Log billable hours and apply them to client invoices with time tracking in Dubsado. You can track time from anywhere in the app using the time tracking widget, or manage all your entries from the Time Tracking page.
Time tracking overview
Find time tracking at Invoicing ➔ Time Tracking in the sidebar. You can also open it from within a project (click the project's Invoicing tab, then Time Tracking) or from within a contact (click the contact's Invoices tab, then Time Tracking).
The Time Tracking page has three tabs: All, Open, and Invoiced. You can also start tracking time from anywhere in Dubsado using the time tracking widget in the navigation header.
Time tracking is available on the Premier plan, for Admins, Owners, and team members with invoice visibility.
Create a time entry
You can create a time entry from the Time Tracking page or from the time tracking widget.
From the Time Tracking page
Navigate to Invoicing ➔ Time Tracking.
Click Log Time at the top of the page.
Enter a title for the time entry.
Select a Project (optional at creation, but required before you can apply the entry to an invoice).
Optionally, set a rate, tax, and category. You can add these later if you don't have them yet.
From the time tracking widget
Click the time tracking widget in the navigation header.
Enter a title for the entry.
Optionally, select a project.
Optionally, set a rate.
Click the play button to start the timer.
Both methods create an entry that appears on the Time Tracking page.
Start, pause, and resume the timer
Click the play button on a time entry, or in the time tracking widget, to start it. Click pause to stop the timer; the entry saves automatically. Click play again on the same entry to resume it. The timer keeps running even when you navigate to other areas of Dubsado.
In the time tracking widget, press Space to start or pause the active timer (or to open the title field if nothing is running), and press Escape to close an open popover or collapse the widget.
Edit a time entry
Click a time entry on the Time Tracking page to open its detail panel. You can edit the timer, rate, date, and description, and changes save automatically. Only the team member who created a time entry can edit it.
Once a time entry is applied to an invoice, it can no longer be edited.
Apply time to an invoice
You can apply a time entry to an invoice from the Time Tracking page, or add existing entries while editing an invoice.
From the Time Tracking page
Navigate to Invoicing ➔ Time Tracking.
Click a time entry to open it. If the timer is still running, pause it first: the Apply to Invoice option is hidden on entries that are actively running or already invoiced.
Click the three dots menu (...) and select Apply to Invoice.
If the entry isn't assigned to a project yet, select one.
Select an existing invoice, or choose Create a new invoice. Choosing this option works just like when you create an invoice from the Invoicing page, and adds the time entry as the first line item.
Click Apply.
From the invoice editor
Open an invoice in edit mode.
In the line items column header toolbar, click the Add time tracking button (clock-plus icon). On narrower screens, this option appears as Time tracking under the + dropdown instead.
Select a time entry from the list. Entries that are already invoiced are disabled.
The entry is added as a line item on the invoice.
The Add time tracking list shows open time entries from all your projects, not just the one you're invoicing.
View invoiced entries
Click the Invoiced tab on the Time Tracking page to see entries that have been applied to invoices. Invoiced entries are read-only, and their detail panel includes a Go to Invoice button that takes you to the linked invoice. To create a new entry based on an invoiced one, open it and click Start new session.
Filter, sort, and group time entries
You can narrow down and organize your time entries from the Time Tracking page:
Filter by Project, User, or Created date (using a date range picker)
Sort by Title, Time, or Created date
Group entries by Project or User
Search by entry title
The Project filter is hidden when you're viewing time entries from within a project, since entries are already scoped to that project.
FAQ
Is time tracking available on all plans?
Time tracking is available on the Premier plan. Admins, Owners, and team members with invoice visibility can use it.
Can team members track their own time?
Yes. Each team member can create and manage their own time entries. Only the person who created an entry can edit it.
Can I recover a deleted time entry?
No. Deleted time entries can't be recovered.
Can I reuse an invoiced time entry?
You can't reopen an invoiced entry, but you can start a new session from it. Open the invoiced entry and click Start new session to create a new entry with the same details.
Can I add multiple time entries to one invoice?
Yes. You can apply multiple time entries to the same invoice before you send the invoice.
Does time tracking add dates to the invoice?
No. If you want the date to appear on the invoice, add it to the time entry's description.
Can I use time tracking to measure how I spend time on my business?
Time tracking is designed to log billable hours for client invoices. For general productivity tracking, consider a dedicated time management tool.
I charge a retainer for a set number of hours each month. Can I track remaining hours?
Time tracking doesn't calculate remaining hours against a retainer. For recurring retainer billing, set up a recurring invoice and use the project's Notes tab to log hours manually.