Time Tracking & Billable Hours

Q: Can the automation handle rate changes mid-month?

Yes, the automation looks up rates from your current rate card, so updates take effect immediately on new entries.

Q: Does the automation work with our existing time tracking tools?

The automation integrates with mainstream time tracking platforms and can pull data from spreadsheets, email, and calendar sources.

Q: What happens if there's a discrepancy between the timesheet and calculated billable hours?

Discrepancies are flagged automatically so your team can investigate and correct them before invoices are sent for approval.

Q: Will invoices still need human approval before they go out?

Yes, draft invoices are prepared automatically but sent to your project manager or client contact for review and sign-off before final issue.

Accurate billable hours flow from project tools to invoices without anyone chasing timesheets.

252 hrs

Manual time identified

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About This Automation

Time tracking and billable hours processing requires manual consolidation from multiple sources, verification against client codes, rate lookups, and calculation of billable amounts. This fragmented workflow creates delays, data entry errors, and unbilled hours that reduce revenue.

Automation validates time entries against client and project rules, looks up billable rates automatically, calculates amounts with rounding rules applied, and prepares invoice line items ready for approval. The result is faster invoicing, higher accuracy, and fewer missed billable hours.

Key features:

Consolidate time entries from multiple sources into a single validated dataset

Verify billable status and client codes against the master project list automatically

Look up and apply the correct hourly rate for each staff member and client combination

Calculate billable amounts with rounding and discount rules applied

Reconcile calculated totals against original timesheet submissions to catch discrepancies

Prepare invoice line items grouped by client and project for final approval

Data insights How it works Apps used What you get FAQ

Top friction points when done manually

The issues teams report most often with this process

#	Friction point	Companies Report This
1	Multiple time entry sources Time data scattered across email, time tracking software, calendar, and messaging requires manual consolidation.	80%
2	Manual rate lookups Staff member and client rate combinations must be cross-referenced against a separate rate card for each entry.	67%
3	Data entry errors in invoicing Billable amounts are re-keyed from spreadsheets into accounting software, introducing transcription mistakes.	53%
4	Reconciliation delays Discrepancies between calculated totals and original timesheets require manual investigation and correction.	40%
5	Unbilled hours leakage Entries without client codes or incorrect project assignments are missed, reducing monthly billable revenue.	26%

Disclaimer

Automation readiness

How well-suited this process is for automation

Process Pain Score™

9.5/ 10

AI Fit Rating™

9.1/ 10

Automation Lift Index™

8.7/ 10

Hidden Overhead™

7.3/ 10

How The Automation Works

The full workflow, from trigger to completion.

1. Weekly Timesheet Deadline Reachedtrigger

The automation is triggered every Friday at 5 PM or when a timesheet submission is received. It pulls all time entries logged in the past week and Google Calendar.

2. Fetch Time Entries

The automation retrieves all time entries for the week, including duration, project tag, and description. Entries are filtered to include only those marked as billable.

3. Validate Client Code and Billable Status

The automation reviews each entry against a master client list and project code database. Entries without a valid code are flagged and held for manual review. Valid entries are tagged with the correct client and project.

4. Look Up Billable Rate

The automation queries a rate card stored, matching staff member, client, and service type to the correct hourly rate. Rate overrides are applied if the entry has a special rate tag.

5. Calculate Billable Amount

Hours are multiplied by the billable rate and rounded according to company policy. The result is stored as a billable amount for each entry.

6. Create Invoice Line Items

Validated and calculated entries are automatically formatted and posted as invoice line items, grouped by client and project. The invoice is created in draft status.

7. Send Invoice for Approval

A notification is sent to the project manager or finance lead with a summary of billable hours, amounts, and a link to the draft invoice for review.