Guides Time tracking How to track time on a project in Keepr

How to track time on a project in Keepr

Use Keepr's built-in timer or log past work by hand, then turn those hours into an invoice.

Updated 29 May 2026 6 min read
On this page
  1. Open the Time page
  2. Start a timer
  3. While the timer is running
  4. Worked example
  5. Log time manually
  6. How Keepr picks the hourly rate
  7. Editing and managing entries
  8. Turn your hours into an invoice
  9. Reports on your time
  10. Frequently asked questions

To track time on a project in Keepr, open Time in the sidebar, pick a client and project in the timer row, type what you're working on, and click Start. Click Stop when you're done. Keepr saves the entry with a snapshot of the hourly rate so you can bill for it later. Prefer to log time after the fact? Flip the timer into manual mode and type the start and end times.

Billable means time you'll charge a client for. Non-billable is work you did but won't charge for - internal admin, free rework, learning. Both get tracked; only billable hours can roll onto an invoice.

Open the Time page

In the sidebar, click Time (the clock icon) to open Time Logs. The timer sits at the top of the page; below it are filters and your list of logged entries. The same timer also appears on the Today page (Today) if you'd rather work from your daily plan.

Start a timer

The idle timer row on the Time page, showing the description input, client dropdown, project dropdown, billable toggle and Start button.
The idle timer. Pick a client and project, describe the work, then click Start.
  1. Type what you're working on in the What are you working on...? box.
  2. Pick a Client, then a Project. Both dropdowns have a + Add new button if the client or project doesn't exist yet. Choosing a project auto-fills its client.
  3. Leave the £ toggle green for billable, or click it to flip to non-billable (grey).
  4. Click Start.
You need either a description or a client to start - not both. Hit Start with both blank and Keepr shows "Please enter a description or select a client".

While the timer is running

The running timer row with the live duration counter, Stop button and Discard button.
The running timer. Click the duration to adjust the start time if you forgot to start on time.

The row shows a live HH:MM:SS duration. Description, client and project stay editable inline. Click the duration to bring up a picker that lets you adjust the start time.

Click Stop to close and save the entry. If the timer is linked to a task you'll also see Stop & Done, which closes the entry and ticks the task off. The trash icon discards the timer entirely (with a confirm prompt).

Only one timer can run at a time per user. Keepr does not auto-pause when you walk away - if you forget to stop, edit the end time on the entry afterwards.

Worked example

A freelance designer starts a timer for Acme - Website redesign at 9:00am, stops for lunch, starts again, and stops at 6pm with 8 billable hours logged. The Acme project has a project hourly rate of £45, so the day's tracked time is worth 8 × £45 = £360, ready to invoice.

Log time manually

Forgot to start the timer? Switch into manual mode using the pen icon on the right of the idle timer.

The manual time entry row showing description, client, project, start and end time inputs, an auto-calculated duration, a date button and an Add button.
Manual mode. Type a start and end time, pick the date, then hit Add.
  1. Click the pen icon on the right of the timer row to switch into manual mode.
  2. Type a description, pick a client and project, then enter Start and End times in HH:MM 24-hour format (e.g. 14:30). Keepr fills in the Duration as you type.
  3. The date defaults to today - click the calendar icon to pick a different day. Then click Add. The form clears for the next entry, handy when you're catching up on a whole day.
If the end time is earlier than the start, Keepr assumes the entry crosses midnight and rolls the end onto the next day.

How Keepr picks the hourly rate

Every entry gets an hourly rate stamped onto it the moment it saves. Keepr works it out with a three-step cascade - it picks the first level that has a real value (blank or zero counts as "not set"):

PrioritySourceWhere to set it
1Project hourly rateEdit the project at Projects.
2Client hourly rateEdit the client at Clients.
3Account default rateSettings → your default hourly rate.
Because Keepr snapshots the rate onto each entry, raising your prices later doesn't change the rate on your old hours. There's no separate task-level rate - tasks inherit through their project and client.

Editing and managing entries

Every row in the time list is inline-editable - click the description, client, project or times to change them. The icons on the right are quick actions: £ toggles billable, the tick toggles billed (whether the entry's on an invoice yet), the calendar changes the date, the play icon starts a fresh timer using this entry's details, and the trash deletes the entry.

The time entry list grouped by date, with inline fields and a row of icon buttons on the right of each entry.
The time list. Every row is editable; the icons on the right are quick actions.

The filter bar above the list narrows what's shown by Search (description / client / project / task), Client, Project, Billed Status, Billable Status, and a date range. A Clear filters link appears once anything's active.

Turn your hours into an invoice

Top-right of the Time page is the Invoice unbilled time button. Click it to open the Invoice from Time wizard, which lists every billable entry you haven't yet invoiced. Filter the time list by client first and the wizard arrives pre-scoped. Once you've sent the invoice, Keepr stamps those entries as billed so they won't show up next time.

Reports on your time

Two time-specific reports live under Reports. Time Summary shows totals grouped by client, project, day or month, with CSV and Excel export. Time Details shows every individual entry - good for client-ready timesheets. Both work on the Free plan.

Pro: Pro accounts also get the Project Profitability report at Project Profitability, which compares the estimate you set on each project against the hours you actually tracked - a quick way to see which clients are profitable and which are eating your time.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to pick a project to track time?
No. Client, Project and Task are all optional - a description alone is enough. You get more out of reports if you fill them in, though.
What if I forget to stop the timer?
Keepr keeps counting - there's no auto-pause. When you spot it, hit Stop and then edit the entry's end time on the time list. All rows are inline-editable. Only one timer can run at a time per user.
Is there a task-level hourly rate?
No. The cascade goes project → client → account default. Tasks inherit through their project and client. If a single task needs a different rate, put it on its own project with that rate set.
What's the difference between billable and billed?
Billable means "I plan to charge for this". Billed means "this is on an invoice". The £ button controls billable; the tick controls billed (Keepr flips it automatically when you invoice the time).
Is time tracking free?
Yes - timer, manual entry, time list, time-to-invoice conversion, and the Time Summary and Time Details reports are all free, with no caps. Project Profitability is Pro-only.
Ready to start tracking your hours?
Open the timer

Related guides

Time tracking
Adding manual time entries in Keepr
Time tracking
Setting hourly rates in Keepr