in kiosks or IP restrictions. Everything else stays on.

    Two apps are off by default for everyone: Time Clock and Location rules.

    → [Apps settings](/settings/apps) · [Apps and modules](/concepts/apps-and-modules)

    <Warning>
      Some apps depend on others. Time Clock needs Work schedules on, because expected hours come from the schedule. Turning off an app that others depend on warns you about what it takes with it.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Maya sets the working week">
    Create a schedule that says what a normal week looks like: 40 hours, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00.

    Do this before you invite anyone. A schedule is what someone is **expected** to work. Timesheets compare it against what they actually tracked, so a week with no schedule behind it has nothing to compare against.

    → [Create a schedule](/schedules/create-a-schedule) · [Working hours and days off](/schedules/working-hours-and-days-off)

    <Tip>
      If your team is spread across timezones, set the schedule timezone now. See [Schedule timezones](/schedules/schedule-timezones).
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Maya invites the team and gives each person a role">
    There are seven roles and they are a strict subset chain. Each lower role can do a subset of the role above it.

    | Person        | Role            | Why                                                           |
    | ------------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Maya Ellis    | Owner           | Founder. Only the Owner can delete the workspace.             |
    | Tom Whitfield | Admin           | Everything Maya can do, except delete the workspace.          |
    | Priya Raman   | Project Manager | Owns delivery – clients, projects, tasks, approvals, budgets. |
    | Daniel Okafor | Finance         | Owns money – invoices, payments, expenses, exports.           |
    | Sarah Lin     | Member          | Tracks time and works tasks.                                  |
    | Jonas Bergman | Member          | Tracks time and works tasks.                                  |
    | Ana Ferreira  | Contractor      | Like Member, but cannot see clients or build reports.         |

    → [Invite a member](/team/invite-a-member) · [Roles and capabilities](/concepts/roles-and-capabilities)

    <Note>
      You can also add someone without an email address, which creates a record you can assign work to before they have a login. See [Add a member directly](/team/add-a-member-directly).
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Maya assigns each person a schedule">
    A schedule only does anything once someone is on it. Assign the standard week to everyone, and give Ana a part-time one.

    → [Assign a schedule](/schedules/assign-a-schedule)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tom creates groups">
    A group is a standing team of people – Design, Engineering, Delivery. Groups make it quick to assign people, and they feed [supervision scope](/concepts/supervision-scope), which decides whose time a manager can see.

    A group is not the same as project membership. A group is a team. Project membership is who works on one job.

    → [Groups](/team/groups) · [Groups settings](/settings/groups)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Maya sets everyone's rates">
    This is the step people skip, and it is the expensive one to fix.

    | Person        | Billable rate | Cost rate |
    | ------------- | ------------- | --------- |
    | Sarah Lin     | \$100/hour    | \$45/hour |
    | Jonas Bergman | \$120/hour    | \$60/hour |
    | Ana Ferreira  | \$80/hour     | \$55/hour |

    **Billable** is what you charge the client. **Cost** is what the person costs you. Margin is the gap.

    → [Set a person rate](/rates/set-a-person-rate) · [Rates settings](/settings/rates) · [Rates explained](/concepts/rates-explained)

    <Warning>
      Set rates **before** the first hour is tracked. A time entry snapshots the rate that applied on its date, so hours tracked before a rate exists carry no value.
    </Warning>

    <Note>
      Setting a **cost** rate is the one write the Pro plan gates. Billable rates are free to set on any plan. See [Cost rates](/rates/cost-rates).
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tom sets the time policies">
    **Settings → Time policies** decides how time behaves for everyone: whether people can edit past entries, how far back they can go, and whether time is billable by default.

    Agreeing this once, up front, saves a lot of arguing later.

    → [Time policies](/settings/time-policies) · [Time policies explained](/time-tracking/time-policies)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tom creates the tags you will actually use">
    Tags are workspace-wide and shared by tasks and planner blocks. Keep the list short. Five or six tags people remember beat thirty nobody uses.

    → [Tags settings](/settings/tags) · [Task tags](/tasks/task-tags)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Daniel fills in the invoice sender block">
    Before the first invoice goes out, set your business name, address and tax details.

    → [Invoice sender details](/invoicing/invoice-sender-details) · [Invoice sender settings](/settings/invoice-sender)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Priya creates the first real client and project">
    Now the structure is ready, create something real.

    Create **Bluebird Coffee**, then the **Website Redesign** project under it, then add Sarah and Jonas as project members, then set the budget.

    → [Create a client](/clients/create-a-client) · [Create a project](/projects/create-a-project) · [Set a project budget](/budgets/set-a-project-budget)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Everyone tracks their first hour">
    The workspace shows a short checklist on the dashboard with three things: track your first hour, create a real project, and invite your group. It ticks itself off as you go.

    There is also a short product tour of the sidebar. Anyone can replay it from the checklist card.

    → [Track your first hour](/getting-started/track-your-first-hour) · [Product tour](/getting-started/product-tour) · [Setup checklist](/getting-started/setup-checklist)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Maya removes the sample data">
    A new workspace comes with sample data so the screens are not empty while you are learning. Once you have a real client in there, remove it.

    The dashboard shows a **Sample data** notice with a **Remove sample data** action. It asks you to confirm, then clears it.

    → [Setup checklist](/getting-started/setup-checklist)
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What to skip on day one

You do not need all fifteen apps to start. These can wait until you need them.

| Leave for later  | Turn it on when                                              |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Client portal    | You want a client to see progress and invoices themselves.   |
| Resource planner | You need to plan capacity a week or more ahead.              |
| Expenses         | You need to bill costs back to clients.                      |
| Time off         | You want leave requests and balances in the same place.      |
| Webhooks         | You are connecting TimeTracker to another system.            |
| Time Clock       | You need clock-in and clock-out presence, not project hours. |

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I change the workspace slug later?">
    The slug is in every link your team has bookmarked, so treat it as permanent. Pick something short and unambiguous the first time. See [Workspaces](/concepts/workspaces).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How many people can I have on Free?">
    Three. That is everyone with access – Members, Contractors, Admins and client portal contacts – plus anyone with an open invitation still outstanding. An open invite is access, so it counts. See [Seats](/billing/seats).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Should I create roles of my own?">
    Start with the seven built-in roles. They cover almost every agency. If one person needs a single extra permission, deny or grant it on that person rather than building a new role. See [Per-person permissions](/team/per-person-permissions) and [Custom roles](/team/custom-roles).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if I already have data in another tool?">
    Read [Switch from another tool](/guides/switch-from-another-tool) first. It covers what carries over and what does not, and how to pick a cutover date.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I belong to more than one workspace. How do I move between them?">
    From the space selector. See [Switching workspaces](/getting-started/switching-workspaces).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Track work for a client" icon="route" href="/guides/track-work-for-a-client">
    The first real job, end to end.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Setup for an agency" icon="building" href="/guides/setup-for-an-agency">
    The Northwind shape in detail.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Setup for a consultant" icon="user" href="/guides/setup-for-a-consultant">
    A leaner version for one or two people.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Onboard a new employee" icon="user-plus" href="/guides/onboard-a-new-employee">
    Everything you repeat for each new hire.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Switch from another tool" icon="arrow-right-arrow-left" href="/guides/switch-from-another-tool">
    If you are moving, not starting fresh.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>