Set Up Time Tracking From Scratch

Time tracking only pays off if the hours you log are already pointed at the right rate, the right project, and the right client. A few minutes of setup now means every minute you track later flows straight onto an invoice, no math required. Let’s get the foundation in place.

Set your default rate first

Before you start a single timer, decide what an hour of your work is worth. Tasks in Fee-Lion bill as hours × rate, so your hourly rate is the number that turns tracked time into money.

1. Open Settings → Preferences from the left sidebar.
2. Under Estimates, set your default hourly rate so new task line items start with it pre-filled.
3. While you’re there, check your tax and deposit defaults so converted invoices inherit the right terms.

You can always override the rate on an individual task or invoice, but a sensible default saves you from retyping it on every job.

Tip: If you charge different rates for different kinds of work (design vs. revisions, say), set your most common rate as the default and adjust the outliers per line item. It’s faster than starting from zero every time.

Create a project to track against

Tracked hours need a home. A project gives your time somewhere to land, keeps related work together, and lets you see margin once expenses come in.

1. Go to Projects in the left sidebar and create a new one.
2. Attach it to a client so the hours you log are tied to the right company and contact.
3. Add checklists for the goals you’re tracking toward, so progress and time stay in step.

If you don’t have a client in the system yet, you can add one on the spot while creating the project, then come back and start tracking.

Connect Stripe so billable hours can get paid

The whole point of tracking time is sending an invoice that someone can actually pay. Connecting your Stripe account closes that loop, money for your billed hours lands in your own account, not ours.

• This is a one-time setup, and it’s required before a client can hit the Pay button on an invoice.
• Once it’s connected, tracked hours can be billed to an invoice and collected by card.

If you’re not ready to take card payments yet, you can still track and bill hours, you just won’t have the Pay button live until Stripe is linked.

Do a dry run

With a rate, a project, and Stripe in place, log a few test minutes to confirm everything connects. Open the project, start the timer, let it run, then stop it and watch the entry appear ready to bill. If the rate and client look right, your setup is solid, and you’ll never have to think about it again. For a shortcut, the ⌘K command palette can jump you straight to a project or an invoice from anywhere in the app.

What’s next

• Use the timer
• Track and record time
• Bill tracked time to an invoice
• Connect Stripe to get paid