⚠️ Important: Most users should use Invoice syncing instead of Time Activities.
MinuteDock's invoice syncing gives you better control over formatting, more powerful billing rates, and keeps your reporting data complete.
Only use Time Activities if you have specific QuickBooks requirements listed below.
Do you need Time Activities?
Time Activities should only be used for these specific QuickBooks requirements:
Use Time Activities ONLY if you need to:
Run QuickBooks payroll based on time tracked in MinuteDock
Generate specific QuickBooks reports that require Time Activity data
Use QuickBooks' built-in Time Activity billing features
Integrate with other QuickBooks features that specifically require Time Activities
Use Invoice Syncing (recommended) if you want to:
Send professional invoices to clients
Maintain full reporting capabilities in MinuteDock, including Goals and Budgets
Use MinuteDock's powerful billing rate system
Track Projects and Tasks with detailed reporting
Keep your time data flexible and editable
Not sure which to use? Start with invoice syncing. You can always add Time Activity syncing later and retroactively sync all your historical time if needed.
Understanding Time Activity limitations
Before proceeding, understand these key limitations:
When you sync Time Activities to QuickBooks:
Time Entries become locked in MinuteDock (only Admins can unlock)
Some MinuteDock data (Projects, multiple Tasks) won't transfer to QuickBooks
QuickBooks reports will have less detail than MinuteDock reports
You'll need to maintain QuickBooks Employee records for all Users
If these limitations are acceptable for your workflow, continue with the setup below.
Prerequisites
Before sending Time Activities, you must complete these setup steps:
Link MinuteDock Users to QuickBooks Employees
Each User must be matched to a QuickBooks Employee
Time won't sync for unlinked Users
Configure QuickBooks Classes and Service Items (optional)
Customize how time is categorized in QuickBooks
Set defaults by User, Contact, Project, or Task
Learn about configuring Classes and Service Items
Send Time Activities to QuickBooks
Once your prerequisites are complete, follow these steps to send Time Entries as Time Activities:
Access the send time feature
Navigate to the Time tab in MinuteDock
Click Send Time in the bottom-left corner
Review the Send Time dashboard showing your sync history
Previously sent Time Activities
Sync status for each batch
Any sync errors that need attention
Select Time Entries to send
Click Send Time to QuickBooks on the right side of the dashboard
Use filters to select which Time Entries to send:
By default, all unsent or modified Time Entries are selected
Customize by date range, User, Contact, or Project
Exclude specific Time Entries as needed
To save your filter settings as the default, click the arrow next to "Send to QuickBooks" and select "Send & save as default search". The default search automatically includes all time that hasn't been sent to QuickBooks or has been changed since it was last sent.
Send to QuickBooks
Review your selected Time Entries
Click Send to QuickBooks to begin the sync
Wait for the confirmation message
Check the sync status in your Send Time history
⚠️ Warning: Once sent, Time Entries are locked in MinuteDock and cannot be edited by regular Users. Only Admins can unlock and modify sent Time Entries.
What happens next
After successfully sending Time Activities:
In QuickBooks:
Time Activities appear under the linked Employee and Customer
Activities are available for payroll processing
Time can be used in QuickBooks reports and billing
In MinuteDock:
Sent Time Entries display a lock icon
Entries cannot be edited without Admin privileges
Time remains available in MinuteDock reports
Troubleshooting
Time not sending for certain Users
Verify the User is linked to a QuickBooks Employee
Check that the Employee exists and is active in QuickBooks
Sync errors appearing
Review the error message in the Send Time history
Ensure QuickBooks Customers match MinuteDock Contacts
Verify your QuickBooks connection is active
Need to edit sent Time Entries
Contact an Admin to unlock the entries
Make necessary edits
Resend the updated Time Entries
💡 Still not sure? If you're primarily creating client invoices, you almost certainly want invoice syncing instead. Time Activities are only for specific QuickBooks workflows like payroll processing.