> ## 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.

# Planner vs tracked time

> A planned block is an intention; a time entry is a record. See how the two differ, where they meet, and which one drives invoices and budgets.

**A planned block is an intention. A time entry is a record.**

They live in different places, they are created differently, and only one of them
can ever reach an invoice. Getting this straight prevents the two most common
mistakes in the product: assuming a plan logged itself, and assuming a plan will
be billed.

## Side by side

|                                | Planned block                    | Time entry                        |
| ------------------------------ | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| What it says                   | "I intend to work on this then." | "I worked on this then."          |
| Where it lives                 | Planner                          | Time, and the weekly timesheet    |
| Created by                     | Dragging on the Planner grid     | A timer, or a manual entry        |
| Can be about the future        | Yes                              | No – it records work already done |
| Counts toward a timesheet      | No                               | Yes                               |
| Counts toward a project budget | No                               | Yes                               |
| Can appear on an invoice       | **No**                           | Yes, when billable and approved   |
| Counts toward profitability    | No                               | Yes                               |
| Needs approval                 | No                               | Yes, through the timesheet        |
| Shown in the capacity strip    | As **Planned**                   | As **Logged**                     |

<Warning>
  Planning eight hours does not log eight hours. If nobody tracks the time, the
  timesheet shows zero, the budget is untouched, and there is nothing to invoice.
</Warning>

## Why both exist

They answer different questions.

* The Planner answers **"can we do this?"** – before the week starts.
* Tracked time answers **"what did it actually cost?"** – after it happened.

The gap between them is the useful bit. Planning 20 hours of `Homepage
wireframes` and logging 34 is exactly the signal a project manager needs, and
neither number alone shows it.

## Where they meet

### The capacity strip

The Planner's capacity strip shows both figures in one line:

> **Capacity** – Planned `28h` of `40h` – Logged `12h` – **Healthy**

**Planned** is the sum of the blocks. **Logged** is the sum of the real time
entries in the same window. Comparing them is the fastest read of whether the
plan is being followed. See
[/planner/capacity-and-workload](/planner/capacity-and-workload).

### Blocks and time entries can be linked

Time can be logged against a block, so the block knows what really happened
inside it. That link is why:

* Deleting a block keeps any time logged inside it. The entries stay on the
  timesheet; they just stop pointing at a block.
* A block whose participants have logged time cannot be handed to someone else.
* A participant who has logged time inside a block cannot leave it until that time
  is moved or removed.

### The same schedule sits behind both

Capacity in the Planner comes from the person's work schedule. Expected hours on
a timesheet come from that same schedule. So `Planned 40h of 40h` in the Planner
and `Expected 40h` on the timesheet are the same 40 hours. See
[/timesheets/expected-vs-tracked-hours](/timesheets/expected-vs-tracked-hours).

## A full example

Sarah Lin, week of 21 July, Bluebird Coffee – Website Redesign.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Monday: Priya plans the week">
    She creates blocks totalling **20h** on `Homepage wireframes`. The strip reads
    **Planned 20h of 40h – Light**. Nothing has been logged.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sarah works, and tracks it">
    Sarah runs the timer as she works. By Friday she has logged **24h** on the
    task – four more than planned.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The strip tells the story">
    **Planned 20h of 40h – Logged 24h.** The plan was optimistic.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Only the tracked time has money attached">
    24 hours at Sarah's $100/hour billable rate is **$2,400\*\* of value to the
    project. At her $45/hour cost rate it costs Northwind **$1,080\*\*, leaving
    **\$1,320** of margin. The 20 planned hours are worth nothing – they were never
    worked.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The budget moves, once">
    The $40,000 Bluebird budget drops by $2,400, from the tracked time only. The
    plan never touched it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The timesheet is what gets approved">
    Sarah submits the week. Priya approves 24 hours. The blocks are not part of
    that – they were never a submission.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Check the arithmetic: 24 × $100 = $2,400. 24 × $45 = $1,080. $2,400 − $1,080 =
\$1,320.

## What this means for reporting

| Question                             | Look at                                     |
| ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------- |
| Is next week realistic?              | The Planner capacity strip.                 |
| What did this project actually cost? | Tracked time and cost rates.                |
| What can we invoice?                 | Approved billable time entries.             |
| Are we over budget?                  | Tracked time against the project budget.    |
| Did we plan well?                    | Planned against Logged, in the same window. |

Reports are built on time entries, not on blocks. See
[/reports/report-sources](/reports/report-sources).

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I turn a block into a time entry?">
    Not automatically. Blocks and time entries are separate on purpose – a plan
    that logs itself would put hours on a timesheet nobody worked, and a
    timesheet is a system of record.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does the billable switch on a block bill anything?">
    No. It records the intent. Billability is decided on the time entry. See
    /time-tracking/billable-hours.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do blocks consume a project budget?">
    No. Only tracked time does.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="If I delete a block, do I lose the time?">
    No. The confirmation says so plainly: any time already logged inside it is
    kept, it just stops being tied to a block.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Should I plan every hour of the week?">
    No. Aim for around 80% – **Healthy** rather than **Full**. The rest of the week
    fills itself with things nobody planned.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can a client see planned blocks in the portal?">
    No. The client portal shows what was delivered and billed, not internal plans.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

| Problem                                                  | Cause                                                                          |
| -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| The timesheet is empty for a week that was fully planned | Nobody tracked time. Planning is not logging.                                  |
| Logged is far higher than Planned                        | Unplanned work arrived, or the estimate was low. Both are worth investigating. |
| Logged is zero for a past week                           | Nobody tracked, or you cannot see their time – that needs `time.viewOthers`.   |
| An invoice is missing hours you planned                  | Invoices are built from approved billable time entries, never from blocks.     |

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Capacity and workload" href="/planner/capacity-and-workload">
    Planned against logged, in one line.
  </Card>

  <Card title="How to track time" href="/time-tracking/how-to-track-time">
    Turning a plan into a record.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Expected vs tracked hours" href="/timesheets/expected-vs-tracked-hours">
    The other comparison, on the timesheet.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Budget vs estimate" href="/concepts/budget-vs-estimate">
    Two more numbers people mix up.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Plan work blocks" href="/planner/plan-work-blocks">
    Building the plan side.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Billable hours" href="/time-tracking/billable-hours">
    What actually reaches an invoice.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>