Overview
Labor is one of the biggest cost drivers on any construction project, and tracking it accurately makes the difference between a profitable job and one that quietly bleeds money. The Timesheets module gives you a straightforward way to log hours for every team member on a project, whether they work in the field or the office, and automatically connects that time to your project budget.
Every timesheet entry ties to a cost code, so labor costs flow directly into the right budget line without any manual reconciliation. You can log time as a daily entry with clock in and clock out times, or use the weekly view to fill in an entire week's hours for one employee in a single form. For real-time tracking, the Track Time button opens a live timer you can clock in and out with directly from the Timesheets module.
Because Structur supports both licensed users and non-licensed team members, you can track time for your entire crew - not just the people who have platform access. Non-licensed users can be added to your account and selected in timesheet entries without consuming a paid seat.
This guide walks you through setting up team members, logging entries, using the live timer, and configuring timesheet notifications.
Understanding Timesheets
What It Does
The Timesheets module allows you and your team to:
Log daily timesheet entries with date, clock in, clock out, user, hourly rate, cost code, and breaks
Log weekly timesheet entries for a full Mon-Sun week in a single form, with Clock In, Clock Out, and Cost Code per day
Add multiple cost codes per day on weekly entries using the + button on each row
Add break periods to daily entries with start and end times, subtracted automatically from total hours
Use the live timer to clock in and out in real time directly from the Timesheets module
Track time for non-licensed users who don't have platform access but still need their hours recorded
Automatically calculate labor costs based on each user's hourly rate and total hours worked
Flow labor costs into the project budget as a Labor Hours Expense under the assigned cost code
Configure notifications to alert specified users when new entries are logged
Set break reminders to notify a user after they've been on a break for a set number of minutes
When to Use It
Timesheets are most valuable when you want to:
Track actual labor hours against your project budget in real time
Give field supervisors or project managers a simple way to log crew hours daily or weekly
Keep non-licensed field staff in the system for time and cost tracking without paying for extra seats
Understand where labor hours are being spent across cost codes on a project
Use a live timer for real-time clock in and clock out without manual entry after the fact
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Set Up Team Members and Hourly Rates
Before logging time, make sure each team member exists in Structur and has an hourly rate configured.
To add a team member:
Click Settings in the left sidebar
Click Users
Click New User and enter the team member's name, email, and role
To give full platform access, assign a license seat and click Send Invite
To track time without platform access (field workers, crew), add the user without assigning a license seat - they can still be selected in timesheet entries
To set an hourly rate:
In Settings > Users, click the team member's name
Enter their Hourly Rate
Save
Note: Without an hourly rate, Structur cannot calculate a labor cost for that person's entries. Set rates before logging any time.
2. Open the Timesheets Module
Click Projects in the left sidebar and open the project you want to track time on
Click Timesheets in the module top bar
If no entries exist yet, you'll see an empty state with a New Entry button in the center.
3. Log a Daily Entry
Click New Entry in the top right corner
The New Timesheet Entry modal opens on the Daily tab
Fill in the following fields:
Date - the date the work was performed
Clock In - the time work started
Clock Out - the time work ended
User - select the team member whose time you're recording
Hourly Rate - confirm or enter the employee's rate per hour
Select Cost Code - choose the cost code this time should be charged to
Breaks - enter Break Start and Break End times if applicable. Click New Break to add multiple breaks
Review the confirmation text at the bottom confirming the times are accurate
Click Save
4. Log a Weekly Entry
Click New Entry in the top right corner
Click the Weekly tab at the top of the modal
Fill in the following fields:
User - select the team member
Hourly Rate - confirm or enter the rate per hour
In the Weekly Timesheet grid, fill in Clock In, Clock Out, and Cost Code for each day of the week (Mon through Sun). Today's date is highlighted in orange for reference
Click the + button on any row to add a second cost code entry for that day if the employee worked across multiple cost codes
Click Save
5. Use the Live Timer
For real-time time tracking without manual entry:
Click Track Time in the top right corner of the Timesheets module
The Start New Timer panel opens showing your name and hourly rate
Click Clock in to start the timer
The timer runs live, counting up from 00:00:00
When work is done, stop the timer to log the entry
6. Configure Timesheet Settings
Click the gear icon in the top right of the Timesheets module
The Timesheet Settings modal opens with two options:
Notify the following users every new time entry - select one or more team members to receive a notification every time a new timesheet entry is logged on this project. Useful for project managers who want real-time visibility into crew hours.
Send a reminder to the user when in a break - set a number of minutes after which the user receives a reminder that they're still clocked out on a break. Defaults to 60 minutes.
Click Close when done
7. Review Automatic Cost Calculation
Once a timesheet entry is saved, Structur automatically:
Calculates the labor cost based on the employee's hourly rate and total hours worked (minus any breaks)
Adds that cost to the project budget as a Labor Hours Expense under the assigned cost code
There's no manual step required. The moment an entry is saved, the budget updates. This keeps your financial picture accurate in real time without double entry.
Best Practices
Set hourly rates before logging any time - if rates aren't configured when entries are created, labor costs won't calculate correctly. Set rates in Settings as soon as you add a team member.
Log time daily, not weekly - daily entries are more accurate and easier to verify than reconstructing a week's worth of hours from memory.
Use the weekly entry for crews with consistent schedules - if a team member works the same hours across multiple days, the weekly form is faster than creating seven separate daily entries.
Use cost codes consistently - always assign timesheet entries to the correct cost code so labor costs land in the right budget line and your financial reporting stays clean.
Add non-licensed users for field crew - don't skip tracking field workers just because they don't need platform access. Adding them without a license seat keeps labor costs accurate without increasing your subscription cost.
Add breaks to daily entries - break periods are subtracted from total hours automatically, so including them keeps your labor cost calculations honest.
Set up notifications for active projects - use Timesheet Settings to notify your project manager every time a new entry is logged, so hours are visible as they happen.
Common Questions
Q: Can a team member log their own time, or does a manager have to do it?
A: Licensed users can log in to Structur and submit their own timesheet entries. Non-licensed team members have their time entered by an admin, project manager, or field supervisor on their behalf.
Q: Do I need to manually update the project budget when I log entries?
A: No. Structur automatically calculates the labor cost for each entry and adds it to the project budget as a Labor Hours Expense under the assigned cost code. There's no manual step required.
Q: Can I track time for workers who don't have a Structur account?
A: Yes. Add the team member in Settings without assigning a license seat. They won't have platform access, but you can still select them in timesheet entries and their labor costs will flow into the budget.
Q: What happens if I forget to set an hourly rate for an employee?
A: Without an hourly rate, Structur cannot calculate a labor cost for that person's entries. Set the rate in Settings as soon as possible. Entries created before the rate was set may need to be reviewed and updated.
Q: Can I add breaks to a timesheet entry?
A: Yes. On daily entries, enter Break Start and Break End times in the Breaks section. Click New Break to add multiple break periods. Break time is subtracted from total hours worked automatically.
Q: What is the weekly entry format for?
A: The weekly entry lets you log an entire Mon-Sun week for one employee in a single form instead of creating seven separate daily entries. Each day has its own Clock In, Clock Out, and Cost Code fields, with a + button to add multiple cost codes for any given day.
Q: Can I assign time to more than one cost code in a single day on the weekly entry?
A: Yes. Click the + button on any day row in the weekly entry to add a second cost code entry for that day. This lets you split a day's hours across multiple cost codes in one form.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Don't | ✅ Do |
Skip setting hourly rates before logging time | Configure each employee's hourly rate in Settings before creating any entries |
Only track licensed users and ignore field crew | Add non-licensed team members so all labor costs are captured in the budget |
Enter a week's worth of hours all at once from memory | Log time daily while it's fresh and accurate |
Assign all time to a generic cost code | Use the correct cost code for each entry so budget reporting stays meaningful |
Manually add labor costs to the budget separately | Trust Structur's automatic calculation - timesheet entries update the budget directly |
Forget to include break periods on daily entries | Add breaks so total hours and costs reflect actual paid time worked |