Time Entry
A time entry is a single logged record of work performed — typically containing: start/end time or duration, project and task assignment, billable/non-billable status, description of work done, and the user who logged it. Time entries are the atomic unit of every time tracking system.
What a time entry contains
A complete time entry has:
Required:
- Duration (e.g., 1.5 hours) or start/end time (e.g., 09:00–10:30)
- User (who did the work)
- Date
Recommended:
- Project assignment (which client/project this time belongs to)
- Task or description (what work was done)
- Billable flag (yes/no)
Optional:
- Hourly rate (for billing calculation)
- Tags (for categorisation across projects)
- Notes (additional context for client reporting)
How time entries are created
Real-time timer: User starts a timer at the beginning of a task and stops it at the end. The duration is calculated automatically. This produces the most accurate time entries.
Manual entry: User adds a time entry after the fact — specifying either duration or start/end time. This is retroactive entry — accuracy depends on memory quality and recency.
Automatic capture (Timely): App records all computer activity; AI suggests entries for user approval. User reviews and confirms rather than creating from scratch.
Integration-triggered entry: User clicks a timer button inside Asana, Jira, or another tool — the time entry is pre-populated with the project/task data from the integration. Bridges real-time tracking and integration workflow.
The description field matters for client reporting
The most common time entry mistake is a vague or empty description. Time entries with no description are useless for client reporting and difficult to review in approval workflows.
Bad: “Design work” Good: “Homepage wireframe — second revision round per client feedback 15 May”
At invoice time, good descriptions become defensible billing. Bad descriptions become disputes.
Most tools allow required-field enforcement on descriptions (Toggl Track Premium, Harvest Pro). Enabling this prevents empty descriptions from being saved.
Editing and correcting time entries
Time entries can typically be edited until they’re approved (in tools with approval workflows) or until the lock period closes (in tools with configurable time locks).
Best practice: allow same-day edits freely. Allow end-of-week edits with manager visibility. Lock entries after approval or after the payroll/invoice period closes.
Editing time entries after invoicing creates accounting inconsistency. If a time entry needs correction after an invoice has been sent, create a credit note rather than editing the underlying time record.
Time entry format standards
Different industries have different time entry precision requirements:
- Legal billing: 6-minute increments (0.1 hours). “0.3 hours — reviewed contract clause” is the standard format. Time Doctor and Clio support this.
- Agency billing: Hour or half-hour increments. “1.5 hours — client call” is standard.
- Agile development (Jira): Story points or hours per ticket. Jira’s work log accepts hours; story points are separate.
- Payroll (employment): Exact start/end times for FLSA compliance. “09:00–17:30 including 30-minute unpaid lunch = 8 hours worked” is the format Hubstaff and payroll-integrated tools require.