Is Sandtime.io really free?

Yes! Sandtime.io offers a free plan for small teams with no feature limitations. You can track time, create reports, and manage projects without paying anything.

How does Sandtime.io compare to Toggl or Clockify?

Sandtime.io offers unique features like multi-currency support, temporal rates (historical rate tracking), and custom subdomains for free. Unlike some competitors, there are no artificial feature limits on the free plan.

Can I use Sandtime.io for my team?

Absolutely! Sandtime.io is built for teams. You can invite team members, assign them to projects, and see everyone's time tracking in one dashboard.

What integrations does Sandtime.io support?

Sandtime.io integrates with Slack for easy time tracking without leaving your communication tool. Desktop apps, mobile apps, and a Chrome extension are also available.

Hourly Rate

An hourly rate is the monetary amount charged or paid per hour of work. In time tracking, hourly rates are used to calculate revenue (billing rates) and cost (cost rates) from tracked activities.

Key Characteristics

Per-hour basis: Applied to each hour of tracked time.
Role-specific: Different rates for different team members or roles.
Project-variable: Rates can vary by project or client.

Types of Hourly Rates

Cost Rate

What you pay employees per hour. Used to calculate labor cost.

Revenue Rate

What you charge clients per hour. Used to calculate billable revenue.

Blended Rate

An average rate across multiple team members or services.

Rate Levels

Organization Rate

Default rate for a member across all projects.

Project Rate

Rate specific to a member's work on one project.

Activity Rate

Rate for specific types of work (less common).

Impact on Workforce Planning

For businesses using time tracking software like Sandtime.io:

Accurate billing: Calculate client invoices automatically.
Profitability analysis: Compare revenue rates against cost rates.
Budget forecasting: Estimate project costs based on planned hours.
Rate negotiations: Use historical data to inform pricing decisions.

Best Practices

Set both cost and revenue rates for complete financial picture.
Use temporal rates when rates change over time.
Document rate policies for consistency across the organization.
Review rates annually or when market conditions change.
Consider overhead when setting cost rates.

Rate Calculations

Revenue Calculation

Billable Hours x Revenue Rate = Gross Revenue

Cost Calculation

Worked Hours x Cost Rate = Labor Cost

Margin

(Revenue - Cost) / Revenue = Profit Margin

Common Challenges

Rate Complexity

Too many rate variations. Simplify where possible.

Stale Rates

Rates not updated after changes. Use temporal rates for history.

Missing Rates

Team members without rates. Reports show incomplete data.

Hourly rates determine cost and revenue in custom reports. Rates are tied to assignments and can change over time as temporal rates. They multiply billable hours to calculate earnings.