How it works
1
Agree on a tag set with your team
Decide which work types matter most for your business — see the examples below for inspiration. Keep it short: 5–8 tags is enough for most teams.
2
Add the tag at the start of each timesheet description
Wrap it in square brackets: [Tag Name] followed by a plain-English description of what was done. The tag must appear at the very beginning of the entry.
3
Time On It does the rest
When you sync from QuickBooks, the app extracts every tag automatically and builds a cross-tab breakdown — total hours per tag, split by service item — on every insight page. No configuration needed.
Example tag sets by industry
Every business is different — these are starting points you can adapt. Time On It picks up whatever tags your team uses; there is no system configuration required.
Digital & Creative Agencies
Separate feature work from reactive fixes and scope changes — critical for project profitability reporting
[Feature]
Building a new, agreed capability
[Feature] Product listing page with filter, sort, and pagination
[Bug Fix]
Correcting behaviour that didn't match the original intent
[Bug Fix] Fixed broken checkout redirect on mobile Safari
[Change Request]
Work driven by client-requested scope changes after sign-off
[Change Request] Updated navigation structure per revised client brief
[QA]
Testing, code review, and release preparation
[QA] Cross-browser regression testing ahead of v2.1 launch
[Support]
Ongoing maintenance and client support requests
[Support] Investigated and resolved login timeout reported by client
[R&D]
Technical exploration and feasibility work
[R&D] Evaluated real-time personalisation approach for recommendation engine
Professional Services & Consulting
Classify time by engagement phase to understand where advisory hours are actually going
[Research]
Desk research, data gathering, and benchmarking
[Research] Industry benchmarking for Q2 market entry analysis
[Analysis]
Processing and interpreting data or documents
[Analysis] Reviewed financials and prepared cashflow projection model
[Advisory]
Client-facing meetings, workshops, and strategy sessions
[Advisory] Board strategy session — growth options and risk assessment
[Report]
Writing deliverables, presentations, and documentation
[Report] Drafted client-facing strategy summary and executive briefing
[Review]
Internal quality review and sign-off before delivery
[Review] Partner sign-off review of due diligence report
[Admin]
Engagement management, billing, and coordination
[Admin] Scoping and fee proposal for phase 2 extension
Construction & Trades
Separate billable site time from variations, compliance, and admin to keep job costing accurate
[Site Work]
Direct on-site construction and trade labour
[Site Work] Structural framing — second floor east wing
[Planning]
Drawings, scheduling, and pre-construction preparation
[Planning] Reviewed revised architectural drawings and updated programme
[Variation]
Work resulting from scope changes or unexpected conditions
[Variation] Additional earthworks due to undisclosed subsurface conditions
[Compliance]
Inspections, permits, and regulatory documentation
[Compliance] Council inspection preparation and site sign-off documentation
[Defects]
Rectification and defects liability period work
[Defects] Rectified waterproofing issue identified at practical completion
[Admin]
Project management, reporting, and client communication
[Admin] Monthly progress report and subcontractor coordination meeting
Bookkeepers & Accounting Firms
Break compliance time away from advisory to demonstrate the value of proactive accounting services
[Compliance]
Tax returns, BAS, and regulatory lodgements
[Compliance] BAS preparation and lodgement — Q2
[Reconciliation]
Bank reconciliation and transaction coding
[Reconciliation] Monthly bank reconciliation — all accounts
[Reporting]
Management accounts, P&L, and board-pack financials
[Reporting] Prepared quarterly management accounts for board pack
[Advisory]
Proactive advice, planning, and client strategy meetings
[Advisory] Year-end tax planning discussion and projected liability review
[Payroll]
Payroll processing and STP lodgements
[Payroll] Fortnightly payroll run and STP submission
[Onboarding]
New client setup, chart of accounts, and data migration
[Onboarding] Set up chart of accounts and import 12 months of historical data
Usage guidelines
-
1The tag must appear at the very start of the description in square brackets — Time On It won't pick up tags mid-sentence or at the end of an entry.
-
2Agree the tag wording with your team before you start and stick to it exactly.
[Bug fix]and[BugFix]are treated as two different tags. -
3Keep your tag list short — 5 to 8 tags is typically enough. More tags means more cognitive overhead for your team and less consistent use.
-
4After the tag, write a clear description of the specific work done. Tags alone aren't useful without context in the description itself.
-
5Untagged entries still appear in all other Time On It reports. Tags are optional — you can start with just a subset of your team or a single pilot project.
Tags work across all service items. The "By Tag" card on each insight page shows total hours per tag, then breaks down which service items contributed to that tag. This means you can see total [Change Request] effort for a project even when it spans multiple disciplines — without changing how your QuickBooks service items are structured.