Ora Time and Expense: The Complete Guide for Teams

Getting Started with Ora Time and Expense: Setup & TipsOra’s Time and Expense module helps teams track time, manage billable hours, and record expenses in one place. This guide walks you through initial setup, daily workflows, best practices, and tips to get the most value from Ora Time and Expense.

Why use Ora Time and Expense

Centralized tracking: combine time and expense data with tasks and projects.
Better billing accuracy: assign billable rates and produce clearer invoices.
Project visibility: see how time and expenses affect project budgets and timelines.
Team accountability: easy logging and approval flows increase transparency.

Setup: Getting started step-by-step

1. Plan your structure

Before configuring Ora, decide on:

Which projects will have time tracking enabled.
Roles that need access to time/expense features (team members, managers, approvers).
Billable vs. non-billable categories.
Rate structure (per-user, per-project, or task rates). Documenting these decisions prevents rework later.

2. Enable Time & Expense features

Go to your workspace settings and enable Time Tracking and Expense Tracking if not already active.
Configure global defaults (time rounding, default hourly rate if applicable).

3. Create projects and tasks

Set up projects that mirror clients, internal initiatives, or product lines.
Create tasks under projects; tasks are the primary items team members will log time against.
For billable work, mark projects or tasks as billable at creation.

4. Configure billing & rates

Set default hourly rates at the workspace or project level.
If you bill different clients or projects differently, configure project-specific rates or user-specific rates.
For multi-rate needs, use custom fields or tags (e.g., “Consulting — $150/hr”).

5. Set up expense categories and policies

Create expense categories (Travel, Meals, Software, Materials).
Define policies (approval thresholds, required receipts, reimbursable vs. non-reimbursable).
Add tax or VAT settings if you need them for invoicing.

6. Invite users and set permissions

Invite team members and assign roles (Member, Manager, Approver).
Limit editing of time/expense entries for non-managers if you need stricter control.
Configure who can approve or edit submitted expenses and timesheets.

7. Integrations & invoicing

Connect to invoicing tools or export formats you use (CSV, QuickBooks, Xero, etc.).
If Ora supports direct integrations for billing, link client accounts or set up invoice templates.
For payroll, ensure export fields match payroll system requirements.

Daily workflows

Logging time

Use the timer for live tracking or manual entry for retrospective logging.
Always attach time entries to a task and project for accurate reporting.
Add short descriptions to explain what was done — this helps during reviews or client queries.
Mark entries as billable when appropriate.

Submitting expenses

Create an expense entry with category, amount, currency, date, and receipt attachment.
Link each expense to the relevant project/client.
Add notes about purpose or client cost code if needed.

Approval & review

Managers/approvers review submitted timesheets and expenses.
Approvers can accept, request changes, or reject entries with comments.
Regular reviews (weekly or biweekly) keep records accurate and prevent backlog.

Reporting & billing

Useful reports

Time by project/client — shows where hours are spent.
Billable vs. non-billable hours — helps assess profitability.
Expense by category — monitors spending patterns.
User timesheets — for payroll and utilization tracking.

Preparing invoices

Pull billable time and approved expenses into an invoice cycle.
Apply project rates, discounts, taxes, and apply receipts where needed.
Export or sync with accounting systems for sending to clients.

Tips & best practices

Encourage daily time logging — small, frequent entries are more accurate than end-of-week estimates.
Use consistent naming for projects/tasks to avoid fragmented reporting.
Require receipts for expenses above a set threshold (e.g., $25) to reduce disputes.
Automate reminders for unsubmitted timesheets or pending approvals.
Train new team members with a short how-to and template examples.
Archive completed projects to reduce clutter but keep historical data for reporting.
Regularly audit rates and categories to ensure they match your billing and accounting needs.
Use tags or custom fields for cross-project reporting (e.g., “client-facing”, “internal”, “training”).
If your team works across currencies, standardize reporting currency and record exchange rates at entry time.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Inconsistent project/task setup — fix by creating templates and naming conventions.
Missing approvals causing delayed invoicing — set SLAs for approvers and automated reminders.
Misapplied rates — lock rates where necessary and document exceptions.
Unclear expense policy — publish concise expense guidelines and examples.

Example: Quick setup checklist

[ ] Enable Time & Expense in workspace settings
[ ] Create key projects and tasks
[ ] Define billable/non-billable rules and rates
[ ] Create expense categories and policies
[ ] Invite users and set roles/permissions
[ ] Connect invoicing/accounting tools
[ ] Run a pilot week with a small team and refine settings

Final notes

Start small: enable tracking for a pilot project or team, gather feedback, then roll out workspace-wide. Regularly review usage patterns and refine categories, rates, and approval flows to keep Ora Time and Expense aligned with your billing and reporting needs.