Jira has built-in time tracking. An administrator enables it, team members set an original estimate on an issue and log the time they spend, and Jira keeps the remaining estimate up to date. It works well for recording time on issues. It does not capture time automatically, so its accuracy depends on people remembering to log their work.
Key takeaways
- Jira tracks three numbers per issue: original estimate, time spent and remaining estimate.
- In Jira, a day means 8 hours and a week means 5 days unless an admin changes it.
- Logging work requires the right permission.
- Native tracking is manual. Automation needs an integration.
How does time tracking work in Jira?
Every issue, which Atlassian now also calls a work item, can carry three time values.
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Original estimate | How long the work was expected to take |
| Time spent | The total of all time logged on the issue |
| Remaining estimate | How much work is left |
Each entry of logged time is a worklog. Jira adds the worklogs together to get time spent and reduces the remaining estimate as time is logged. See Jira worklogs explained.
How do you set up time tracking in Jira?
A Jira administrator controls time tracking in the global settings. The settings that matter:
Working hours per day and working days per week
These define what "1d" and "1w" mean.
Time format and default unit
The default unit is the one used when someone types a bare number.
The time tracking provider
Jira's own, or an app from the marketplace.
Screens
The time tracking field has to be on the screens where people should see it.
How do you log time on an issue?
According to Atlassian's documentation:
- Open the issue.
- Select the more actions menu and choose Log work, or select the Time tracking field.
- Enter the time spent, for example 2h 30m.
- Set the date and time the work started.
- Choose how the remaining estimate should change.
- Add a description of the work and save.
What time formats does Jira accept?
| Unit | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| w | Weeks | 1w |
| d | Days | 2d |
| h | Hours | 4h |
| m | Minutes | 30m |
Units can be combined, as in 1d 4h 30m. By default a day is 8 hours and a week is 5 days, so 1d logs 8 hours, not 24. This catches out many new users.
Which permissions control time tracking?
| Permission | Allows |
|---|---|
| Work on issues | Logging time on an issue |
| Edit own worklogs | Changing your own entries |
| Edit all worklogs | Changing anyone's entries |
| Delete own worklogs | Removing your own entries |
| Delete all worklogs | Removing anyone's entries |
If someone cannot log work, the cause is nearly always a missing permission or a screen without the time tracking field.
What reports does Jira provide?
Each issue shows its time tracking panel and a work log tab with every entry. Jira also offers time tracking reports that compare estimates with time spent.
What Jira lacks out of the box is a timesheet: one view of hours by person, by day, across projects. Many teams add a marketplace app or an external tracker for that.
What are the limits of native Jira time tracking?
- It is manual. Every worklog has to be typed in.
- People forget. Time logged at the end of the week is an estimate.
- It cannot see idle time or breaks.
- It covers only work tied to an issue. Meetings and general tasks go unrecorded.
- Reporting is basic without add-ons.
How do you automate Jira worklogs?
Automation means time is captured as people work and written to Jira without anyone typing it. There are two common approaches: timers that you start and stop on an issue, and automatic trackers that record working time and map it to the issue a person has selected.
Whichever you choose, check how it handles change. If a time entry is edited or deleted after it has been posted, does the Jira worklog follow? Does a second sync create duplicates? An integration that only pushes one way leaves Jira wrong over time.
How does BirdsEye track time in Jira?
BirdsEye tracks working time automatically and keeps Jira matched to it.
- Employees pick a real Jira issue as their task in the desktop agent.
- Time tracked against the issue is written to it as a worklog.
- BirdsEye reconciles each person's day against Jira continuously. An edited entry updates its worklog, and a deleted entry removes it.
- Repeated syncs do not create duplicates.
- Failed syncs retry automatically, and administrators can see worklog health and retry by hand.
- Several Jira accounts can be connected, each mapped to the teams that use it.
The full description is on the Jira time tracking page. Jira is part of the Team and Business plans.
Frequently asked questions
Does Jira have built-in time tracking?
Yes. Jira includes time tracking with estimates and worklogs. An administrator can turn it on or off and configure it in the global settings.
How do I log time in Jira?
Open the issue, choose Log work from the more actions menu or select the Time tracking field, enter the time spent and save.
Why does 1d equal 8 hours in Jira?
Because Jira converts days using the working hours per day set by the administrator, which is 8 by default. A week is 5 working days by default.
Can Jira track time automatically?
Not natively. Jira records time that people enter. Automatic capture needs an integration that tracks working time and writes worklogs for you.