Tracking employee time is essential for businesses to understand workloads, optimize staffing, and bill clients accurately. QuickBooks Desktop provides robust tools to log and manage time, but effectively using them requires some strategy.
In this guide, we’ll walk through a step-by-step process for setting up time tracking in QuickBooks Desktop and managing the data. Follow along to learn how to capture employee time, gain insights, and keep your business running smoothly.
Step 1: Enable Time Tracking and Set Up Users
The first step is enabling time tracking and creating user accounts for employees within QuickBooks. Here’s how:
- Go to Edit > Preferences and click Time Tracking in the left vertical menu.
- Check the box to enable time tracking.
- Click OK to save the settings.
Now time tracking is activated in your company file.
Next, for each employee:
- Go to Employees > Employee Center
- Click New Employee and create their user profile.
- Enable Time Tracking for this user
- Choose a Weekly Limit (hours) for notifications
With users set up, employees can now log time to track their work.
Step 2: Create Tasks and Services for Time Entries
To capture what work is being done, create Tasks and Services that employees can log time against.
Tasks track larger projects and categories of work. For example:
- Website Redesign Project
- Monthly Reporting Tasks
- General Administration
Services are specific activities like:
- Graphic design
- Data analysis
- Email correspondence
With organized Tasks and Services, time logs will have the proper context. Employees simply choose the relevant items when making entries.
Step 3: Set Up Employees to Track Time
With the foundation in place, instruct employees how to track time using the following methods:
Stopwatch Timer
The stopwatch timer tracks time elapsed for a single activity or task. Employees:
- Go to Company > Enter Time > Use Stopwatch
- Select Task and Service
- Hit Start to run the timer while working
- Hit Stop and Save Time when finished
Single Time Activity
For quick, one-off time entries, employees can log a single block of time:
- Go to Company > Enter Time > Time/Enter Single Activity
- Enter Date, Duration, Description etc
- Click Save
Easy for quick sessions not worth starting a timer.
Weekly Timesheet
For regular, weekly time tracking, use the timesheet:
- Go to Company > Enter Time > Use Weekly Timesheet
- For each day, select a Task/Service and enter Duration
- At week’s end, review and Submit the timesheet
Structured way to cleanly track weekly hours.
With these time tracking methods mastered, employees should track time consistently.
Step 4: Review and Manage Captured Time Data
Once employees are tracking time, administrators can leverage QuickBooks’ tools to gain insights.
Review Employee Time Logs
Check detailed time reports for each employee under Reports > Employees & Payroll > Time Tracking.
View total hours, activities, billable status and more. Make sure time logs are complete and accurate.
Manage Billing for Time Worked
For client billable work, transform time into invoices:
- Select time entries and click Create Invoice
- Review invoice line items populated from time data
- Adjust as needed then send to client
Easily bill for employee time with just a few clicks.
Analyze Project Progress
To see time spent per Task or Service, run a Time by Job Report (Reports > Jobs, Time & Mileage > Time by Job).
Use this to analyze progress on key projects and identify over/under-utilized resources.
Optimize Staff Workloads
If certain employees show overloaded timesheets, redistribute work. Or hire additional staff if entire team is at capacity.
Manage workloads actively for a smooth-running operation.
Step 5: Ongoing Monitoring and Adaptation
Actively manage your time tracking by:
- Checking timeliness of employee time log submissions each week
- Reviewing for any erroneous or duplicate time entries
- Following up on unclear or missing time log details
- Streamlining processes based on learnings and feedback
Additionally, hold month-end meetings with employees to identify any time tracking roadblocks and areas for improvement.
Continuous, collaborative monitoring ensures accurate data and optimal workflows long-term. Employees should feel supported with time tracking, not burdened.
Conclusion and Next Steps
With the proper strategy, QuickBooks Desktop provides robust tools for time management. Not only are logs captured, but they generate actionable insights.
Some next steps to leverage time tracking further:
- Evaluate integration with billing and payroll
- Set up Project Management workflows based on time analysis
- Use data to forecast future staffing needs proactively
Accurate time data is immensely valuable for improving business productivity and strategic decision making. Use QuickBooks as a platform for this invaluable insight.
To learn more about maximizing QuickBooks Desktop for your organization, explore the in-depth training resources available. Investing in skills and knowledge will accelerate leveraging its potential.