# Time entry

> Log hours manually against tasks and review them in the Time Log list.

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://helpdesk.orangescrum.com/llms.txt).

Source: https://helpdesk.orangescrum.com/guide/community/usage/time-entry

---
The Community Edition supports **manual time entry**: you record hours against a
task after the fact. There is no running timer, no timesheet and no approval
workflow — those belong to the commercial time-tracking module.

## Logging time

**Open the task**

    Time is always recorded against a specific task, never a project directly.

**Add a time entry**

    Use the time-log section on the task page.

**Fill in the entry**

    | Field | Notes |
    | --- | --- |
    | **Hours** | Decimal, e.g. `1.5` for ninety minutes |
    | **Date** | Defaults to today; backdate as needed |
    | **Description** | What you actually did |

> **Tip**
>
> Write a real description. "Worked on task" tells you nothing later; "traced
> the redirect loop to the session cookie domain" tells you everything.

## Reviewing time

**Time Log → Time Log List View** in the sidebar shows entries across projects,
filterable by project, user and date range.

This is the reporting surface. There are no charts, utilisation views or
exportable timesheets — for those, see
[Cloud time tracking](https://helpdesk.orangescrum.com/guide/cloud/time/time-tracking).

## Editing and deleting

Entries can be edited or removed by the person who created them, and by admins.
There is no approval step, so corrections take effect immediately.

> **No audit trail on time edits**
>
> A changed or deleted entry leaves no record of what it was before. If time
> data feeds invoicing, export it regularly.

## Making it stick

Manual entry only works if people actually do it. What helps:

- **Log daily**: Reconstructing a week on Friday produces fiction. Five minutes a day is accurate.

- **Log against real tasks**: If there is no task for the work, create one. A catch-all "misc" task hides where time actually goes.

- **Round sensibly**: Quarter-hours are precise enough. Chasing minutes wastes more time than it measures.

- **Export periodically**: Pull the data out on a schedule if it matters for billing.

## Not in this edition

- Running timer and the floating timer bar
- Weekly timesheets
- Approval workflow
- Billable versus non-billable rates
- Budget and cost tracking
- Utilisation reporting

These are part of the commercial Timelog and Resource Tracking modules.

- [Next: labels](https://helpdesk.orangescrum.com/guide/community/usage/labels): Tagging and the Label Customizer plugin.