How to Use Timecamp for Accurate Time Tracking and InvoicingAccurate time tracking and clean invoicing are essential for freelancers, agencies, and teams. TimeCamp is a widely used time-tracking app that helps capture work hours automatically, categorize time by projects and tasks, and generate professional invoices. This guide walks you through setting up TimeCamp, tracking time accurately, managing projects and teams, and creating invoices that get paid on time.
What TimeCamp does best (at a glance)
- Automatic time tracking with app and browser activity monitoring
- Manual time entries and timesheet editing for corrections and notes
- Project and task organization to map hours to billable work
- Reporting and analytics to spot inefficiencies and billable totals
- Invoicing and integration with accounting tools like QuickBooks and PayPal
Getting started: account setup and basic configuration
- Create your account and choose a plan
- Sign up at TimeCamp and pick a plan that fits your needs (Free, Basic, Pro, or Enterprise). The Free plan covers basic tracking for single users; paid plans add team features, billing, and integrations.
- Verify your email and complete the onboarding prompts.
- Install TimeCamp on the devices you use
- Download and install the desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux) for automatic tracking.
- Install the browser extension (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) to track web activity.
- Use the mobile app (iOS, Android) for tracking on the go.
- The desktop app records app and website usage, and the extension captures browsing activity—both feed data into the same TimeCamp account.
- Set up your workspace structure
- Create projects first, then break projects into tasks. Example:
- Project: Website Redesign
- Task: UX research
- Task: Front-end development
- Project: Website Redesign
- Define billable vs. non-billable projects or tasks early so reports and invoices are accurate.
Tracking time accurately
- Use automatic tracking as the baseline
- Start the TimeCamp timer when you begin working; it will capture active application and website usage automatically.
- Automatic tracking reduces forgotten time and improves accuracy compared to manual-only systems.
- Use manual entries for gaps and corrections
- If you forget to start the timer, add manual time entries with a start/end time and a task or project tag.
- Edit time entries to correct durations or add notes explaining the work performed.
- Leverage the Pomodoro or focused sessions
- Use built-in focus modes or pair TimeCamp with techniques like Pomodoro to segment work and make entries more granular and accountable.
- Use attendance and timesheets for structured teams
- Require team members to submit weekly timesheets for approval if your workflow needs managerial oversight.
- Approve or reject timesheets and provide feedback to ensure consistency.
- Classify time as billable or not
- Mark entries as billable when they should be invoiced to a client.
- Apply hourly rates at the task, project, or user level to automate invoice amounts.
Project and team best practices
- Standardize project and task naming
- Agree on naming conventions (ClientName — ProjectName — TaskType) to avoid duplicate or unclear items.
- Use tags for additional categorization (e.g., “urgent”, “research”, “maintenance”).
- Assign user permissions thoughtfully
- TimeCamp supports roles (admin, manager, employee). Limit admin roles to maintain billing integrity.
- Allow managers to edit and approve entries if necessary; restrict editing for others to prevent accidental changes.
- Encourage timely logging
- Set policies: start timers at session start, stop at lunch, log breaks, and add notes for unusual entries.
- Use reminders or in-app notifications to nudge team members to track daily.
- Regularly review reports
- Weekly or biweekly reviews of time reports identify scope creep, underreporting, or low productivity patterns.
- Export CSVs for deeper analysis if needed.
Reporting: turning hours into insight
- Use built-in reports
- Overview reports summarize hours per user, project, and date range.
- Billable vs. non-billable reports show how much revenue you could invoice.
- Time vs. productivity reports use tracked activity to estimate productive vs. idle time.
- Customize and filter
- Filter by client, project, task, user, tag, or date range to create focused reports.
- Save custom report templates for repeated use (e.g., monthly client billing report).
- Export and share
- Export reports in CSV, XLSX, or PDF for accounting, payroll, or clients.
- Share direct report links or schedule automated report delivery to stakeholders.
Invoicing with TimeCamp
- Configure billing settings
- Set your currency and tax preferences in workspace settings.
- Create default hourly rates and allow per-project or per-user overrides.
- Set hourly rates and fixed fees
- Apply hourly rates to users or projects. For blended rates (team mix), use project-level rates or custom invoice adjustments.
- For fixed-price projects, log internal time for tracking and create manual invoice line items to reflect the fixed fee.
- Create invoices from time entries
- Generate invoices directly from billable time reports:
- Choose the date range and select billable entries.
- Group by client, project, or user as needed.
- Review line items, rates, taxes, and totals before finalizing.
- Customize invoice appearance
- Add your logo, company details, payment terms, and notes to invoices for a professional look.
- Use templates for recurring invoices or similar client needs.
- Send and get paid
- Export invoices as PDF, or send via email directly from TimeCamp.
- Connect payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe) where supported to accept online payments.
- Track invoice status (draft, sent, paid) and reconcile payments in TimeCamp or your accounting software.
Integrations that streamline workflow
- Accounting: QuickBooks, Xero (export or sync invoices and payments).
- Project management: Asana, Trello, Jira, Basecamp (sync tasks and projects).
- Communication: Slack (notifications), Microsoft Teams.
- Payments: PayPal, Stripe (where available for online payments).
- Calendar: Sync calendar events to capture meetings as tracked time.
Use integrations to avoid double-entry and ensure time recorded in third-party tools maps correctly to TimeCamp projects.
Troubleshooting common issues
- Missing time entries: Check desktop/extension is running, and permissions (macOS privacy settings often block app activity).
- Duplicate entries: Ensure only one tracker (desktop or extension) is capturing the same device; disable redundant trackers.
- Incorrect app or website detection: Use manual editing or rules to map ambiguous activity to proper projects/tasks.
- Invoice mismatches: Reconcile billable time report totals with invoice line items; check for unmarked billable entries.
Security and privacy considerations
- Use strong, unique passwords and enable SSO where possible (if your plan supports it).
- Limit admin roles and audit user activity occasionally.
- Ensure exported invoices and financial reports are stored securely.
Example workflow (concise)
- Create client and project in TimeCamp.
- Install desktop app and browser extension.
- Start timer for work sessions and tag entries to the project.
- Mark billable entries and ensure rates are set.
- At month-end, generate billable time report, review, and create invoice.
- Send invoice via email or payment gateway and mark as paid when received.
Final tips
- Automate where possible: use integrations, saved reports, and invoice templates.
- Keep naming and billing conventions consistent across the team.
- Review reports regularly to catch errors before invoicing.
- Train new team members in your TimeCamp workflow to ensure accurate, consistent tracking.
If you want, I can: create sample invoice templates, give a checklist for onboarding team members to TimeCamp, or draft a weekly timesheet approval workflow. Which would you like?
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