GUIDE

How do I track billable hours without starting a timer?

Q: How do I track billable hours without starting a timer?

Use an app that captures your workday automatically from background GPS, then review and adjust the day once at invoice time. TradesTimer is built this way and the core app is free — it detects stops and drives on its own, so there is no timer to forget and no jobsite to pre-configure.

By Ryder Wishart — years on the tools, then time tracking in a contractor’s back office · Updated 2026-04-15

Why timers fail tradespeople

Manual timers assume you have a dedicated 'work mode' with a clean start and stop. Trades work is the opposite: you get interrupted, you leave for a part, you take a call, you hit four addresses before noon. Every missed tap is lost revenue, and in practice most sole operators either stop using the app or under-bill themselves by a couple of hours a week.

What to look for in an automatic tracker

Three features matter. First, background location that works on iOS without constant foregrounding — otherwise the tracker dies overnight and you lose half a day. Second, on-device processing so your location history is not being stored on someone else's server. Third, a review flow at the end of the day that takes under two minutes to confirm and export.

How TradesTimer handles this

TradesTimer runs a background location service whenever you have the app installed and 'Always' location permission granted. It groups your GPS fixes into stops and drives on the device itself. When you open the app at the end of the day, the timeline is already built — you rename stops that need a client label, flag anything billable or non-billable, and share an invoice preview. No day begins with 'I forgot to start the timer.'

The full tracking loop is free.

What it doesn't do

TradesTimer is not a payroll system and not a crew manager. If you have more than a helper or two, or you bill through detailed job costing, a crew-focused product like ClockShark or QuickBooks Time is a better fit even though it costs more per month.

People hitting this exact problem

Real threads — each quote links to the original discussion.

I use Toggl. it pops up notifications if theres activity but its not tracking

r/freelance — "How do you remember to clock your time?" (top comment)

The top-voted fix for forgetting a timer is... an app that nags you about the timer. In the trades your phone can skip the nag entirely and just record the stop.

Last updated 2026-04-15.