Track time as you work it, then bill from the same record.
Every billable hour and reimbursable cost is an activity: a time entry records hours, an expense records a cost, and both feed your invoices. Start the timer from the header or the record in front of you.
Record the work while you are still doing it
A timer sits in the dashboard header, so the clock starts from whatever page you are on. Record time on a task or an event, and log a filing fee or a courier charge as an expense.
Your firm sets the increment at Settings, Firm, Invoices: no rounding, or 1, 6, 10, 15, 30, or 60 minutes.
Billing settingsRecord time on a task or event
Five record types carry the control, linked to their matter.
Log expenses on the matter
A filing fee or courier charge carries its own tax rate.
Price the work before it reaches the invoice
Rates come from four layers, firm, member, matter, and client, in one picker, narrowest match on top. Expenses point at a saved tax rate, and unbilled entries become invoice lines that lock.
Set up time tracking and rates.
Browse the docsFAQs
Timers, rounding, rate layers, tax, and the path to an invoice.
How do I track time without leaving the page I am on?
A compact timer sits in the dashboard header. Click play and Esqase creates a blank time entry and starts counting, and the clock stays in sync across your browser tabs. You can also click Record time on a task, event, note, document, or communication log, which starts a timer linked to that record and its matter.
What is the difference between a time entry and an expense?
A time entry records hours worked, quantity multiplied by an hourly rate. An expense records a cost, a quantity multiplied by a unit rate, plus tax. An expense always requires a matter and a tax rate, while a time entry needs neither, and expenses have no timer. Both carry a Billable flag, on by default, and both feed the same invoice.
What happens to my time when my firm rounds it?
If your firm has set a billing increment, worked time is rounded up to it when you save the entry or pause the timer. The Duration field still shows the true worked time, so your own records stay honest, and the Total field says what will be billed before you save. A fixed-price category ignores rounding, because no hours enter the calculation.
Why is my entry still sitting on Draft?
A draft is missing a matter, a member, or both. Quick timers started from the header commonly begin that way, because no details were filled in yet. Open the entry, set both fields, and it moves to Pending automatically, which is the state that can be added to an invoice. A matter is optional on a time entry, but an entry without one cannot be billed.
How many rate layers are there, and which one wins?
Four: firm, member, matter, and client. The order that decides which rate a person reaches for is member, then matter, then client, then firm. Each option carries its own rate, and the narrowest match sits at the top of the list. Picking a category fills the Rate field, and you can still override it on that one entry.
How does an activity end up on an invoice?
You add it from the invoice, not from the Activities page. Open or create the invoice for the matter and add line items. The dialog lists that matter's unbilled activities with date, category, description, quantity, rate, and total. Tick the ones you want and click Add. Only billable, active, unbilled activities for that matter appear, so the same hour is not offered to a second invoice.
Can I still change an entry after it has been billed?
No. Once an entry is on an invoice its status is Billed, and it is locked against editing, timing, archiving, and deleting. The row's Edit button becomes View, and embedded Record time controls turn into a view-only eye icon. Remove the entry from its invoice first. Raising a category rate later changes only new entries, never ones already recorded.