Plan: Not Available: Intermediate Available: Pro or Elite
Users: Available: All users
Practice Management Source: Available: All sources
The Time feature in FYI makes it easy to record and manage time spent on client work. Time entries are logged against a specific Client and Job, ensuring every minute is accurately allocated and clearly tracked. You can create time entries directly from emails, documents, tasks, or jobs.
For practices where FYI is the Practice Management source, you can also record non-chargeable and capacity-reducing time, for example, Annual Leave.
Getting Started with Time
User Permissions
FYI Admins will have access to all features, while User Groups can be configured to enable or disable the following permissions as required.
| Permission | Feature |
| View Timesheets |
This permission allows users to view time and disbursements for all users, and access Time tabs of the Client and Job workspaces, the Time section of the FYI Drawer, and the Practice - Time lists. If this option is disabled, users will be able to create and manage their own time from Home - My Time, and the Time section of the FYI Drawer. Users will not be able to access the Time tabs of the Client and Job workspaces, the Practice - Time list, or edit entries for any other user. Users will be able to create disbursements only, and will not be able to view or edit them. When the Create Invoices or View Invoices permission is enabled, View Timesheets will be enabled automatically, to allow users to view the WIP selected on the invoice. |
| Move Timesheets |
This permission allows users to reallocate WIP using Time and Disbursements Bulk Update, enabling changes to the Client and Job associated with time and disbursement entries. The permission is automatically enabled when Edit Timesheets permission is enabled, and cannot be disabled independently. Enabling the Move Timesheets permission will also enable the View Timesheets permission. Users will not be able to use the FYI Drawer to edit time or disbursement entries for other users. |
| Edit Timesheets |
With this permission enabled, users will be able to create and manage time and disbursements for all users in the practice, and access Time tabs of the Client and Job workspaces, the Time section of the FYI Drawer, and the Practice - Time lists. If the User Group also has the Create Invoices permission enabled, users will be able to bulk update time and disbursements from within an invoice, including using the Split Time function. User groups that have Edit Timesheets enabled will also have permission to view and move timesheets. Refer to Managing User Groups. |
| Practice Time |
Users with the Practice Time permission will be able to view time entries on the Practice - Time list, including both Chargeable and Non-Chargeable time entries. Users will need the Edit Timesheets or Move Timesheets permissions to edit any time and disbursement details. |
Creating Time
Time can be added either individually, in bulk, or for practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source, added automatically when Tasks are completed (referred to as AutoTime).
Time can be added to a Standard Job or Workflow Job. Refer to Job Types Overview
Time entries will include a Source, with the following values: "FYI", "WIP Import", "XPM", or "Zapier". The Source column is displayed on Time lists. Time entries added prior to the evening of 30th January 2025 (Australian time) will not have a Source value.
Users can create time in FYI using the following methods:
You can add individual Time entries in the following ways:
- Create a new Time entry using the + button in the menu bar and selecting Time,
or press the shortcut key I. - For an email, document, task or job selected in a list, click the Add Time icon in the tools at the top of the drawer.
- Expand the Time section in the drawer of an opened email or document and click Add Time.
- For practices on the Elite plan, from the My Time - Calendar workspace.
You can add time as "Draft" or "Submit".
In your Home - My Time, you can display all the time entries you have added for a day, update any and either submit them one at a time or all entries for a day at one time.
Refer to Creating Individual Time Entries.
You can also use the FYI Bulk Time Entry feature to add draft time for selected emails and documents. This allows you to create draft time entries for the documents you have worked on, review the entries in your My Time tab, before submitting them.
This feature is only available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source.
Existing Time Entries can be copied, useful in situations where the same activity may have been completed for multiple clients during the day.
When copying time, the Create Time drawer will open with all fields populated. Users can update any of the details and create the time entry.
Refer to Copying a Time Entry.
This feature is only available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source.
The Timer function is available when adding Individual Time for the current date.
The Timer can be started, paused, and stopped. Once the Timer is stopped, a draft time entry will be created, with the time rounded up to the nearest minute.
A user can run multiple Timers, and can update or stop multiple Timers using the Bulk Update function.
Refer to Creating Time using the Timer.
This feature is only available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source.
Time can be created automatically from a Custom Automation Process.
- The AutoTime feature is available when creating Task Templates or Custom Automation steps, and allows practices to create draft time entries for users as they complete tasks (either a standalone task or a task related to a particular document). This removes the need for users to manually create a time entry, increasing efficiency and making it easier to record time against jobs. Refer to Process Step Details - AutoTime.
To calculate the value of time added to the Time entry, a Fixed or Relative time value can be entered. Refer to Calculating AutoTime below.
To begin using AutoTime, refer to Practice Settings Time & Invoices and Process Step Details - AutoTime.
- The Create Time Automation Step can be used to enter time at a specific point of a process. Time can be entered as a specific value, or a Merge Field used to automatically calculate time. Refer to Process Step Details - Create Time.
Time Entry Formats
Time can be entered using the following formats:
- Decimals
- Whole Numbers
- Hours and Minutes format (hh:mm)
After the time has been entered, it will be displayed using the Hours and Minutes (hh:mm) format.
| Format | Example |
|
Whole numbers Can be entered in a combination of hours and minutes. The last two digits are always assumed to be minutes. |
10 is converted to 00:10 110 is converted to 01:10 1110 is converted to 11:10 2359 is converted to 23:59 |
|
Decimals Converted using 6 minute increments. Numbers before the decimals are converted to hours. If the decimal converts to more than 60 minutes, the hour will be increased. |
0.1 is converted to 00:06 1.1 is converted to 01:06 11.80 is converted to 11:48 |
| Hours and minutes format | 00:01 01:10 11:10 |
Time Status
| Status | Details |
| Draft | Time has been created but has not yet been submitted. A Client or Job is not required for Draft time entries. Draft time can be edited, and submitted to synchronise to Xero Practice Manager or become available for invoicing in FYI. |
| Submitted |
Time has been submitted, but can still be edited. If integrated with Xero Practice Manager, Submitted time entries will be synchronised. For practices integrated with Xero Practice Manager, any changes to a Time entry that has the State set as "Submit" must be done in Xero Practice Manager. To submit time, both a Client and Job must be provided. |
| Syncing |
This feature is only available to practices on the Pro or Elite plan with XPM as the Practice Management source. Time that has been queued and not yet synchronised with Xero Practice Manager, and can take up to 15 minutes to sync. No changes can be made to Time that is "Syncing". Once synchronised, the status will automatically update to "Submitted". After syncing, if a Time entry cannot be updated in Xero Practice Manager it will be automatically reset as Draft in FYI. This could be if the Job was set to "Completed" or "Cancelled" after adding the Time entry. In this event, you can reopen the Job, or update the Time entry and change the selection of the Job, and submit the Time entry again. |
| In Progress |
This feature is only available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source. A Time Entry with an active Timer. Time can be paused, or stopped to create a Draft time entry. Refer to Creating Time using the Timer. |
| Interim |
This feature is only available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source. When creating Interim invoices or adding an interim amount to a Progress or Final invoice, an Interim time entry will be created with a negative value to reduce the outstanding WIP. When the Time Entry is created, the user name associated with the time will be displayed as "System". The Billable Rate and Billable Amount will show a negative value based on the value of the Interim Invoice. Refer to Create an Interim Invoice. Where a negative time entry is allocated to a Billing Job only, these can be reallocated if required. Refer to Reallocating Time and Disbursements to another Job. If an Interim time entry has been deleted, these can be recreated. Refer to Creating Interim Time Entries. |
| Locked |
This feature is only available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source. The Time Entry has been added to a client invoice, and cannot be modified. |
| Invoiced |
This feature is only available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source. Once invoiced and synchronised with Xero, Time Entries cannot be modified. |
| Deleted |
This feature is only available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source. When Submitted time entries (excluding Interims), have been removed from the platform, the status is updated to 'Deleted'. To restore these time entries, refer to Restoring Deleted Time and Disbursement Entries. |
Time Rates
This feature is available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management Source.
Time Rates are used to track the value of time spent by staff, which can then be invoiced to a client. Different rates can be set up for specific roles or tasks, for example, you may have different rates based on each role such as Administration, Accountant, Manager or Partner. Refer to Managing Rates for Time and Disbursements.
Default Time Rates can be assigned to a Client, Job, and User. When creating a time entry using the + Create New button or via AutoTime, the rate selected automatically will be based on the following hierarchy:
- Client
- Job
- User
Where a rate has not been assigned, the next available rate will be used. For example, if there is no assigned rate for the Client, the Job rate will be used instead. If there is no assigned rate for either the Client or the Job, the user's default rate will be used.
The default rate can be overridden by clicking the Rate drop-down and selecting a new rate. Archived rates will not be displayed.
Time Rates can be assigned on the Client - Settings tab, the Job - Summary tab, and in the Settings - General - Users list.
Time Types
Time can be categorised using Time Types, with a category of Chargeable, Non Productive, or Capacity Reducing.
Time Types are displayed on Home - My Time, and when viewing the My Time Productivity Dashboard.
Refer to Managing Time Types.
Work In Progress (WIP)
Time is used to manage the Work in Progress (WIP) for a client, which is the measure of completed work that has not yet been billed. WIP is the total of submitted un-invoiced time that has not been written off, plus disbursements, less any interim invoices, for your client for the given period.
Refer to Work In Progress (WIP) Overview.
Integration with Xero Practice Manager
For practices on the Pro plan or Elite plan with Xero Practice Manager (XPM) as the Practice Management source, the time entries are synchronised to Xero Practice Manager, allowing you to complete all your daily time functions directly within FYI.
We recommend recording your Time from within FYI, rather than via XPM. This allows you to leverage the data that is already in FYI by recording your time against the documents and client interactions in FYI. The better the filing of your documents, the more optimised your time recording will become.
Time entries are recorded against a Client and a Job. You can add a Time entry directly for the Client/Job or add Time to an email, document, task or job.
XPM Workflow Jobs
If using XPM Workflow Jobs, the Job in Xero Practice Manager (the Billing Job in FYI) must have Tasks in Xero Practice Manager to submit time against. Refer to XPM Workflow Jobs.
Time can only be added for users assigned to the Job or Task. Synchronised Time will be flagged as Billable or not depending on the Billable setting for the job in Xero Practice Manager.
Billable Time
Whether time is billable or not is controlled by the job settings in Xero Practice Manager.
When Time is synchronised from FYI, if the job has been flagged as billable in Xero Practice Manager, the time entries will be created as billable time in FYI.
Users Assigned to the Job or Task
Due to limitations of the Xero Practice Manager (XPM) API, users must be assigned to a Job or Task before they can submit time. If the user is not assigned to the Job or Task, submitted time will not be synchronised, will return to a Draft status in FYI, and an error will be displayed in Practice Activity.
Xero has a set number of synchronisations available to be performed each day, referred to as the Xero Rate Limit. Refer to Xero Practice Manager Rate Limiting
To reduce the number of synchronisations with Xero, the XPM Staff Allocation setting available in Practice Settings allows practices to control whether FYI should perform additional synchronisations to assign the user to the Job or Task before submitting the time. Depending on the number of time entries submitted each day, this may increase the risk of reaching the Xero Rate Limit. Refer to Xero Practice Manager Rate Limiting.
Where practices have a number of users working on a single Job or Task, it may be recommended to log time directly in Xero Practice Manager.
Making Changes and Displaying Time for Other Users
- Any changes to a Time entry that has the State set as "Submit" must be done in Xero Practice Manager.
- If you need to display Time for another user, this needs to be done in Xero Practice Manager.
Displaying Time Entries
There are various ways you can view and access time information in FYI.
Home - My Time is designed to provide details of individual time entries, while the My Team tab and Time Lists offer broader visibility across all time entries. Please note that access to these features will depend on the permissions enabled for the User Group the user is assigned to.
Expand each section below for more information.
This feature is only available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source.
Time lists feature columns and rows containing important time information such as the User, Client Name, Job Name, Time Type and Status of the entry. The Time List can be displayed from the following workspaces:
- Practice Time (only available for users where the Practice Time permission is enabled in their User Group)
- Client - Time tab
-
Job - Time tab
For practices on the Pro plan, Group View is the only view available from Home - My Time.
Users can display their own time entries in a Group View. This view allows users to easily review, edit and submit their personal entries, making it easy to manage individual time entries efficiently.
The details displayed and actions available from My Time - Group will vary depending on the FYI plan selected by the practice.
For more information on the Group view from My Time, refer to Using My Time - Group.
The following is an example of My Time - Group on the Pro plan:
This feature is only available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source.
Time entries can be displayed in the Productivity Dashboard from Home - My Time, where users can review actual time compared with expected productivity in a graph and list view.
The Productivity Dashboard is displayed from Home - My Time by clicking the List button in the top right-hand corner.
For more information on the Productivity Dashboard, refer to Using My Time - Productivity Dashboard.
This feature is only available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source.
Time entries can be displayed as a Calendar from Home - My Time, where users can create, edit, and manage time entries directly from a calendar view. The Calendar allows users to quickly action time entries, identify time types by colour code, and customise time increments for a personalised time view.
The Calendar is displayed from Home - My Time by clicking the Calendar button in the top right-hand corner.
For more information on the Productivity Dashboard, refer to Using My Time - Calendar.
This feature is only available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source.
The Home - My Team tab provides an overview of team performance, displaying key metrics for each employee, including Actual Hours, Expected Hours, and productivity percentages. Users can select between a fixed date range or relative date ranges, including Yesterday, This Week, Last Week, and more. Views can be used in Automations, for example, the Missing Timesheets view can be used to send automatic reminders to enter any missing time.
Access to the Home - My Team tab is limited to FYI Admins and users assigned to a User Group with permissions to either access or manage employees.
Job Details such as Job Category, Job Number, Job Partner or Job Manager cannot be added to the My Team list. These details can be reviewed on the Time lists.
Note: Before using Team Productivity, the Productivity Target % and Expected Working Hours should be updated in the User Profile for each user.
Refer to Using Home - My Team Productivity.
Expanding the Time section in an email or document drawer shows any Time that has been recorded for the email/document. This is useful to check if you have already entered the time details for that email/document.
You can also add Time for the email/document by clicking the Add Time button in the Time section. This displays the Create Time in the drawer with the client and job pre-filled.
Working with Time
Editing Time
Time can be edited for "Draft" or "Submitted" time entry.
- Users assigned to a User Group with the Move Timesheets permission enabled will be able to use Bulk Update to change the Client or Job for a time entry.
- Users assigned to a User Group with the Edit Timesheets permission enabled will be able to edit all fields for time entries for any user. If this permission is not enabled, users will be able to edit their own time entries.
For time and disbursements dated on or before the Period Lock Date, users with Move Timesheets enabled will only be able to update the Client and Job fields. FYI Admins will be able to edit all fields.
Time cannot be edited when:
- The entry has been added to a client invoice and has the status of "Invoiced".
- The entry has been invoiced, synchronised to Xero and has the status of "Locked".
When creating an invoice, time entries can be split based on the Billable Amount, including negative Interim time entries.
The Automation Process Step, Update Time/Disbursement, can be used to automatically update time entries, for example, to automatically submit draft time entries, or update the Custom Fields for reporting purposes.
Deleting Time
This feature is only available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source.
The Status and Type of Time entry will determine whether the entry can be removed from the platform and restored, or permanently deleted. Refer to Deleting Time and Disbursement Entries.
To delete time, the user must be assigned to a User Group with the Edit Timesheets permission enabled.
Note: Time and Disbursements with a status of Invoiced, or Locked cannot be deleted.
Time entries that have been removed but not permanently deleted can be displayed on Time Lists. Refer to Displaying and Updating Time and Disbursements.
Calculating AutoTime
This feature is only available to practices on the Elite plan with FYI as the Practice Management source.
When creating draft Time entries using the AutoTime feature, the Allocation field offers two ways of calculating the amount of time to be added.
| Allocation Method | Details |
| Fixed Time | The Default Time value entered in the next field will always be used when the time entry is created, regardless of the size of the client or the Job Time Budget. |
| Relative Time |
Time is calculated relative to the total estimated hours for a job. For any Relative Allocations, the total of the Default Times for all the Tasks in the Process is calculated. This is then compared to the Estimated Hours for the Job. Any "Relative" times are then calculated and proportionately increased or decreased based on the total for the Job that is being considered. For example:
|