> ## 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.

# Report templates

> Every workspace starts with five ready-made reports – time detail, hours by project, unbilled work, budget vs actual and unpaid invoices. See what each answers.

Every new workspace arrives with five reports already built. Open one, read the answer, and change it if you want something else.

## What is a report template?

A template is an ordinary saved report that TimeTracker created for you. It carries a **Template** chip in the library, and nothing else about it is special.

You can:

* Open and run it
* Change its period or filters temporarily
* Edit it, if you have the rights
* Duplicate it
* Share it, schedule it or export it
* Archive it if you never want to see it again

<Note>
  Templates are not locked. If **Hours by project** is nearly right but you want it grouped the other way round, change it and save – or duplicate it first and change the copy.
</Note>

## The five starter reports

All five arrive as **Shared** reports, so the whole workspace reads the same numbers.

### 1. Time detail

> Every time entry from the last 30 days – who logged it, what they logged it against, and whether it is billable.

| Setting   | Value                                                |
| --------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| Source    | Time entries                                         |
| Period    | Last 30 days                                         |
| Layout    | Plain                                                |
| Columns   | Date, Member, Project, Task, Billable, Reported time |
| Sorted by | Date, newest first                                   |

**Use it for:** checking what was actually logged, chasing a suspicious entry, or handing an auditor the raw detail.

### 2. Hours by project

> Where this month's hours went, per project and client, split into billable and non-billable.

| Setting    | Value                                                    |
| ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| Source     | Time entries                                             |
| Period     | This month                                               |
| Layout     | Subgroups                                                |
| Grouped by | Project, then Client                                     |
| Columns    | Reported time, Billable time, Non-billable time, Entries |
| Sorted by  | Reported time, largest first                             |

**Use it for:** the Monday-morning question of where the team's time went.

### 3. Unbilled work

> Billable work you have not invoiced yet, per project and client. Non-billable time is filtered out.

| Setting    | Value                                   |
| ---------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Source     | Time entries                            |
| Period     | This month                              |
| Layout     | Subgroups                               |
| Grouped by | Project, then Client                    |
| Filter     | Billable is `true`                      |
| Columns    | Billable time, Uninvoiced time, Revenue |
| Sorted by  | Uninvoiced time, largest first          |

**Use it for:** the money still on the table before you raise this month's invoices.

<Note>
  The billable filter is part of the question, not a preference. Without it the totals would mix in time that was never going on an invoice, and the number would mean nothing.
</Note>

### 4. Budget vs actual

> What each project was budgeted, what it has cost so far, and what it has earned – so you can spot the ones going underwater early.

| Setting    | Value                                      |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| Source     | **Projects**                               |
| Period     | This month                                 |
| Layout     | Subgroups                                  |
| Grouped by | Project, then Client                       |
| Columns    | Budget, Actual cost, Tracked value, Profit |
| Sorted by  | Budget, largest first                      |

**Use it for:** catching a project going over before it becomes a conversation with the client.

<Warning>
  This report is on the **Projects** source, not Time entries – and it has to be. A time entry has no idea what the project was budgeted, so the budget family cannot be worked out from time entries at all. See [/reports/report-sources](/reports/report-sources).
</Warning>

### 5. Unpaid invoices

> What each client still owes you, split by how long the invoice has been outstanding.

| Setting    | Value                                                             |
| ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Source     | Invoices                                                          |
| Period     | This month                                                        |
| Layout     | Subgroups                                                         |
| Grouped by | Client                                                            |
| Columns    | Outstanding, Current, 1–30 days, 31–60 days, 61–90 days, 90+ days |
| Sorted by  | Outstanding, largest first                                        |

**Use it for:** the receivables chase. The client with the biggest balance is at the top; the aging columns tell you who to call first.

## How to use a template

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Reports">
    The five templates are already in the library, each with a **Template** chip.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open one">
    Click the row. The report runs live against your current data.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Try a different window">
    Change the **Period** control at the top. This is temporary – the saved report is untouched.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Keep the change">
    If you want to keep it, click **Save as new report** and give it a name. The template is left as it was.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Or edit the template itself">
    With the right permissions, opening a template gives you the full builder. Change it and click **Save changes**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Why only five

The starter set is deliberately small and weighted towards time and money – the two questions a service business has on day one.

A larger set was tried and cut. A brand-new workspace has no invoices, no expenses, no timesheets and no leave, so a long list of starter reports greeted every signup with a wall of empty tables. Five is the number that all say something useful as soon as somebody tracks an hour.

Two of the five will still be empty on day one – **Unpaid invoices** needs an invoice, and **Budget vs actual** needs a budget – but both fill in the moment you have them.

## Example

Maya Ellis sets up Northwind Studio on a Monday. The library already holds all five templates.

By Friday, once the team has tracked a week:

* **Time detail** lists every entry, newest first, including Sarah Lin's 3 hours on "Homepage wireframes".
* **Hours by project** shows Website Redesign on 62 hours and Mobile App on 88.
* **Unbilled work** shows the billable time not yet on an invoice, worth reading before Daniel Okafor raises anything.
* **Budget vs actual** shows the \$40,000 Website Redesign budget against tracked cost and value.
* **Unpaid invoices** is still empty, because Northwind has not sent one yet.

Priya Raman wants the same view for Bluebird Coffee only. She duplicates **Hours by project**, adds a **Client is Bluebird Coffee** filter, renames it `Bluebird hours – weekly`, and saves.

## Permissions

| Action                             | Capability                                                                             |
| ---------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Open and run a template            | `report.view`                                                                          |
| Duplicate a template               | `report.create`                                                                        |
| Edit a template                    | `report.manage` – templates arrive shared, and a shared report needs the curation tier |
| Archive a template                 | `report.manage`                                                                        |
| Change temporary period or filters | `report.view`                                                                          |

Editing or duplicating also needs a Pro plan, because it saves a report definition. Opening and reading a template is free.

Financial columns behave exactly as they do everywhere else. A template with cost columns does not render them for a role that cannot see cost – no template carries its own permission rules. See [/reports/report-permissions](/reports/report-permissions).

## What happens next

Once a template is useful, keep it working for you:

* Schedule it so it arrives every Monday – [/reports/schedule-a-report](/reports/schedule-a-report)
* Export it for a client pack – [/reports/export-a-report](/reports/export-a-report)
* Duplicate it for each client and share the copies – [/reports/share-a-report](/reports/share-a-report)

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I delete a template I never use?">
    Yes. Use the three-dot menu to archive it, or move it to the Trash. Archiving is enough to get it out of the default list.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="If I edit a template, can I get the original back?">
    Not automatically. Duplicate it first if you want to keep the original shape.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do new templates appear later?">
    Templates are seeded once. A workspace keeps the reports it has, edits and all.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is Budget vs actual empty?">
    It needs a project budget. Set one on the project and the report fills in. See [/budgets/set-a-project-budget](/budgets/set-a-project-budget).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is Unpaid invoices empty?">
    Either you have not sent an invoice, or you lack invoice access. The Invoices source needs `invoice.manage`.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are templates personal or shared?">
    Shared. Everyone with report access sees them and reads the same numbers.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

| Problem                                          | Fix                                                                                |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| A template opens read-only                       | Templates are shared, so editing them needs `report.manage`. Duplicate it instead. |
| **Unpaid invoices** refuses to run               | You need `invoice.manage` to report on invoices                                    |
| Cost columns are missing on **Budget vs actual** | Your role lacks `time.viewCost`. Budget and Projects still show.                   |
| A template is missing from the library           | It may be archived. Switch the lifecycle filter to **Archived** or **All**.        |
| Saving an edited template is blocked             | Saving a report definition is a Pro feature                                        |

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Build a report" icon="wrench" href="/reports/build-a-report">
    Go beyond the templates.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Saved reports" icon="bookmark" href="/reports/saved-reports">
    Rename, duplicate and archive.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Report sources" icon="database" href="/reports/report-sources">
    Why Budget vs actual is on the Projects source.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Schedule a report" icon="clock" href="/reports/schedule-a-report">
    Have a template emailed on a cadence.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Plans and features" icon="credit-card" href="/concepts/plans-and-features">
    What Free covers and what Pro adds.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>