PSA Tutorial 2 of 8

Track billable time and convert it to an invoice

Log time against the right task, get it approved, and turn billable hours into an invoice - without re-entering a single number by hand.

Uses: Time Tracking, Tasks, InvoicingOutcome: one full time-to-invoice cycle completed
1

Choose timer or manual entry

Why it matters: a live timer captures time in real time as work happens; manual entry is faster for logging time after the fact, but the project needs to allow it.
  1. In Project Settings, check whether manual_timelog is enabled - this determines whether team members can type in hours after the fact or must use the timer.
  2. To use the live timer: open a task and click Start Timer. It supports pause, resume, and stop.
  3. To log manually (if enabled): click Add Time Log and enter the hours directly.
What you'll see: a running timer on the task if using the live option, or a new time log entry if using manual.
2

Log time against the right task

Why it matters: time logged against the wrong task or project is time that's much harder to bill correctly later.
  1. Every time log ties to a specific project + task + user - confirm all three are correct before saving.
  2. If the time included a break, note it - breaks recorded within a running timer are excluded from tracked hours automatically.
  3. Mark the entry as billable if it should count toward the client invoice (non-billable time, like internal QA, should stay unmarked).
What you'll see: the logged hours appear on the task and roll up into the project's total time log.
3

Set the billing rate

Why it matters: the hourly rate is what converts logged hours into a dollar (or other currency) amount on the invoice.
  1. Set an hourly rate at the project or user level, depending on how your firm prices work.
  2. Billable earnings are computed automatically from logged time × this rate - no manual multiplication needed.
What you'll see: a running billable total visible on the project, updating as more time is logged.
4

Get the timelog approved

Why it matters: approval is the checkpoint that catches errors before they reach a client invoice - not after.
  1. The project manager reviews pending time logs and approves or flags them.
  2. If your team submits time weekly rather than per-entry, use Weekly Timesheets instead - team members submit a full week at once for approval, and the manager can approve or reject with a reason.
Long-running timers trigger an alert, so forgotten "still running" timers get caught before they inflate a timesheet.
What you'll see: the timelog or weekly timesheet moves to an approved state, ready to be billed.
5

Generate the invoice

Why it matters: this is the step that turns approved, billable hours directly into client revenue.
  1. From the project's Invoices tab, choose Create Invoice from Timelogs.
  2. Select the date range or specific approved, billable time logs to include.
  3. Review the auto-populated line items - hours × rate, per task - then apply any taxes.
  4. Send the invoice to the client.
What you'll see: a new invoice in unpaid status, with line items pulled directly from the approved timelogs - no manual re-entry.

Tutorial complete

You've completed a full time-to-invoice cycle. Next, see how to run this at the whole-team level with weekly timesheet approvals.

Next: Running a Weekly Timesheet Approval Workflow

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