Turn on and set up time tracking in QuickBooks Online

Learn how to turn on and set up time tracking in QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus, and Advanced.

Note: Time tracking isn't available if you use QuickBooks Online Payroll Core. The Weekly timesheet won’t work properly if Payroll Core is attached to your QuickBooks Online subscription.

Use this feature to track and bill customers for the number of hours spent on a project or activity. Here’s how.

Turn on time tracking

Here's how to turn on time tracking:

First, enable which time tracking options you want:

1. Go to Time (Take me there) and choose why you want to track hours. 
2. Then, choose if you want basic time tracking in QuickBooks Online, or if you want to try a QuickBooks Time account with more time tracking features. Either way, you can access timesheets from QuickBooks Online. 
3. Select Getting Started.

Then, adjust your time tracking preferences:

1. Go to Settings and Select Account and settings.
2. Select the Time tab.
3. In the General or Timesheet section, select Edit ✎.
4. Set your time tracking preferences:
   • First day of work week ▼ dropdown - This affects how employees and contractors view weekly timesheets.
   • Show service field - When this switch is on, employee and contractors who fill out timesheets can specify services performed.
   • Allow time to be billable - When this switch is on, employees and contractors who fill out timesheets can specify if activities should be billed to a customer.
   • Show billing rate to users entering time (optional)
5. Select Save, then Done.

Track and manage time

Now that time tracking is enabled, you can add and manage your workers' time from the Time tab.

Add a time tracking user

Here's how to add a time tracking user:

1. Go to Settings and select Manage users.
2. Select Add user.
3. Select Track time only.
4. In the View all permissions, select Sync team member.
5. Select team member and select Sync.
6. Select Send invite.

Once added, the user can now enter hours in a timesheet.

Make time billable

Once time tracking is set up, you can start marking timesheets as billable.

1. Select + New.
2. Select Single time activity or Weekly timesheet.
3. Enter all necessary details.
4. Select the Billable (/hr) box.
5. Select Save and close.

Make time always billable

1. Go to Reports (Take me there).
2. Search for the Employee Contact List, then select it.
3. Find the employee you want, open Employment details, select Edit ✎.
4. Select the Billable by default box.
5. Select Save.

Access time tracking reports

1. Go to Reports (Take me there).
2. In the  Find report by name field, enter any of the following: Recent/Edited Time Activities, Time Activities by Customer Detail, Time Activities by Employee Detail, and Unbilled time.

Time details

Based on the rates you specify and whether or not the time is billable, time detail will automatically appear on customer invoices. You can include:

• Employee’s name
• Hourly rate charged
• Number of hours billed

You can also customise the invoice to show the following:

• Text from the Description field on the timesheet
• The name of the standard service you are using
• Custom text that you specify for time tracking charges

Learn how to Customise Invoices and other Transaction Forms in QuickBooks Online.