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Zoho Books

Time Entry (Books)

A time entry in Zoho Books is a record of hours spent on a project or task, associated with a team member,…

A time entry in Zoho Books is a record of hours spent on a project or task, associated with a team member, marked as billable or non-billable, and used to generate customer invoices and track project time budgets.

Logging Time Entries in Zoho Books

Time entries can be logged in several ways. Manually: go to Time Tracking, Log Time, and enter the date, project, task, duration, and billable status. Using the timer: click Start Timer in Zoho Books and work while the timer runs, then stop it and the duration is recorded automatically. Via the Zoho Books mobile app: consultants and field teams can log time on the go. Via the Zoho Books API: if you use a project management tool, you can push time logs to Zoho Books automatically.

Billable vs. Non-Billable Time

Every time entry in Zoho Books can be marked as billable (chargeable to the client) or non-billable (internal time not charged). Internal meetings, administrative tasks, and training hours are typically non-billable. Client work, research for a project, and deliverable creation are typically billable. The Project Summary report shows both billable and non-billable hours, helping managers understand how much uncompensated time each project is consuming.

Time Entries and Invoice Generation

When you bill a project in Zoho Books, the system shows all logged billable time entries that have not yet been invoiced. You select which entries to include, and Zoho Books generates the invoice with each task and its hours as line items, multiplied by the billing rate. Once included in an invoice, time entries are marked as “Billed” and do not appear in subsequent billing runs, preventing double billing.

Industry: Legal Services — A Pune law firm logs time for each client matter in Zoho Books using the timer feature. Partners log at INR 5,000 per hour; associates log at INR 2,500 per hour. At the end of each month, the billing partner reviews unbilled time entries per matter and approves the monthly invoice. Zoho Books generates the invoice showing each timekeeper, their hours, and their rate.
What is Time Entry in Zoho Books?

A time entry in Zoho Books records hours worked on a project or task, with a billable or non-billable flag. Billable entries are converted directly into customer invoice line items when the project is billed.

How do I log a time entry in Zoho Books?

Go to Time Tracking, Log Time. Enter the date, project, task, duration, and billable status. Or use the built-in timer and stop it when done. The entry appears in the project’s unbilled items list until invoiced.

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