Timesheets

Know Where Your Hours Go

Time is money — literally, when you're a tradesman. Whether you charge by the hour or just want to know how long jobs actually take, timesheets give you the real numbers. No guessing, no rounding up, no "I think it was about four hours".

Logging Time

Recording your hours is dead simple:

1. Go to Timesheets from the main menu
2. Tap Log Time
3. Pick the team member (if you have a team)
4. Select the job or lead it's for
5. Enter the date and hours (or start/end times)
6. Add notes about what was done
7. Save

You can also use Job Timers to track time in real-time — start a timer when you arrive on site, stop it when you leave. The timer automatically creates a timesheet entry when stopped.

What Timesheets Track

Every timesheet entry captures:

• Who — which team member logged the time
• When — date and hours worked
• Where — which job it's linked to
• What — notes on the work done
• Appointments — scheduled visits automatically count as time entries

This means you've got a complete picture of labour on every job. Handy when a customer asks why a job cost what it did — you can show them exactly how many hours went in.

Viewing Team Hours

The timesheets page shows you data in multiple formats:

• Weekly view — time logged by each team member for the selected week
• Monthly view — monthly breakdown showing totals per person
• Custom date ranges — any period you want to analyse
• Filter by team member — see individual schedules and productivity
• Filter by job — total time spent on specific projects

Example: You quoted 8 hours for a rewire but timesheets show it took 12. Next time, you know to quote higher.

Invoice Generation from Timesheets

Here's where it gets really useful — you can generate invoices directly from timesheet data:

1. In the timesheets view, select the time entries you want to bill
2. Choose the date range and team member
3. Set your hourly rate
4. Tap Generate Invoice
5. A.X.E.L creates an invoice with all the hours itemised

Perfect for hourly billing or subcontractor payments. No more manually calculating hours and rates.

Appointments as Time Entries

Scheduled appointments automatically appear in your timesheet data. When you mark an appointment as completed, it counts towards your logged hours for that job.

This means less double-entry — your calendar appointments become timesheet records automatically.

Why Bother?

Loads of tradesmen skip timesheets because it feels like admin. But here's what tracking your time actually gives you:

• Accurate quoting — you'll know how long jobs really take, not how long you think they take
• Fair pay — if you're paying team members by the hour, you've got proper records
• Job costing — combine timesheet data with material costs and you know your actual profit on every job
• Hourly billing — generate invoices straight from logged hours
• Dispute protection — if a customer argues about labour charges, you've got timestamped records

Tips for Making It Stick

The biggest challenge with timesheets is actually remembering to fill them in. Here's what works:

• Use job timers — start/stop timers create timesheet entries automatically
• Log it on the day — don't try to remember Friday's hours on Monday
• Schedule appointments — completed appointments count as logged time
• Keep notes brief — "Fitted radiators in bedroom and bathroom" is plenty
• Get your team doing it too — if everyone logs time, you'll have a proper picture of your business

Timesheets might feel like a faff at first, but after a month you'll wonder how you managed without them. The data is gold for running a tighter, more profitable operation.