> ## 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 troubleshooting
> Fix common TimeTracker time tracking problems – a blocked timer, refused entries, locked periods, missing hours, overlap warnings and hidden controls.
Most time tracking problems come from one of four things: a workspace policy, an
entry's status, a missing capability, or a switched-off app. Find your message
below.
## The timer will not start or stop
| Message or symptom | Cause | Fix |
| ------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| **Start timer** is greyed out, tooltip "Add a task to start." | **Require a task** is on. | Pick a task in the picker. |
| Tooltip "Add a description to start." | **Require a description** is on. | Type what you are working on. |
| Tooltip "Add a description and task to start." | Both rules are on. | Fill both. |
| **Stop timer** is greyed out | The same rules are checked on the way out. | Fill the missing field, then stop. |
| "Stop your running timer before starting a new one." | You already have a timer running, possibly on another device. | Stop it first. |
| "A timer can't start in the future." | The **Started at** value is later than now. | Set an earlier time. |
| "No timer is running." | The timer already stopped, often on another tab. | Refresh and check your entries. |
| No timer in the top bar at all | The Time tracking app is off, or you lack `time.track`. | See "A control is missing" below. |
## An entry will not save
| Message | What it means | Fix |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| "A task is required before this entry can be saved." | **Require a task** is on. | Attach a task. |
| "A description is required before this entry can be saved." | **Require a description** is on. | Write one. |
| "Time entries cannot start in the future." | **Block future entries** is on. | Use today or earlier. |
| "This entry would exceed the daily time limit for this workspace." | The day's total would go past the cap. | Delete a wrong entry, or ask an admin to raise the limit. |
| "End time must be after the start time." | The end is at or before the start. | Check both times, or use the **Duration** tab. |
| "Enter a duration as H:MM (for example 1:30) or hours." | The duration text was not understood. | Use `1:30` or `1.5`. |
| "Enter a duration like 1.5, 90m, or 1h 30m." | Same, in a week-grid day cell. | Use one of those three shapes. |
| "Enter when this stopped, or how long it took." | Neither an end nor a duration was given. | Fill one of them. |
All of these come from **Settings → Time policies**. See
[Time policies](/time-tracking/time-policies).
## An entry will not change
| Message | What it means | Fix |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| "This entry is no longer a draft, so it can't be changed. Everything already tracked is safe." | It is submitted, approved, locked or invoiced. | Withdraw the submission, ask for a reopen, or use an adjustment. |
| "This entry is outside the editing window and can no longer be changed." | It is older than the workspace editing window. | Ask an owner or admin to widen the window. |
| "That period has been submitted for approval, so it can't be changed. Ask your approver to reopen it." | The whole period is frozen. | Withdraw it yourself if you submitted it, or ask your approver. |
| "That day's timesheet is locked, so time can't be added or changed." | The period was closed. | Corrections go through [adjustments](/approvals/adjustments). |
| "That period is closed." | Same, from another screen. | As above. |
| "Only approved, locked or invoiced time is corrected with an adjustment." | You tried to adjust a draft. | Edit the entry directly instead. |
| "This day has multiple entries – edit them in the entry list." | You retyped a grid cell holding several entries. | Click the cell and edit each entry. |
## Hours are missing or wrong
Check whether an entry was deleted. Deleted time leaves every total
immediately. Also check you are looking at the right period – the **Time**
page groups by your workspace's timesheet period, which may be two weeks or a
month.
Entries belong to the day they **started**, read in the workspace timezone.
An entry that crosses midnight shows a small `+1` beside its end time and
stays on the earlier day.
Your workspace rounds billable time. The exact tracked hours are always kept;
the rounded figure is what bills. Check the rounding increment in
**Settings → Time policies**.
No billable rate resolved for that person, project or client on that date, or
the entry has no project. Attach the project, then set a rate – see
[Billable rates](/rates/billable-rates).
An entry with no project never reaches a budget. Open the entry and attach
the project.
More: [Missing or wrong hours](/troubleshooting/missing-or-wrong-hours).
## The overlap warning
Saving an entry that shares time with another one produces:
> Entry saved. Heads up – it overlaps another entry on your timesheet.
This is a notice, not an error. **The entry saved.** TimeTracker never blocks an
overlap – you may log time however you need to.
If the overlap was a mistake, edit or delete one of the two entries. A deleted
entry stops causing the warning.
## A control is missing
| What is missing | Likely reason |
| ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| The timer in the top bar | The **Time tracking** app is off, or you lack `time.track`. |
| **Time** in the sidebar | The **Time tracking** app is off. |
| The member picker on **Time** | You lack `time.viewOthers`. |
| The **Timecards** tab | The **Time Clock** app is off, or you lack `timecard.view`. |
| Cost figures anywhere | You lack `time.viewCost`. Only Owner and Admin hold it. |
| The Calendar page | The **Calendar** app is off, the **Resource Planner** app is off, or your plan does not include it. |
| **Submit timesheet** | You lack `time.submit`, or the period is already submitted. |
| Row actions greyed out | The period is submitted, approved or locked, or you are viewing someone read-only. |
Remember the difference: an app that is **off** is hidden entirely. A feature not
on your **plan** stays visible with a paywall. See
[I cannot see a feature](/troubleshooting/i-cannot-see-a-feature).
## Idle detection problems
| Symptom | Fix |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| The idle dialog appears constantly | Your idle threshold is very low. Raise it in **Settings → Time policies**. The default is 10 minutes. |
| The idle dialog never appears | It only fires when you return to the tab after a gap longer than the threshold. |
| "That idle time ends after the timer stopped, so we can't subtract it." | The timer already stopped. Fix the entry's times directly instead. |
Both idle choices **stop the timer**. **Keep time** saves the whole span;
**Discard idle time** ends the entry at your last activity. Neither one pauses.
## Location rules are blocking you
If your workspace uses location rules and you are off-site, tracking or clocking
in may be held back. You get a banner explaining it, and nothing you have already
tracked is affected.
See [Location rules overview](/location-rules/overview).
## Still stuck
Gather this before you ask for help:
1. The exact message you saw.
2. The date and person the entry belongs to.
3. The entry's status – draft, submitted, approved, locked, invoiced.
4. Your role, and whether the app is on in **Settings → Apps**.
Then see [Contact support](/troubleshooting/contact-support).
## Related guides
The rules behind most refusals.
Why a control may be hidden.
Tracking down a total that does not add up.
Submission and approval issues.