Feature Article: Timekeepers vs. Users

February 2023    Tags: Accounts Payable, General Ledger, PracticeMaster, Tabs3 Billing, Timekeepers, Trust Accounting, Users

The difference between Timekeepers and Users is often confused. So what exactly is the distinction between how timekeepers and users are used in the software?

Users represent anyone who uses the software, or a resource that needs to be scheduled, such as a conference room. Timekeepers represent any person whose time is entered or billed, such as attorneys and paralegals.

You work with timekeepers and users every day, possibly in ways you don’t even realize. Let’s take a look at some different ways timekeepers and users are used in the software below.

Timekeepers can be used to:

• Track time
• Assign billing rates
• Specify which timekeeper is primary, secondary, and originating for a matter
• Track billing and productivity
• Specify reporting ranges
• Specify fee compensation rules (Tabs3 Billing only)
• …and more

Users can be used to:

• Log in to the software
• Specify access rights
• Track who enters data in Tabs3 Billing, PracticeMaster, Trust Accounting (Trust), Accounts Payable (AP), and General Ledger (GL)
• Add to groups to make entering calendar records easier
• …and more

Because there are such different uses for timekeepers and users, when, how, and why you should add or delete them vary. When adding or deleting timekeepers and users, keep the following in mind:

• You can only add as many timekeepers as your license allows. Because of this, it may be necessary to renumber or delete timekeepers or add timekeepers to your license.
• There is no limit to the number of users you can add; you are instead limited by how many users can be logged in to the software at the same time. Because of this, there is never a need to delete users. In fact, deleting users can cause Data File Integrity Check Errors.

It is important to note that Tabs3 Billing and Trust are licensed by Timekeeper whereas PracticeMaster, AP, and GL are licensed by User. For more information on timekeeper and user limits, refer to Knowledge Base Article R10788, “Active User Limits.”

Not sure what your timekeeper or user login limits are? These can be found in the About window (in the Quick Launch, search for and select “About”). The About window displays the Active User Limit in each of the applications. In Tabs3 Billing, you can also see the Maximum Timekeeper Limit, and in Trust you can see the Maximum Attorney Limit. For more information about what is contained in the About window, refer to Knowledge Base Article R11865, “Information in the About Window.”

For more information on deleting timekeepers and users, refer to Knowledge Base Articles R10969, “Renumbering vs. Deleting Inactive Timekeepers,” and R10840, “Deleting User IDs.”

Knowing the difference between timekeepers and users can help you know which settings may need to be changed when necessary, as well as when you should add or delete them, or update your license. For more information on timekeeper and users, refer to the Help by pressing F1 from any window.