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.

Turn on and manage time tracking to track and bill customers for the number of hours spent on a project or activity.

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.

Follow the steps to set up and manage time tracking.

In this article, you'll learn how to:

• Turn on time tracking
• Track and manage time
• Add time tracking user
• Access time tracking reports
• Time details

Turn on time tracking

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.

• Basic time tracking in QuickBooks Online can be done using Single time activity or Weekly timesheets.
• For more time tracking features, you can try a QuickBooks Time account.
  1. Select a suitable plan.
  2. Follow the steps to subscribe to QuickBooks Time.

Then, adjust your time tracking preferences (if required):

1. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Account and settings.
2. Select the Time tab.
3. In the Time tracking section, select the edit icon .
   • From the First day of work week ▼ dropdown, select a day. This affects how employees view weekly timesheets. Select Save.
4. In the Timesheet fields section, select the edit icon .
   • To customize your timesheets, select or clear the fields you want to show on the timesheets. Select Save.
5. In the Manage kiosk section, select the edit icon .
   • Follow the steps to add or remove computers or tablets your team uses to clock in and out. Select Done.
   • Check out Set up QuickBooks Time kiosk to learn more.
6. Select Done.

Track and manage time

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

Add a time tracking user

If you want a team member to track their own time, you can invite them as a time tracking user to your account.

Here's how to add a time tracking user:

1. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Manage users.
2. Select Add user.
3. Add the user’s personal info, then select Track time only from the ▼ dropdown under Assign roles.
4. From View all permissions, select Sync team member.
5. Select a team member, then select Sync.
6. Select Send invite.

Note: You can't change the user type of a Track time only user. If a Time tracker needs a different company access, delete the user and add them back again with the new user type.

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

Access time tracking reports

1. Go to Reports (Take me there) and select Standard reports.
2. In the Type report name here ▼ dropdown, search for and select any of the following reports: Recent/Edited Time Activities, Time Activities by Customer Detail, Time Activities by Employee Detail, or Unbilled time.
3. Select the available report parameters, if needed.

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: This appears as a decimal number on your invoice and as time on the printed or emailed version. For example, an hour and fifteen minutes will show as 1.25 when entered on an invoice and 1:15 when it is sent to your customer.

You can also customize the invoice to show the following:

• The description or notes entered in the timesheet.
• The name of the standard service you are using.
• Custom text that you specify for time tracking charges.

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