Telegram Time Tracking Bot: Clock In and Out From Your DMs
Freelancers lose billable minutes to the tracking itself: switch to a timesheet app, remember the start time, reconstruct what happened at the end of the week. Hours (TimeSheetProBot) keeps the whole loop inside Telegram, where the work conversations already happen.
Two modes: clock in with /in acme and out with /out, and the elapsed time is logged automatically; or skip the clock and log a finished block directly with /log 2h acme redesign. Weekly and monthly views total your hours split per client, so the answer to where did the week go is one command away.
Pro adds the part freelancers actually hate: rates and invoicing. Set an hourly /rate per client and /invoice turns unbilled entries into an invoice with a CSV attachment, covering everything since the last invoice, so billing becomes a single command at the end of the month instead of an evening with a spreadsheet.
Steps
- Clock in with /in. Start a chat with @TimeSheetProBot and run /in acme fix the bug — client name required, task note optional. The clock runs until you stop it; you can close the chat in the meantime.
- Clock out with /out. Run /out to stop the clock and log the elapsed time against the client you clocked in for. Nothing to calculate, nothing to copy over.
- Log blocks directly with /log. Forgot to clock in? /log 2h acme redesign records a finished block of time — duration, client, note — without any clock. Most freelancers end up using this more than the clock.
- Review with /week and /month. Both totals are split per client, so you can see not just how much you worked but for whom. This is the check that catches the client quietly eating your week.
- Pro: rates and invoices. Pro (one-time 150 Stars) unlocks /rate acme 60 to set an hourly rate per client and /invoice acme, which DMs an invoice plus a CSV attachment for that client's unbilled hours since the last invoice.
Good to know
- The clock is DM-based — no group setup, no calendar permissions.
- /log is the escape hatch for missed clock-ins; both modes coexist fine.
- Weekly and monthly totals are always per-client, never just a lump number.
- Invoicing requires a /rate to be set first, and always covers unbilled hours since the previous invoice.
- Pro per user (150 Stars one-time): rates, invoices with CSV, and full history.
FAQ
- Is there a time tracking bot for Telegram?
- Yes — Hours (TimeSheetProBot). Clock in and out with /in and /out, or log blocks with /log 2h acme; /week and /month total your hours per client.
- Can it create invoices?
- With Pro: set an hourly rate with /rate acme 60, then /invoice acme sends an invoice with a CSV attachment covering all unbilled hours for that client since the last invoice.
- What if I forget to clock in?
- Use /log with the duration, client, and note — it records the block directly, no clock needed.
- Does it work for teams?
- It is designed for individual freelancers tracking their own billable time per client in their DM with the bot.