> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.charle.agency/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

> Track time against tasks, tickets, and activities in CharleOS

Time tracking in CharleOS helps you log hours against client work, meetings, and administrative tasks. Your time entries feed into billing calculations, utilization metrics, and performance reports.

## Why track time

Time tracking in CharleOS serves multiple purposes:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Billing" icon="credit-card">
    Billable time entries contribute to client invoicing and revenue tracking
  </Card>

  <Card title="Utilization" icon="chart-line">
    Track how much of your capacity is spent on billable vs non-billable work
  </Card>

  <Card title="Performance" icon="gauge">
    Monitor efficiency by comparing estimated vs actual time
  </Card>

  <Card title="Planning" icon="calendar">
    Historical time data improves future estimation accuracy
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What you can track

### Billable work

Track time against client deliverables:

* **Tasks & subtasks** - Work on specific deliverables
* **Help desk tickets** - Support and maintenance work
* **Project tasks** - Fixed-scope project work

<Info>
  Time entries are only billable when linked to a task, subtask, or help desk ticket. The system automatically marks entries as billable based on these links.
</Info>

### Non-billable work

Track time that doesn't bill to clients:

* **Client calls** - Meetings and calls with clients
* **Internal meetings** - Team standups, planning sessions, 1:1s
* **Support** - General support work not tied to tickets
* **Admin** - Timesheets, expenses, administrative tasks

## How time tracking works

### Log time in three ways

1. **Log Time Wizard** - General-purpose time logging from anywhere
2. **Context dialogs** - Log time directly from tasks, tickets, or projects
3. **Task completion** - Automatically log time when marking work complete

### Time entry requirements

Every time entry needs:

* **Date** - When the work was done (cannot be future dates)
* **Duration** - How long you worked (1-720 minutes / 12 hours max)
* **Activity type** - What kind of work it was
* **Client or Internal** - Who the work was for

Optional details:

* **Task/subtask** - Link to specific deliverable
* **Help desk ticket** - Link to support ticket
* **Notes** - Context about the work

## Activity types

CharleOS uses activity types to categorize your time:

| Activity Type        | Billable?         | Used For                                   |
| -------------------- | ----------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| **Task**             | Yes (when linked) | Client deliverable work on tasks/subtasks  |
| **Help Desk**        | Yes (when linked) | Help desk tickets and support requests     |
| **Client Call**      | No                | Scheduled or ad-hoc calls with clients     |
| **Internal Meeting** | No                | Team meetings, standups, planning sessions |
| **Support**          | No                | General support work not tied to tickets   |
| **Admin**            | No                | Administrative tasks, timesheets, expenses |

<Note>
  See [Activity Types](/user-guide/time-tracking/activity-types) for detailed guidance on when to use each type.
</Note>

## Billable vs non-billable

### How billability works

Time entries are automatically marked billable when:

1. Activity type is **Task**, AND
2. Entry is linked to a task, subtask, or help desk ticket

All other activity types and unlinked task entries are non-billable.

### Why it matters

* **Billable time** contributes to client invoicing and counts toward utilization targets
* **Non-billable time** is tracked for capacity planning but doesn't bill clients
* Your utilization percentage is calculated as: `Billable Hours / Available Hours`

<Tip>
  Always link Task entries to the relevant task or subtask to ensure they're marked billable.
</Tip>

## Where to find time tracking

### My Time Tracking

Access your personal time entries:

* Navigate to **My Time Tracking** in the sidebar
* View all your time entries in a searchable table
* Filter by date range, client, or activity type
* Edit or delete your entries

### Active Tasks

Quick access to work in progress:

* Click the **Active Tasks** button in the header (Delivery Team only)
* See tasks you're currently working on
* Complete tasks and log time in one step

### Management View

Managers can oversee team time tracking:

* Navigate to **Management → Time Tracking**
* View all team members' time entries
* Bulk operations for corrections
* Export data for reporting

## Time entry rules

### Date restrictions

* Cannot log time for future dates
* Can log time for any past date

### Duration limits

* Minimum: 1 minute
* Maximum: 720 minutes (12 hours) per entry

### Validation

* Help desk tickets require a linked ticket when activity type is "Help Desk"
* Task entries should be linked to tasks/subtasks for billing
* Client must be active and not deleted

## Quick start

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Log Time Wizard">
    Click the user menu → Log Time, or navigate to My Time Tracking → Log Time
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select work type">
    Choose Internal or Client work, then select a client if applicable
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose activity type">
    Select what kind of work you did (Task, Client Call, etc.)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add details">
    Link to a task or ticket if relevant
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter time">
    Specify the date, duration (in minutes), and any notes
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submit">
    Review and submit your time entry
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Logging Time" icon="clock" href="/user-guide/time-tracking/logging-time">
    Step-by-step guide to logging time entries
  </Card>

  <Card title="Activity Types" icon="list" href="/user-guide/time-tracking/activity-types">
    When to use each activity type
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tasks" icon="check-square" href="/user-guide/tasks">
    Learn about task management
  </Card>

  <Card title="Help Desk" icon="headset" href="/user-guide/help-desk">
    Understand help desk workflows
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Best practices

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Log daily" icon="calendar-day">
    Log time at the end of each day while the work is fresh in your mind
  </Card>

  <Card title="Be specific" icon="pen">
    Add notes explaining what you worked on - helps with billing disputes
  </Card>

  <Card title="Link to tasks" icon="link">
    Always link Task entries to tasks/subtasks to ensure they're billable
  </Card>

  <Card title="Check accuracy" icon="check">
    Review your weekly time entries to catch any mistakes before billing
  </Card>
</CardGroup>