Time Tracking in Invoice Genie lets you record billable hours, pause and resume work sessions, and convert tracked time directly into invoices. Whether you bill clients by the hour or use flat rates, the built-in timer handles everything — from the moment you start working to the moment you send the invoice. This guide covers every feature of the Time Tracking tool.

How to Open Time Tracking

1. Tap the More tab in the bottom navigation bar (the chat-bubble icon on the far right).
2. Under the Tools section, tap “Time Tracking” (blue clock icon).

You can also open it by tapping the Dynamic Island or Lock Screen Live Activity while a timer is running — it takes you straight to the active entry.

Understanding the Time Tracking Screen

The main screen has three key areas:

Toolbar Icons (Top Right)

The + button is disabled if a timer is already active or if you don’t have access to a business profile.

Unbilled & Billed Tabs

Below the toolbar, two tabs organize your entries:

Each tab shows a count badge with the number of entries. Entries that are still being timed (running timers) do not appear in either tab until you save them.

Active Timer Banner

When a timer is running, a banner appears at the top of the list showing:

• A green pulsing dot (tracking) or yellow dot (paused)
• The project name and client name
• A live timer in HH:MM:SS format
• A Pause/Resume button — tap it to pause or continue tracking

Tap anywhere on the banner to jump back into the full timer view.

Monthly Groups

Entries are grouped by month. Each month header shows:

• The month and year in a colored card
• The total duration for that month (e.g., “7h 30m”)
• A circular progress ring showing what percentage of a standard 160-hour work month has been tracked

Tap the total to see an explanation of the progress percentage.

Starting a Timer

1. Tap the + button in the top-right corner.
2. On the timer screen, select a client — this is required before you can start. Tap the Client card and choose from your client list.
3. Optionally fill in:
   • Project Name — a label like “Website Redesign” or “Monthly Bookkeeping”
   • Notes — describe what you’re working on
4. Tap “Start Tracking”.

The timer begins counting immediately. You’ll see a large digital display showing HR : MIN : SEC with blinking separators and a green “TRACKING” indicator.

Pausing and Resuming

You don’t need to stop the timer for breaks — just pause it:

1. On the timer screen, tap the yellow pause button (center).
2. The status changes to “PAUSED” with a yellow indicator and the clock freezes.
3. When you’re ready to continue, tap the green play button.

You can also pause and resume from the active timer banner on the main list screen without opening the full timer view.

Paused time is not counted toward the total duration. Invoice Genie tracks exactly how long you were paused so your billable hours are accurate.

Saving a Time Entry

When you’re finished working:

1. Tap the blue checkmark (Save) button on the timer screen.
2. The timer stops, the final duration is locked, and the entry moves to the Unbilled tab.

After saving, you’re taken to the Saved Entry Details screen, where you can review the entry or create an invoice from it.

Discarding an Entry

If you started a timer by mistake:

1. Tap the red X (Discard) button on the timer screen.
2. Confirm by tapping “Discard” in the alert.

The entry is permanently removed. This cannot be undone.

Viewing a Saved Entry

Tap any entry in the Unbilled or Billed list to see its details:

• Date card — shows the calendar date with month, day, and year
• Duration — the total tracked time
• Status badges:
  • “Tracked” (blue) — the entry has been saved
  • “Synced” (green checkmark) — synced to the server
  • “Billed” (yellow document) — linked to an invoice
• Project name, client name and email, and notes
• Invoice link — if billed, tap to open the associated invoice

Editing a Time Entry

You can edit any unbilled entry (billed entries are locked):

1. Tap the entry to open it.
2. Tap the “Edit” button in the top-right corner.
3. You can change:
   • Date — tap the pencil icon next to the date to pick a new one
   • Duration — tap the pencil icon to open a wheel picker for hours and minutes
   • Client — clear the current client with the X button and select a new one
   • Project Name — edit the text field
   • Notes — edit or use the AI Improve button to polish your text
4. Tap “Save” to apply your changes.

Deleting Time Entries

Delete a Single Entry

1. Swipe left on any entry in the list.
2. Tap the red Delete button.
3. Confirm by tapping “Delete” in the alert.

Delete Multiple Entries (Bulk Delete)

1. Tap the checkmark icon in the toolbar to enter multi-select mode.
2. Tap entries to select them — a blue checkmark appears on each selected row.
3. Use “Select All” to select every entry in the current tab, or “Deselect All” to clear selections.
4. Tap the red trash icon in the header.
5. Confirm the bulk deletion.

To exit multi-select mode without deleting, tap the X button in the selection header.

Filtering and Sorting

Tap the filter icon (three horizontal lines) to open the Sort Options sheet:

Year Filter

Filter entries by year — choose a specific year or “All Years” to see everything. Only years with existing entries are listed.

Sort By

Sort Order

Choose Ascending (oldest/smallest first) or Descending (newest/largest first).

Tap “Apply” to apply your selections. Your sort preferences are remembered between sessions.

Billing a Time Entry (Creating an Invoice)

This is the core workflow — turning tracked time into an invoice you can send to your client.

Method 1: Swipe to Bill

1. On the Unbilled tab, swipe left on an entry.
2. Tap the green “Bill” button.
3. The billing sheet opens with the entry details pre-filled.

Method 2: From the Entry Details

1. Tap an unbilled entry to open its details.
2. Tap the “Create Invoice” button at the bottom.

Billing Options

On the billing screen you can configure:

The total is calculated automatically and displayed at the bottom.

What Happens When You Bill

1. Tapping “Create Invoice” opens the invoice editor with everything pre-filled — client, line item description, quantity, rate, and (if enabled) notes about work sessions.
2. Review and save the invoice.
3. The time entry is automatically marked as billed and moves to the Billed tab.

The invoice line item includes your project name, notes, and optionally a breakdown of each work session (start time, end time, and duration).

Marking an Entry as Unbilled Again

Changed your mind? You can reverse the billing:

1. Go to the Billed tab.
2. Swipe left on the entry.
3. Tap the orange “Mark Unbilled” button.

The entry moves back to the Unbilled tab. Note that this does not delete the invoice — it only unlinks the time entry from it.

Entry List Details

Each entry row in the list shows:

• Duration — displayed in hours (e.g., “2.5”) with an “hrs” label
• Project name (or “Untitled Entry” if none was set)
• Client name and the date (e.g., “Jan 15”)
• A green “Billed” badge with a checkmark (only in the Billed tab)

Swipe Actions Reference

Background Tracking & Sync

• Background tracking — Your timer keeps running even when the app is closed. A Live Activity on the Dynamic Island and Lock Screen shows the elapsed time.
• Auto-sync — Time entries sync to the server every 60 seconds. If you’re offline, entries are saved locally and synced automatically when you reconnect.
• Cross-device — Entries sync between all your devices. Start a timer on your iPhone and see it immediately on the web portal.

Tips & Best Practices

• Always select a client before starting — the Start button is disabled until you do.
• Use project names consistently — it makes filtering and sorting much easier.
• Pause instead of stopping — if you take a break, pause the timer so the total time is accurate.
• Turn on “Include Tracking Details” when billing — it adds a professional breakdown of your work sessions to the invoice.
• Edit duration after the fact — if you forgot to start or stop the timer, you can manually correct the hours and minutes on any unbilled entry.
• Use AI Improve on notes — it cleans up your quick jottings into polished client-facing descriptions before billing.