You use QuickBooks because, well, everyone uses QuickBooks. Okay, that’s not completely true. But there’s no denying that QuickBooks is still the software of choice for many small businesses. If that’s you, tools that integrate with QuickBooks allow you to cut down on duplicate entries and free you up for the business of running your business.
I’ve pulled together a selection of time tracking software options that play nicely with QuickBooks.
Time tracking is a right palaver [hyperlink editor’s]. Any time you actively work on managing time tracking, you’re basically spending effort to be a clock – a spreadsheet, at best. To help you spend less time spinning your wheels.
Software lets you keep an eye on the work being done in your office without it taking up your whole day. On top of that, time tracking software that integrates with Quickbooks gives you an even better idea of how the money you spend is turning into effort.
Here are five great options, presented in alphabetical order, or reverse-reverse alphabetical order, if you like.
BillQuick
All of these programs are QuickBooks approved, in one way or another. BillQuick is an approved app and you can find it in Intuit’s app Center.
The program requires no installation, as the whole thing is cloud-based. You access it through an online portal or a native app. The system allows users to track time against projects, record expenses, and attach receipts and documents to their submissions. In addition to all that, you can run a nice series of reports right in the app, so you might never need to touch the time reporting functions in QuickBooks.
BillQuick supports lots of different employee types, so you can use it with hourly, full-time, and contract employees. On the QuickBooks side, BillQuick integrates easily, and you can use the QuickBooks Integration Wizard to get up and running. For users who need a bit more oversight, there are plenty of options to sync only the data you need.
BillQuick comes in two flavors. Professional runs $20 per user, per month and lacks some of the accounts payable and billing options. Enterprise is $25 per user, per month and comes with everything.
BigTime
BigTime is a time tracker with plenty of features, but it’s a little more focused on time tracking than BillQuick, which offers more bells and whistles. BigTime lets you track time and expenses, and gives you tools to run reports on the time that your team has worked.
There’s a similar project time tracking setup, so you can see what everyone is working on and where you’re spending all of your precious time. If you move beyond the cheapest option -- $5.60 per user, per month – you’ll have access to budget tools, time and materials style invoices, workflow management tools, and bunch of other little winners. That level costs $16 per user, per month.
At the highest level - $19.20 per user, per month – you’ll be able to create unlimited sub-tasks, manage variable cost rates, and get a special syncing tool for QuickBooks Desktop.
eBillity Time Tracker
Time Tracker is a really nice option if you need some basics and aren’t interested in a lot of the extra billing pieces that come with some of the other trackers. At its most basic, Time Tracker gives you time tracking tools for your desktop, phone, or through Outlook – you can turn meetings into billable time with a click.
Time Tracker also comes in Spanish, which is a nice little bonus if you have a multilingual or multi-location team. There are some reports and a nice dashboard for managers, but we’re really looking at a more basic, streamlined options here. That’s a good thing, not a drawback.
The software runs $10 per month, per user for all the basics. If you want to add in billing, you’ll pay $10 per month (total, not per user). Finally, for legal teams, there’s a free legal add-on that gives you ABA activity tracking and task codes, LEDES invoicing, and a conflict checker – whatever that is. I have no idea what any of the lawyer management stuff means, but I’m sure Cathy can tell you [Editor’s note: I can].
MinuteDock
MinuteDock plays nicely with everyone – QuickBooks, Xero, Freshbooks, MYOB, Wave, and, soon, Sage. The software works on phones and desktops, and there's a simple system in place - Redock - that allows you switch between tasks easily. It’s a nice addition if you're constantly switching between clients or projects.
You can also setup teams with different billable rates and permissions, allowing you to work with the structure that your business already has in place. The reporting tools in MinuteDock are pretty solid too. You can get a simple view of your profit and costs, and all of it happens in real-time.
Finally, there's a nice client login feature, so you can skip out on all the back-and-forth with reporting to your most demanding customers. There are three pricing tiers, with features and user limits varying between them all. The basic level for a single user is $19 per month and the highest end is $99 per month, which gives you ten users.
TSheets
I might be wearing a TSheets t-shirt. Hold on, let me check. Not today.
This is certainly not my first time writing about them.
TSheets is a great piece of software for time tracking. TSheets has mobile and desktop tracking, lets you log time off, and you can make schedules for your employees. As with the other options listed here, you can track your time against projects and tasks, depending on what your system looks like.
One of the more interesting features of TSheets is the ability to have GPS time tracking for your employees. If you're sending folks out to client sites or just managing remote teams, having a log of where people are getting their work done can be hugely valuable.
TSheets plays well with QuickBooks, but it also works with a number of payment and payroll options. That means you can cut out some other steps that would normally require moving through QuickBooks -- for instance, you can send payroll info straight into Gusto to get your employees paid, skipping the QuickBooks middleman entirely.
TSheets runs $16 per month, plus $4 per user, per month. So, for example, a business with ten employees would pay $56 per month.
Conclusion
If you’re in need of a time tracking solution that works with QuickBooks, any of these options should set you up for success. For more time tracking software solutions, check out Capterra's full directory. For more tips and tricks to make your business finances run smoothly, swing by our finance blog.