> ## 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.

# Setup for a consultant

> A lean TimeTracker setup for a solo consultant or a team of two or three: what to turn on, what to skip, and when the Free plan stops being enough.

If you are one person, most of TimeTracker is machinery you do not need yet.

Set up four things: your rate, your clients, your projects, and a way to bill. Skip everything else until a real problem asks for it.

<Info>
  **The example:** a solo consultant working with three clients – Bluebird Coffee, Harbor Logistics and Fenwick Legal.
</Info>

## Start on Free

**Free covers up to 3 people.** For a solo consultant that is enough for a long time.

| Free gives you                        | Pro adds                      |
| ------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Clients and projects                  | Approvals                     |
| Tasks and estimates                   | Invoices and payments         |
| Time tracking, timer and manual entry | Budgets and profitability     |
| Timesheets                            | Client portal                 |
| Expenses                              | Resource planner              |
| Time off                              | Report exports and scheduling |
| Reports you can read on screen        |                               |

The line is simple. **Free lets you record your work. Pro lets you resolve it** – approve it, bill it, or take it out as a file.

<Warning>
  If you invoice from TimeTracker, you need Pro. Invoicing and payments are both Pro features. See [Free vs Pro](/billing/free-vs-pro).
</Warning>

## Set it up in twenty minutes

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the workspace">
    Name it after your practice. Set the base currency and your timezone.

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

  <Step title="Turn off what you will not use">
    As one person you can switch most of it off and switch it back on later. Nothing is deleted by turning an app off.

    Keep on: **Projects & tasks**, **Time tracking**, **Timesheets**, **Reports**, **Invoices**.

    Turn off: **Work schedules**, **Time off**, **Time Clock**, **Location rules**, **Resource planner**, **Expenses**, **Client portal**, **Webhooks**.

    You do not need schedules to compare against when there is nobody to compare. You do not need a planner to allocate one person.

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

    <Tip>
      Keep **Budgets** on if you quote fixed prices. It is the one Pro feature worth turning on early, because it is the only thing that tells you a fixed price job has gone underwater.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set your own billable rate">
    Set your default billable rate once at the workspace or person level, and every hour you track picks it up.

    If clients pay different prices, set the rate on the client instead. A client rate beats the workspace default, and a project rate beats both.

    → [Set a person rate](/rates/set-a-person-rate) · [Client rates](/clients/client-rates) · [How rates are chosen](/rates/how-rates-are-chosen)

    <Note>
      A **cost rate** for yourself is optional. Some consultants set one at their own notional salary rate so margin means something. Setting a cost rate is a Pro feature. See [Cost rates](/rates/cost-rates).
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a client for each company you bill">
    Even if a client only ever has one project, create the client. Invoices attach to clients, not projects, and it takes ten seconds.

    → [Create a client](/clients/create-a-client)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create one project per engagement">
    Not one project per client. One per engagement.

    Bluebird Coffee might be a \$40,000 website redesign **and** a 40 hour monthly retainer. Those are two different deals with two different shapes, and merging them means you can never tell which one pays.

    → [Create a project](/projects/create-a-project) · [Client projects](/clients/client-projects)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Track time, with or without tasks">
    You can track time straight against a project. Tasks are optional.

    Add tasks when you want to know **where** the hours went inside a job, or when you are quoting from estimates. Skip them for open-ended advisory work.

    → [How to track time](/time-tracking/how-to-track-time) · [Using the timer](/time-tracking/using-the-timer) · [Add time manually](/time-tracking/add-time-manually)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set up invoicing before the first month ends">
    Fill in your business name, address and tax details once. Check the invoice numbering so your first invoice starts where your records expect.

    → [Invoice sender details](/invoicing/invoice-sender-details) · [Invoice numbering](/invoicing/invoice-numbering) · [Taxes and currency](/invoicing/taxes-and-currency)
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Skip these until you actually need them

| Skip              | Turn it on when                                  |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Approvals         | Someone other than you tracks time               |
| Groups            | You have enough people that a list is not enough |
| Schedules         | You need expected vs tracked hours               |
| Supervision scope | More than one person reviews time                |
| Custom roles      | The seven built-in roles genuinely do not fit    |
| Client portal     | A client asks to see progress themselves         |
| Resource planner  | You are booking work more than a week ahead      |
| Time off          | You have employees with leave balances           |

<Note>
  As a solo Owner, you already hold every capability. There is nothing to configure about permissions until a second person joins.
</Note>

## Your monthly routine

Fifteen minutes, once a month.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check every day of the month has hours on it">
    Open the timesheet or the calendar view and look for gaps. Missing hours are missing money.

    → [Calendar view](/time-tracking/calendar-view) · [Fill in a timesheet](/timesheets/fill-in-a-timesheet)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Invoice each client">
    Build the invoice from tracked time. It pulls in your billable hours for that client.

    → [Invoice from tracked time](/invoicing/invoice-from-tracked-time) · [Send an invoice](/invoicing/send-an-invoice)

    <Note>
      If you have no approvals set up, approve your own weeks first so the hours are eligible to bill. Approvals are Pro.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Record payments as they arrive">
    Keeps the overdue list honest.

    → [Record a payment](/invoicing/record-a-payment) · [Invoice statuses](/invoicing/invoice-statuses)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read one report">
    Hours by client. Billable percentage. If you set cost rates, margin.

    → [Build a report](/reports/build-a-report) · [Saved reports](/reports/saved-reports)
  </Step>
</Steps>

## When you outgrow this

| Signal                                          | What to do                                                                          |
| ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| A fourth person needs access                    | You are past the Free seat limit. See [Seats](/billing/seats)                       |
| You want to invoice from the product            | Upgrade – invoicing is Pro                                                          |
| A subcontractor is tracking time for you        | Add them as a [Contractor](/guides/manage-contractors)                              |
| You are guessing whether a fixed price job pays | Turn budgets on. See [Set a project budget](/budgets/set-a-project-budget)          |
| Someone else's hours need reviewing             | Turn approvals on. See [Weekly timesheet routine](/guides/weekly-timesheet-routine) |
| A client keeps asking for a status update       | Turn the portal on. See [Invite a client contact](/portal/invite-a-client-contact)  |

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do I need to approve my own timesheets?">
    Only if you want to invoice from tracked time, because an invoice built from time pulls approved entries. If you invoice manually with your own lines, you can skip approvals entirely.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use TimeTracker for free forever?">
    Yes, up to 3 people, and nothing expires. You can track, submit and record everything. You cannot approve, invoice or export. See [Free vs Pro](/billing/free-vs-pro).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if I bring in a freelancer for one project?">
    Add them as a Contractor. It is the narrowest staff role – they track time and work tasks but cannot see your client list or build reports. Remember they count as a seat. See [Manage contractors](/guides/manage-contractors).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need tasks at all?">
    No. Time can be tracked straight against a project. Add tasks when you want to know where the hours went inside a job. See [How to track time](/time-tracking/how-to-track-time).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I get my data out if I leave?">
    Yes. An Owner can export the whole workspace in open formats. See [Export your data](/data/export-your-data).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Track work for a client" icon="route" href="/guides/track-work-for-a-client">
    The full chain, if you want the whole picture.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Set up a new workspace" icon="rocket" href="/guides/set-up-a-new-workspace">
    The full setup, for when you grow.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quote to invoice" icon="file-invoice-dollar" href="/guides/quote-to-invoice">
    Pricing a fixed price job properly.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Run a monthly retainer" icon="repeat" href="/guides/run-a-monthly-retainer">
    Recurring work instead of one-offs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manage contractors" icon="handshake" href="/guides/manage-contractors">
    Bringing in help for one project.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>