> ## 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.

# Time tracking overview

> How time tracking works in TimeTracker – the timer, manual entries, billable hours, and how every tracked hour reaches a timesheet, a budget and an invoice.

Time tracking is how hours get into TimeTracker. You run a timer or type the
hours in by hand. Either way you get a **time entry**, and that entry carries the
money with it.

## What is a time entry?

A time entry is one block of work by one person. It records:

* when the work started and how long it took
* the project and task it belongs to
* a short description
* whether it is billable
* the rate that applied on that date

Every entry belongs to exactly one person and one workspace.

<Note>
  A time entry is not the same as clocking in. Time tracking records hours against
  a task. The Time Clock records that you were at work. See
  [Time Clock overview](/time-clock/overview).
</Note>

## Why it matters

Tracked time is the input to almost everything else in TimeTracker:

| Tracked time feeds | What it produces                                 |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Timesheets         | A week (or period) you submit for approval       |
| Budgets            | Hours and money used against a project ceiling   |
| Rates              | Billable value and internal cost                 |
| Invoices           | Invoice lines built from approved billable hours |
| Reports            | Where time and money actually went               |

That chain is the point of the product: **Client → Project → Task → Estimate →
Time entry → Approval → Budget impact → Invoice → Payment.**

## The two ways to record time

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Run a timer" icon="play" href="/time-tracking/using-the-timer">
    Start the clock when you begin, stop it when you finish. Best for live work.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Add it by hand" icon="pencil" href="/time-tracking/add-time-manually">
    Type a duration, or a start and end time, after the fact.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

Both produce the same kind of entry. Nothing downstream treats them differently.

## Where you see your time

| Screen                   | What it shows                                 |
| ------------------------ | --------------------------------------------- |
| The timer in the top bar | Your one running timer, on every page         |
| **Time** in the sidebar  | Your period, as a list of days or a week grid |
| Calendar                 | Your week as a drag-and-drop time grid        |
| A task                   | Every entry logged against that task          |

The **Time** page has a period picker, a **Today** button, and two view buttons –
**List view** and **Grouped view**. It also shows the period total and the
submission status.

## How it works

1. You record an entry. TimeTracker stores the exact start, stop and duration.
2. It freezes the billable rate (and your cost rate) onto the entry, using the
   rates in force on that date. A later rate change never rewrites it.
3. If your workspace rounds billable time, it also stores the rounded duration.
   Raw tracked time is always kept exactly.
4. The entry joins your timesheet for that period.
5. When you submit and someone approves the period, the time locks.

<Tip>
  Overlapping entries are allowed. If a new entry overlaps an old one, you get a
  gentle notice on the toast – the entry still saves.
</Tip>

## Example

Sarah Lin at Northwind Studio starts a timer on **Homepage wireframes**, part of
**Website Redesign** for **Bluebird Coffee**. She stops it three hours later.

* The entry is 3 hours, billable.
* Her billable rate is $100/hour, so the entry is worth **$300\*\* to the project.
* Her cost rate is $45/hour, so it costs Northwind **$135\*\*.
* The margin on those three hours is **\$165**.

Those numbers are fixed to the entry from the moment it is saved.

## Permissions

| You need          | To do this                               |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| `time.track`      | Start and stop a timer, add a time entry |
| `time.edit`       | Edit or delete your own entries          |
| `time.viewOthers` | See someone else's time                  |
| `time.editOthers` | Change someone else's time               |
| `time.viewCost`   | See the cost figures on an entry         |

Owner, Admin, Project Manager, Member and Contractor can track and edit time.
Finance and Client cannot. Only Owner and Admin can see cost.

See [Time tracking permissions](/time-tracking/time-tracking-permissions) and
[Roles and capabilities](/concepts/roles-and-capabilities).

## Plan and app gating

* Time tracking is a **Free** feature. Every plan can record hours.
* The **Time tracking** app must be switched on in **Settings → Apps**. It is on
  by default and needs **Projects & tasks** on as well.
* If the app is off, the timer disappears from the top bar and the **Time** page
  is hidden. Nothing already recorded is deleted.

See [Apps and modules](/concepts/apps-and-modules).

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I run two timers at once?">
    No. You get one running timer per workspace. Starting a second one is
    refused with "Stop your running timer before starting a new one."
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does the timer keep running if I close the tab?">
    Yes. The start time is held on the server, not in your browser. Close the
    tab, switch device, or lose your connection – the timer is still running when
    you come back.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I have to pick a project?">
    Not by default. An entry with no project is still recorded, but it never
    reaches a budget, a rate or an invoice. Your workspace can require a task on
    every entry – see [Time policies](/time-tracking/time-policies).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to my time after I submit it?">
    It moves to Submitted and can no longer be edited. Once approved, it is
    locked. See [How timesheets work](/timesheets/how-timesheets-work).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="How to track time" icon="clock" href="/time-tracking/how-to-track-time">
    Every way to get an hour into TimeTracker.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Time entry fields" icon="list" href="/time-tracking/time-entry-fields">
    What each field on an entry means.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Billable hours" icon="dollar-sign" href="/time-tracking/billable-hours">
    What billable means for a time entry.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Time policies" icon="shield" href="/time-tracking/time-policies">
    The workspace rules every entry follows.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>