The Time function allows you to create time entries for a Job in FYI. This article includes details on how to create individual time entries, which can be created directly for the Job, or for an email, document or client interaction.
You can also use the Bulk Time Entry feature to add draft time for selected emails and documents, then review and submit them. Refer to Using Bulk Time Entry to Create Draft Time.
Adding Individual Time Entries
- You can add individual Time entries in the following ways in FYI:
- Click the + button in the menu bar and select I from the list of document types.
- Press the shortcut key I for a new Time entry.
- In the drawer from an open job, email, document or client interaction, 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 the Add Time button.
The Create Time drawer displays.
- Select or enter the Time fields, or change the defaults that display. Required fields are highlighted.
When creating the Time entry for a selected email, document, task or job, the Client (and, if relevant, the Job) are shown by default.
Date - This defaults to today's date. To change this, click the Date field and select the relevant date for the time entry from the calendar. Time entries cannot be created prior to the period lock date, which is set at a practice level. Refer to Managing Invoices (Beta).
User - The User is set by default to your name. If adding the Time for a different person, select the name from the drop-down list.
Time Type - This will default to Chargeable but can be changed to any of the Time Types created for your practice. Time is categorised using Time Types, and are categorised as Chargeable, Non Productive or Capacity Reducing. Refer to Managing Time Types.
Client - When adding chargeable time, select the client by typing at least three characters of the client name. A list will be displayed of all clients containing those characters anywhere in the Client Name. Locate and select the required client.
When adding a Time entry for a job, email, document or client interaction, this defaults to the client of the selected record and can be changed if relevant.
Job - Select the Job for the client (refer to Jobs).
When adding a Time entry for an email or document filed to a specific job, this defaults to the Job of the selected document and can be changed if relevant. You can only select an active job.
The Jobs that are displayed depend on how the option Show jobs by client is set in your Practice Settings. When Show jobs by client is enabled in the Practice Settings, only the jobs for the specific client are included for selection. When Show jobs by client is not enabled in the Practice Settings, the list of jobs includes all jobs for all of the clients in the Client Group. Refer to Managing Practice Settings.
Time - Enter the time taken. This is entered in hours and minutes in the format hh:mm.
Enter the time without the colon (:). FYI will automatically add the colon. For example,
- to enter 1 hour 30 minutes type 0130.
- to enter 15 minutes type 0015.
To change the time entered, click the X in the Time field to delete it and then enter it again.
Rate - The Rates are used when invoicing time to a client. The Default Rate assigned to the User will be selected by default. Other Rates can be selected from the dropdown. The value of the Rate will be displayed first, with the name of the Rate displayed in brackets e.g. 150.00 (Senior Accountant).
Status - Select the Status as "Draft" or "Submitted".
"Submitted" finalises the Time entry. When time has been submitted, it will be able to be invoiced to a client.
"Draft" leaves the Time entry in FYI as a draft, and will not be able to be invoiced in FYI. You can then submit the individual entry as "Submitted" from your Home - My Time or by submitting all the draft times for a day at the same time. Refer to Displaying and Updating Time.
Notes - add any notes for the Time. When adding a Time entry for an email, document, task or job, this defaults to the type and the name of the selected document, for example, "Letter: ATO Overdue Payment", "Email: BAS Due", "Task: Follow up with client", "Job: 2020 Compliance". The notes can be changed if required.
Document - When adding Time in the drawer for an email or document, the document link displays.
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Click Create.
The Time is saved in FYI and can be displayed in My Time in the Home workspace.
Recommended Approach to Recording Time in FYI
The better the filing of your documents, the more optimised your time recording will become. For example, creating a phone call and filing it to the relevant job allows you to enter time directly for the phone call in FYI.
Recording your time at the end of each day
- From your Home workspace, select the My Recent tab.
This displays all the emails and documents you have created or modified. The My Last Edit column shows the date and time you last modified the email or document.
By default, this displays the emails and documents you have modified in the last five days. You can change this by filtering the list on the My Last Edit date. For date columns, you can use the selector to quickly set the Start Date and End Date. Display the date column filter and click the button next to the dates to display a list of selectors that can be used, for example, "1D" for one day, "2D" for two days. Refer also to Filtering on a Date in Sorting and Filtering.
- You can then add an individual time entry to the relevant emails and documents, either as "Draft" or "Submit time", and/or select the relevant documents and use the FYI Bulk Time Entry function to create draft time entries that you can review.
Adding Individual Time Entries
From your Home - My Recent (or any other list), you can click on each of the relevant documents and assign time to each from the FYI drawer as detailed above. Or right-click and select Time Entry from the toolbar pop-up menu (refer to Using the Document Action Tool Bar).
Creating Bulk Time Entry
From your Home - My Recent (or any other list), select any emails and documents you have worked on and click Time Entry in the toolbar.
Displaying/Adding Time in the Email or Document Drawer
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.
Displaying and Updating Time
Go to your Home - My Time tab to see how many hours you have recorded with individual time entries for the relevant day and to check and add hours to any time created by the Bulk Time Entry. Refer to Displaying and Updating Time.
