Track billable hours for free. From first minute to timesheet.

What each time entry needs

Whatever you use, every entry should hold the same few facts. Leave one out and the invoice becomes guesswork.

• Date, start and end (or a duration), so you can show when the work happened.
• Client and project, so one client's hours never land on another's invoice.
• A short description the client will understand: Homepage copy, second round of edits rather than stuff.
• Billable or not. Track the unbillable time too: it tells you what a project really cost you.
• Rate and amount, worked out from the billable hours.

Rates per client, and per project

Most freelancers end up with more than one rate: a long-standing client on one price, a new one on another, a rush job above both. Set a rate on each client, and override it on a project only when that project is priced differently. When you raise a rate, decide whether it applies to work already done, and make sure your records show which rate each invoice used.

Round fairly, and say how

Rounding turns 13 minutes into a billable unit. Two choices matter: the step (6 minutes is a tenth of an hour, 15 minutes a quarter) and the direction (up, down or to the nearest).

Rounding each entry and rounding the total give different results. Three 10-minute calls rounded up to 15 minutes each bill 45 minutes; rounded as one 30-minute total, they bill 30. Neither is wrong, but your client should know which rule you use. Put it in your quote or contract, and apply it the same way every time.

To convert minutes into decimal hours for an invoice, divide by 60: 1 h 20 min is 1.33 h, 45 min is 0.75 h.

Doing it in a spreadsheet

Columns: Date, Start, End, Client, Project, Description, Billable, Hours, Rate, Amount. With Start in column B and End in column C, these formulas work in Excel and Google Sheets:

Hours:            =(C2-B2)*24
Rounded up to 15: =CEILING((C2-B2)*24, 0.25)
Amount:           =H2*I2
Past midnight:    =MOD(C2-B2, 1)*24

A spreadsheet is fine until you forget to write down a start time. That's where a timer helps.

Track billable hours with Hourwright

1. Add clients and rates. In Setup, add each client with an hourly rate and currency, then add projects. A project uses its client's rate unless you give it its own.
2. Choose your rounding. In Setup, under Rounding, round each billable entry to 6, 15 or 30 minutes (or another step), up, down or to the nearest. Your tracked time itself never changes.
3. Track the time. On Track, describe the task, pick the project and press Start timer, or press S. Forgot? Add the entry by hand with its date, start and end.
4. Run the report. In Report, pick the date range and filter by client. You see tracked hours, billable hours and the amount.
5. Send the timesheet. Download a CSV, print or save a PDF, copy a summary for your invoice email, or copy a client link with the timesheet inside it.

What a timesheet for your client should show

• The period covered and the client's name.
• One line per entry: date, description, billable hours, rate and amount.
• Totals at the bottom: hours and amount, per currency if you bill in more than one.
• Your rounding rule, in one sentence, if you round.

Hourwright's CSV has these columns: Date, Start, End, Client, Project, Description, Hours, Billable, Billable hours (rounded), Rate, Currency, Amount. It opens in any spreadsheet.

Comparing time trackers? Read the free-plan comparison with sources.