How to Connect Timesheet to 5,000+ Apps with Zapier

Most of the busywork that surrounds time tracking isn't the tracking itself. It's copying entries to a spreadsheet, posting daily summaries to Slack, creating cards in Trello when a task finishes, logging meetings from the calendar. The Zapier integration is what makes that busywork disappear: events in Timesheet trigger actions in other tools, and events in other tools create entries in Timesheet.

The Timesheet Zapier app lives on the Pro plan, which has a 30-day free trial (no credit card). Zapier itself has its own free tier; a paid Zapier plan is only needed for multi-step or higher-volume automations.

#What Zapier Is

Zapier is an automation platform that connects apps. You build "Zaps": automated workflows that listen for an event in one app (the trigger) and perform an action in another (the action).

Simple example: When a time entry is created in Timesheet → add a row to Google Sheets.

#Getting Connected

#Create a Zapier Account

1. Open zapier.com
2. Sign up (the free plan covers basic single-step Zaps)
3. Verify the email

#Connect Timesheet to Zapier

1. In the Timesheet web app, open Integrations → API Keys and create a key. It's shown only once, so copy it right away
2. In Zapier, search for "Timesheet" and add it to a Zap
3. When Zapier asks you to sign in to Timesheet, paste the API key
4. Done. Zapier reuses the connection in every future Zap

#Available Triggers

Events in Timesheet that can start a Zap. The Timesheet app on Zapier is in beta, so the exact list can change; the Zapier app page always shows the current one.

#New Time Entry

Fires when a new task or time entry is created.

Common uses:

• Log entries to a spreadsheet
• Notify the team in Slack
• Create a to-do in a project tool

#Project Created

Fires when a new project is added.

Common uses:

• Create a matching project in your PM tool
• Notify the team
• Add to a CRM as a new opportunity

#Time Entry Updated

Fires when an existing entry changes, including when it's marked billed or paid.

Common uses:

• Update an invoice-tracking dashboard
• Notify someone when work moves to billed
• Keep an external log in sync with corrections

#Timer Started or Stopped

Fires when the timer state changes (start, stop, pause, resume).

Common uses:

• Update Slack presence
• Trigger focus-mode automation
• Log work sessions to a personal journal

There are also triggers for updated projects and for created or updated tags, rates, todos, and teams.

#Available Actions

Things Zapier can do in Timesheet through the API, triggered from anywhere else. As with the triggers, the exact set in the beta app can evolve; the Zapier app page shows the current list.

#Create Time Entry

Add a new entry.

Triggered by:

• A calendar event ending
• A task completing in your PM tool
• An email arriving that should be logged as billable communication

#Update Time Entry

Modify an existing entry.

Triggered by:

• Status changes in a project tool
• Approvals in a workflow system
• Manual triggers from a form

#Create Project

Add a project.

Triggered by:

• A new client in your CRM
• A new project in a PM tool
• A signed contract in DocuSign

#Create Expense

Add an expense to a task.

Triggered by:

• A receipt scanned via an OCR app
• A confirmed purchase in your accounting tool
• A credit-card transaction matched to a project

#Building Your First Zap

A useful starter: log every new time entry to a Google Sheet.

#Step 1: Start the Zap

1. In Zapier, click Create Zap
2. Name it (e.g., "Timesheet → Sheets Log")

#Step 2: The Trigger

1. Search for Timesheet
2. Pick New Time Entry
3. Connect your Timesheet account (if not already)
4. Test the trigger to pull sample data

#Step 3: The Action

1. Search for Google Sheets
2. Pick Create Spreadsheet Row
3. Connect Google
4. Pick the spreadsheet and worksheet
5. Map fields:
   • Column A: Date
   • Column B: Project
   • Column C: Description
   • Column D: Duration

#Step 4: Test and Turn On

1. Test the action
2. Confirm the row appears
3. Turn the Zap on

You now have a permanent log of every entry, in a place your accountant can open.

#Recipes That Earn Their Keep

#Timesheet + Slack

Daily summary. Trigger: schedule (daily at 17:00). Action: post the day's hours to a Slack channel.

Focus mode. Trigger: timer started in Timesheet. Action: update Slack status to "Focusing on [project name]".

#Timesheet + Trello or Asana

Auto-completion. Trigger: time entry completed in Timesheet for a tagged task. Action: move the matching Trello card to Done.

#Timesheet + Google Calendar

Meetings become entries. Trigger: a calendar event ends. Action: create a time entry in Timesheet with the event title, attendees, and duration.

#Timesheet + Notion

Project database. Trigger: new project in Timesheet. Action: add a page to a Notion projects database with default properties.

#Timesheet + Email

Weekly report. Trigger: schedule (Friday at 16:00). Action: send an email with the week's hours per project to your team or yourself.

#Timesheet + Airtable

Time-log database. Trigger: new time entry. Action: create a record in Airtable for analytical or reporting purposes.

#Multi-Step Zaps

Zapier supports chaining multiple actions on a single trigger. Useful when one event should ripple into several systems.

#Example: Complete Workflow on Entry Created

Trigger: time entry created in Timesheet

Action 1: append to Google Sheets Action 2: post a notification to the team Slack channel Action 3: update a matching Asana task

Multi-step Zaps require a paid Zapier plan.

#Filters and Paths

Add conditions to branch the workflow:

Filter. Only trigger if the project name contains "Client A".

Path.

• If duration > 4 hours → notify manager
• If duration < 1 hour → log to sheet only

#Advanced Pieces

#Formatter

Zapier's built-in Formatter transforms data on the fly:

• Convert duration formats (seconds to HH:MM)
• Extract project codes from names
• Format dates for downstream systems

#Webhooks

For custom services not yet on Zapier:

• Timesheet sends a webhook on certain events
• Your service receives the JSON payload
• Builds the integration in code

#Delay

Add a wait step:

• Wait 1 hour after a time entry
• Check whether the entry was modified
• Then log the final version

Useful when you want to capture the "settled" state of data rather than every intermediate change.

#Testing Before Going Live

1. Test each step individually
2. Verify the field mapping
3. Run with sample data
4. Confirm the destination receives what you expect

After enabling:

1. Watch the Zap history for the first few real triggers
2. Check for errors in Zapier's task history
3. Adjust as needed

#Common Issues

• Missing data: required fields not mapped. Map them.
• Wrong format: durations as seconds where minutes were expected, dates in the wrong locale. Use Formatter.
• Authentication expired: re-authorize the affected app. For Timesheet, create a new API key under Integrations → API Keys and reconnect.

#Managing Multiple Zaps

Name them descriptively. "Timesheet → Sheets log (weekly)" beats "Zap 14".

Group in folders. Zapier supports folders for organization. Use them.

Document what each Zap does. A one-line description in the Zap helps the future-you and the team.

Monitor. Check Zap history weekly. Enable failure notifications so you don't discover a broken Zap when the spreadsheet has been empty for a month.

Combine where possible. Two single-step Zaps with the same trigger should probably be one multi-step Zap. (Requires paid Zapier.)

#Troubleshooting

#Zap Not Triggering

• Is the Timesheet connection still active?
• Does the event in Timesheet match the trigger criteria?
• Look at the Zap's task history for the last firing

#Action Failing

• Is the destination app's connection still authorized?
• Are the required fields populated?
• Read the error message; it usually says what's missing

#Duplicate Entries

• Is the Zap firing multiple times for one event?
• Add a filter to deduplicate
• Use Zapier's storage feature if you need lookups across events

#Data Not Mapping

• Open the action step's field mapping
• Use Formatter to convert types or formats
• Test with multiple sample records, not just one

#Zapier Pricing, Briefly

Free: 5 Zaps, 100 tasks per month, single-step only. Fine for two or three simple automations.

Paid: more Zaps and tasks, multi-step Zaps, filters and paths, premium apps. Worth it once your automations become genuinely load-bearing.

Most Timesheet users start free and upgrade only when they want multi-step workflows.

#Summary

The integration gives you:

• Triggers: time entries, projects, tags, rates, timer events
• Actions: create or update entries, projects, expenses
• Multi-step: chain actions across services
• Filters and paths: conditional logic
• Reach: 5,000+ connected apps

Start with one simple Zap. Build the second only when you actually need it.

#Where to Go Next

• Sync to QuickBooks for direct accounting integration without Zapier in the middle
• Export to Excel for one-off data hand-offs
• Generate PDF invoices when you want the invoice itself produced from Timesheet