Forum Moderators: LifeinAsia
It's okay, but there's got to be something better out there. I'd prefer freeware/shareware, but if the software is really good, I'd probably be willing to pay a reasonable amount.
I'm especially interested in software that will allow me to charge different rates for different clients/projects/services without having to manually change the rate each time I change the service/client/etc.
So what's everyone/anyone using to track (and charge back) time to their clients? Any and all suggestions are welcome! :)
I sometimes just assign a different category for different clients (you can assign different rates for different categories of service).
The nice thing about QuickBooks Pro (and you need the Pro version to track time) is that it is integrated with your checkbook and all other accounting functions, so you can track your time, create the invoice, track the payments and make the deposits all in the same program.
I'd be interested to hear what others are using.
Time Stamp lets me click an icon and immediately starts a timer running. When I'm finished with the activity, I click an icon and the program stops its clock and records exactly how much time I spent on whatever the activity was. It allows me to assigns notes to the activity as well.
In other words, I click to start Time Stamp, then start doing a few things for Client A (create a graphic or two, do some SEO-type research, then work on site content). I return to Time Stamp, click to stop the timer, then enter a few notes on what I've just done over the past 2 hours and 27 minutes. The program tracks the individual project/client and creates a report indicating how much time I spent working on the client's site and provides figures at whatever my hourly rate is.
Am I making sense? I know attorneys have programs that do the same thing, but they sell at attorney prices, if you know what I mean. I'm looking for something less expensive than the average attorney can afford. ;)
As for the percentage issue in Quickbooks Pro - do you mean that you've got to calculate what percentage of $100/hour gives you $35/hour, then enter that calculation into the program? Sounds like it wasn't really designed for timekeeping, though I can see where it would come in handy for creating invoices and such.
As for the different price levels, that is correct - you have one standard rate for a given service, and any other rates for different clients have to be calculated as a percentage og that figure. A strange way to do it, IMHO.
