What Are FreshBooks Time Reports?
Time reports in FreshBooks provide detailed insights into where your hours are being spent across clients, projects, and team members. These powerful reports capture essential information about every time entry created during your specified period.
Your time reports include valuable data points such as duration logged, associated notes, billable status (billed, unbilled, or non-billable), and client/project connections. The flexibility of these reports allows you to filter and group information according to your specific needs, whether you're analyzing team performance or preparing for client meetings.
Many businesses rely on these reports to monitor productivity, manage billable hours accurately, track team efficiency, and prepare for tax season. Having the ability to print these reports ensures you maintain physical records or shareable Portable Document Format (PDF) files that capture all these important details.
Benefits of Printing Time Reports
Printed time reports serve multiple purposes beyond just record-keeping. They provide tangible evidence of work completed when meeting with clients or during financial reviews.
Physical copies offer advantages during team meetings where digital presentations might be impractical. Reviewing printed reports allows team members to make notes directly on the document, highlighting areas that require attention or discussion. This tactile approach often leads to more engaged conversations about productivity and resource allocation.
Additionally, printed reports create a reliable backup system independent of digital storage. Should your computer crash or online access become temporarily unavailable, having printed copies ensures you can still reference critical time data during important meetings or audits.
Step-by-Step Guide to Printing Reports
Getting your time reports from screen to paper requires navigating through a few simple screens in FreshBooks. The process takes just minutes but delivers valuable documentation for your business records.
Accessing Your Reports Dashboard
Start by logging into your FreshBooks account using your credentials. Once inside, locate the "Reports" section in the left-hand navigation menu of your dashboard. This section houses all the reporting tools available within the platform.
After clicking on "Reports," scroll through the available options until you find "Time Entry Details" in the list. This specific report contains all the time tracking information you need to analyze and print for your records.
Selecting this report automatically generates a default view showing all time entries for the preselected duration, typically defaulting to the current or previous month. From here, you can begin customizing before printing.
Customizing Your Report View
Before printing, take advantage of FreshBooks' robust filtering options to ensure your report contains exactly the information you need. These customizations save paper and make your printed reports more relevant.
Look for the filter options located at the top right of the Time Entry Details report screen. If you've previously applied filters and want to start fresh, simply click "Reset all" to return to default settings.
The date range filter proves particularly useful, allowing you to select specific periods like "This Month," "Last Month," or even custom date ranges for quarterly or annual reviews. Grouping options let you organize data by team member, client, project, service, or week for different analytical perspectives.
Refining Report Details
Further customization options help you focus on specific aspects of your time tracking data. These refinements ensure your printed report contains precisely the information needed for your current purpose.
Filter by clients or projects when you need to focus on specific accounts or initiatives. Team member filters allow you to isolate individual performance or combine multiple team members for departmental analysis.
Consider adjusting which columns appear in your report by clicking "Customize Report" in the Settings menu. Options like "Total Billable" (calculated by multiplying billable rate by tracked time) and "Total Cost" (determined by multiplying cost rate with tracked time) provide financial context to your time data.
Printing Your Customized Report
After tailoring your report to display the necessary information, you're ready to create a physical or digital copy. The printing process is straightforward and offers several output options.
Click on the "More Actions" menu located at the top right of your report screen. From the dropdown menu that appears, select the "Print" option to open your system's print dialog box.
Within this dialog, you can select your preferred printer, adjust orientation settings (portrait or landscape works best depending on your report width), and choose the number of copies needed. For digital archiving, select "Save as PDF" instead of a physical printer to generate an electronic version.
Exporting Reports for Further Analysis
Sometimes printing directly from FreshBooks doesn't provide enough flexibility for your needs. Exporting your data offers additional options for manipulation and presentation.
The "Export for Excel" option found in the "More Actions" menu downloads your report as a Comma-Separated Values (CSV) file. This format opens directly in Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet programs, allowing for additional formatting, calculations, or integration with other business data.
Once exported, you gain complete control over how the data appears. Add formulas to calculate efficiency ratios, create visual charts to represent time distribution, or merge with other business metrics for comprehensive analysis.
After making your desired adjustments in Excel, you can print the enhanced report using your spreadsheet program's print function. This method provides maximum flexibility while still maintaining the accuracy of your original FreshBooks data.
Best Practices for Time Report Management
Developing consistent habits around your time reports helps maximize their value to your business. These practices ensure your reports remain useful tools rather than just administrative paperwork.
Regular scheduling: Set a consistent schedule for generating and reviewing time reports. Weekly reviews help catch discrepancies quickly, while monthly or quarterly reports provide better trend analysis. Mark these review sessions on your calendar to ensure they become part of your routine business operations.
Standardized formatting: Establish standard filters and groupings for recurring reports. This consistency makes comparison easier over time and helps identify trends or anomalies in your time tracking data.
Digital archiving: Even when printing physical copies, maintain a digital archive of your reports. Save PDFs in a structured folder system organized by date, client, or project for easy retrieval when needed.
Leveraging Reports for Business Growth
Time reports contain valuable insights that can drive significant business improvements when analyzed properly. Looking beyond the numbers reveals opportunities for optimization and growth.
Analyzing productivity trends across weeks or months helps identify seasonal patterns or workflow bottlenecks. These insights allow you to adjust staffing levels, redistribute workloads, or implement process improvements to maintain consistent productivity.
Resource allocation decisions become more strategic when based on accurate time data. Projects consistently requiring more hours than estimated might need additional resources or revised scope definitions to maintain profitability.
Client communications improve with transparent time reporting. Sharing detailed breakdowns of hours spent demonstrates value and justifies invoices, building trust and reducing payment disputes. This transparency often leads to stronger client relationships and increased retention.
Common Time Report Questions
Many FreshBooks users have similar questions about printing and using time reports effectively. These answers address the most frequent concerns and help you maximize your reporting capabilities.
Can I Print Reports Directly?
Yes! FreshBooks makes printing straightforward through the "More Actions" menu on your Time Entry Details report screen. The print option opens your system's standard print dialog, allowing you to select your printer and adjust settings before creating physical copies.
For digital versions, most print dialogs include a "Save as PDF" option that creates an electronic copy instead of sending to a physical printer. These PDFs maintain all formatting and can be easily shared via email or stored in your digital filing system.
Remember to review your report in print preview mode before finalizing to ensure all columns fit properly on the page. Landscape orientation often works better for reports with many columns.
How Do I Fix Formatting Issues?
Formatting problems sometimes occur when printing complex reports with multiple columns or extensive data. Several approaches can help resolve these issues before finalizing your printed copy.
Try adjusting the orientation between portrait and landscape in your print dialog settings. Landscape orientation provides more horizontal space for reports with many columns.
Consider customizing your report to show fewer columns if the layout appears cramped. Focus on the most essential data points for your current needs rather than including every available field.
For persistent formatting challenges, export to Excel where you have greater control over page setup, margins, and scaling options. This approach allows precise formatting adjustments before printing.
Using Reports During Client Meetings
Printed time reports serve as powerful tools during client consultations and project reviews. They provide concrete evidence of work completed and help justify invoices or project extensions.
Bring relevant time reports to client meetings when discussing project progress or billing questions. The detailed breakdown of hours spent on specific tasks demonstrates transparency and professionalism that clients appreciate.
Highlight patterns or trends that might impact future work, such as tasks consistently requiring more time than anticipated. This proactive approach helps set realistic expectations and may lead to scope adjustments or budget revisions before problems arise.
Consider creating client-specific report templates with customized groupings and filters that focus on their particular projects. These tailored reports show attention to detail and make information more immediately relevant to each client's concerns.
Optimizing Team Performance with Reports
Time reports provide valuable insights for improving team productivity and project management. Regular analysis helps identify both strengths and opportunities for improvement.
Review team member performance through time reports to identify who excels at particular tasks or project types. This knowledge allows you to assign work more strategically, matching team strengths to project requirements.
The following performance metrics deserve special attention when analyzing team time reports:
- Ratio of billable to non-billable hours indicates overall team efficiency and directly impacts profitability.
- Average time spent on similar tasks helps establish realistic benchmarks for future project estimates.
- Distribution of hours across projects reveals potential resource imbalances requiring adjustment.
- Completion time for standard tasks identifies opportunities for process improvement or additional training.
Team meetings become more productive when supported by specific time data. Rather than general impressions, discussions can focus on concrete metrics and measurable improvements.
Preparing Reports for Tax Season
Tax preparation becomes significantly easier with well-organized time reports. These documents support deductions and provide evidence of business activities throughout the year.
Generate comprehensive annual time reports grouped by client, project, or service category before meeting with your accountant. These reports help identify potential deductions and demonstrate the scope of your business activities.
Keep both digital and printed copies of these reports with your tax documentation. Having multiple formats ensures you can quickly provide information regardless of how your accountant prefers to work.
Consider creating summary reports that aggregate monthly or quarterly data for a high-level overview. These summaries complement the detailed reports and provide context for your annual business performance.
Start Tracking Time More Effectively Today
Now that you understand how to print and leverage time reports in FreshBooks, you're equipped to make more informed business decisions based on accurate time data. The insights gained from these reports extend far beyond basic record-keeping.
Implementing regular time report reviews creates accountability and transparency throughout your organization. Team members become more conscious of how they allocate their hours when they know the data will be analyzed and discussed.
Remember that the value of time reports increases with consistency and attention to detail. Encourage thorough time tracking habits across your team, including descriptive notes and accurate project associations with each entry.
Take action today by scheduling your first comprehensive time report review. Identify one area where improved time allocation could benefit your business, and use your FreshBooks reports to track progress toward that goal. Your future business growth depends on understanding and optimizing how your most valuable resource—time—is being invested.
