Time Tracker for Wave: Track Hours and Invoice Clients

This guide explains how to use Wave’s time tracking feature to log billable hours and turn them into client invoices. You enter time against a client and a project, review the logged hours, and then create an invoice that pulls those hours directly into line items. The process covers setting up the feature, entering time, and converting tracked time into a professional invoice.

How Wave’s Time Tracking Works

Wave is a free accounting and invoicing platform for small businesses and freelancers. Its time tracking tool is built into the same dashboard as your invoices and customers, so you don’t need a separate app. You can track time in two ways: manually entering hours after the work is done, or using a built-in timer that runs while you work. Both methods feed into the same time log, which you can review before invoicing.

The key thing to understand is that Wave’s time tracking is tied to a customer, not to a specific invoice. You assign hours to a customer and optionally to a project or service. When you create an invoice, you can add those tracked hours as line items, choosing the rate you want to charge. This means you can track time at one rate and invoice at another, or simply use the same rate for both.

Setting Up Time Tracking in Wave

Before you can track time, you need to make sure the feature is enabled and your customer list is ready. Here’s what to do:

1. Log in to your Wave account and go to the Sales tab, then click Customers. Make sure every client you bill by the hour is listed. If not, click New Customer and add their name and email.
2. Go to Sales > Products & Services. Create a service item for each type of work you bill (for example, “Consulting” or “Design”). You can set a default hourly rate here, but you can override it on each invoice.
3. In the same area, look for the Time Tracking option. In most Wave accounts it is available under Sales > Time Tracking. If you don’t see it, check your settings or the Wave help center, as the menu layout can change.

Once your customers and services are set up, you’re ready to log hours.

How to Log Hours Manually or with a Timer

Wave gives you two ways to record time. Both are found under Sales > Time Tracking.

Manual entry: Click New Time Entry. Choose the customer, the service (optional), the date, and the number of hours and minutes. You can also add a note describing the work. Save the entry, and it appears in your time log.

Timer: Click the Start Timer button. Select the customer and service, then start working. When you finish, click Stop Timer. Wave calculates the elapsed time and saves it as a time entry. You can edit the entry afterward if you need to adjust the minutes.

Both methods create entries in the same log. You can edit or delete any entry by clicking on it. The timer is useful for tracking actual work time, but manual entry is faster if you already know how long a task took.

Reviewing Your Time Log Before Invoicing

Before you invoice, it’s wise to review your time entries. Go to Sales > Time Tracking. You’ll see a list of all entries, sorted by date. You can filter by customer, service, or date range. Check that each entry has the correct customer and hours. If you spot a mistake, click the entry and edit it.

One common issue is forgetting to assign a customer to a time entry. Wave requires a customer for every entry; if you try to save without one, it will prompt you. Also, note that Wave does not automatically round time. If you enter 1 hour 37 minutes, that’s exactly what will appear on the invoice. You can manually adjust the hours on the invoice line if you need to round up or down.

Creating an Invoice from Tracked Hours

When you’re ready to bill, go to Sales > Invoices and click New Invoice. Select the customer. Then, instead of typing a line item manually, look for the option to Add Time Entry or Import Time (the exact wording may vary). Click it, and Wave shows you all unbilled time entries for that customer.

Select the entries you want to include, and Wave adds them as line items. Each line will show the service name, the date, the hours, and the rate. The rate defaults to the service’s hourly rate, but you can change it on the invoice line. If you have multiple entries for the same service, Wave may combine them into one line or keep them separate, depending on the settings.

After adding the time, review the invoice. Add any other line items (expenses, flat fees) if needed. Then save and send the invoice as you normally would. The invoice total includes the sum of all time entries multiplied by their rates.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Here are the typical pitfalls users run into when tracking time in Wave:

• Forgetting to set a rate on the service. If the service has no rate, the invoice line will show $0.00. Always set a default rate when creating the service, or manually enter the rate on each invoice.
• Tracking time against the wrong customer. Double-check the customer drop-down before saving a time entry. A misassigned hour is hard to fix after invoicing.
• Not marking time as billed. Wave automatically marks time as billed when you include it in an invoice. If you delete the invoice, the time becomes unbilled again. If you create a draft invoice, the time is not marked as billed until you send it.
• Mixing up hours and minutes. Wave expects hours as a decimal. For example, 1 hour 30 minutes should be entered as 1.5, not 1.30. If you use the timer, this is handled automatically.

Limitations of Wave’s Time Tracking

Wave’s time tracking is basic compared to dedicated time-tracking apps. It does not offer project profitability reports, team member time tracking (unless you have multiple users on your account), or integration with calendar apps. You cannot track time against a specific invoice; you track against a customer and then decide which entries to include. For freelancers with a handful of clients, this is usually sufficient. If you need more advanced features, you might consider a separate tool like Toggl or Harvest and then import the hours manually into Wave.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I track time without a customer?
No, Wave requires you to assign every time entry to a customer. If you work on internal tasks, create a dummy customer like “Internal” to track those hours.

Can I change the rate after I’ve tracked time?
Yes. The rate is applied when you create the invoice, not when you track time. You can set a different rate on the invoice line for any time entry.

What happens to time entries I don’t invoice?
They remain in your time log as unbilled. You can include them in a future invoice or delete them if they were mistakes.

Can I track time for multiple team members?
Yes, if you have multiple users on your Wave account, each user can track their own time. However, there is no built-in approval workflow.

Does Wave have a mobile app for time tracking?
Wave has a mobile app for invoicing and receipts, but time tracking is primarily done on the web dashboard. The app may allow you to view time entries but not create new ones.

Can I export my time entries?
Wave does not have a direct export for time entries. You can view them on the screen and copy the data, or use the Wave API if you are comfortable with technical tools.

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