Time tracking turns your intuition into data. When you know exactly how long each type of job actually takes, you estimate better, invoice more accurately, and can calculate your true hourly rate. Mileage tracking turns driving into a tax deduction. Both features are simple to use and valuable year-round.
Clocking In and Out of Jobs
Open any job in the Schedule or Jobs tab. Tap Clock In when you arrive at the property. The timer starts automatically. When you finish, tap Clock Out. The elapsed time is saved to the job record.
You can also use the clock-in and clock-out buttons from the Routes screen when working through your daily stop list. This keeps the action one tap away without navigating to the job detail.
Tip: Clock in before you unload equipment, not after. Your time on site starts the moment you arrive. This gives you accurate data on total job duration including setup and cleanup, which is the number that matters for pricing.
Running Timer
A persistent timer banner appears at the top of the app whenever a clock-in is active. You can navigate anywhere in the app — check the client's notes, look at the invoice, browse your supply inventory — without interrupting the timer. The banner shows elapsed time in real time so you always know how long you've been on site.
If you accidentally forget to clock in when you arrive, you can manually set the start time by long-pressing the Clock In button on a job and entering the actual arrival time.
Time Entry Logs
All clocked time is stored in a searchable log accessible from Time → Log. Each entry shows:
- Client name and job type
- Date and start/end times
- Duration in hours and minutes
- Any notes added at clock-out
Filter the log by client, date range, or job type. This is useful for reviewing how much time you spent at a particular property over the past month, or calculating total labor hours for a week.
Converting Hours to Invoices
If you bill clients by the hour, converting logged time to an invoice is a two-tap process. From the time log entry, tap Add to Invoice. LawnBook creates an invoice line item for the logged hours at the hourly rate set for that client or service type.
Your hourly rates can be configured per client and per service type in Settings → Pricing. Different rates for mowing, fertilizing, landscaping, and other services can all be stored separately.
Tip: Review your time log at the end of each week. Compare actual time against estimated time for each job. When you consistently go 20 minutes over estimate on large properties, that's a signal to adjust your pricing for those jobs.
Mileage Logging for Tax Deductions
The IRS allows self-employed individuals to deduct business mileage at the standard mileage rate (67 cents per mile for 2024). LawnBook logs mileage in two ways:
- Route-based — Drive distance between job stops is automatically estimated when you use the Routes feature and confirm stops
- Manual log — Open Time → Mileage and tap + Add Trip to record any business drive with starting odometer, ending odometer, and trip purpose
The IRS requires that mileage records include the date, starting and ending points, business purpose, and total miles. LawnBook stores all of this automatically for route-based trips and prompts for the purpose on manual entries.
Manual Mileage Trip Entry
For trips not covered by the route optimizer — supply runs, trips to the bank, equipment pickup, meeting a new client — add them manually:
- Tap + Add Trip in the Mileage log
- Enter the start location and end location (or just enter the total miles directly)
- Add the business purpose (e.g., "Supply run - Home Depot fertilizer")
- Enter the date
- Save
The trip is added to your mileage log and the running tax deduction total in the Tax Center updates immediately.
Mileage Summary and Tax Deduction
The Mileage section shows your year-to-date totals:
- Total business miles driven
- Dollar value of the mileage deduction at the current IRS rate
- Monthly breakdown of miles driven
- Trip history with search and filter
These figures flow automatically into your Tax Center and Schedule C report. At year-end, export a complete mileage log as CSV or PDF for your accountant.
Important: Keep personal and business mileage separate. The IRS specifically excludes commuting miles (driving from home to your first job site) from the business mileage deduction. LawnBook includes a field to mark trips as commuting when applicable so your deductible mileage count is accurate.
Per-Job Profitability Analysis
When you combine time tracking with supply usage logging and invoice revenue, LawnBook can calculate profitability per job. The job detail view shows:
- Revenue from the invoice
- Supply cost consumed
- Labor time and implied labor cost
- Estimated net profit and profit margin
Over time, this data shows which clients and which service types are most profitable per hour of work. That information should directly inform where you focus your growth efforts and how you price similar work in the future.