10 Best Timesheet Software for Government Contractors

Website: https://www.deltek.com/

Best for: Government contract accounting

Starting price: quote only

Free plan: No

Pros: Built for government contract rules; full audit trail on time entries

Cons: No published pricing and quotes vary widely; implementation commonly costs $30,000 or more for full Costpoint

Deltek is the standard choice for a government contractor that needs timekeeping tied to contract accounting. Deltek Time and Expense and Costpoint cover timesheets, labor distribution, leave, and billing in one system, with audit trails that record every change to a time entry. A firm that bills cost-plus contracts or must pass a DCAA audit needs that trail, and a simple timer cannot provide it.

The limits are the price and the sales process. Deltek publishes no list price for Time and Expense or full Costpoint, so the price depends on the size of the firm and the modules it needs, and implementation commonly costs $30,000 or more for full Costpoint. There is no free plan and no trial stated. Ask Deltek for a written quote that lists every module and the implementation cost, and compare the total against the entry prices in this list before you commit.

Website: https://unanet.com/

Best for: Government contract time and billing

Starting price: quote only

Free plan: No

Pros: Built for government contract billing; project and resource views included

Cons: No published pricing; advanced modules cost extra on top of the quoted base

Unanet suits a government contractor that wants time, billing, and project management in one system built for the sector. The platform covers timesheets, project accounting, resource planning, and invoicing, with the labor and cost tracking a firm needs for government contracts. A firm that outgrows simple timers and needs contract-level reporting should ask Unanet for a quote.

The limits are the lack of published prices and the add-on costs. Pricing is module based, and advanced capabilities such as Analytics Studio, planning licenses, and Champ AI cost extra on top of the quoted base. There is no free plan and no free trial. Ask for a written quote that lists every module and add-on, and confirm which features are included in the base price before you sign.

Website: https://journyx.com/

Best for: DCAA-style timekeeping without full ERP

Starting price: $13 per user/month

Free plan: No

Pros: Project time tracking with approval flows; published list price

Cons: Onboarding and integrations add to the cost; final price varies with license count

Journyx is the middle option for a government contractor that needs proper timekeeping without buying a full ERP system. The list price is $13 per user per month for project time tracking, and $5 per user per month for time and attendance, with approval flows and reporting that support government contract rules. A firm can run timesheets, approvals, and labor reports in one place and keep the audit trail a contract requires.

The limits are the extras. Onboarding, integrations, extra modules, and time clocks add to the cost, and the final price varies with license count and contract length. The pricing page does not state whether the $13 figure is an annual or monthly rate, and no free plan or trial is stated. Ask Journyx for a written estimate that includes onboarding and the modules you need.

Website: https://www.data-basics.com/

Best for: Time and expense for government work

Starting price: quote only

Free plan: No

Pros: Time and expense built for government rules; audit-ready records

Cons: No published pricing; annual subscription with negotiated minimums and a setup fee

DATABASICS suits a government contractor that needs time and expense tracking built for government rules. The system covers timesheets, expenses, and leave with the approval flows and audit-ready records a contract requires, and it links hours to billing and payroll. A firm that must show a clean trail from time entry to invoice should ask DATABASICS for a quote.

The limits are the lack of published prices and the contract terms. The annual subscription carries negotiated monthly minimums and overage rates, plus a fixed implementation fee and a required entry-level setup fee. There is no free plan and no free trial. Ask for a written quote that lists the minimums, the overage rates, and the setup fee before you commit.

Website: https://www.bigtime.net/

Best for: Larger firms needing project accounting

Starting price: $20 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: No

Pros: Project accounting and utilization reports; built for professional services

Cons: Highest listed starting price in this list; no free plan

BigTime is the most expensive listed entry point in this list, and it earns that price only for a larger firm that needs project accounting. The Essentials plan starts at $20 per user per month and includes time tracking, expenses, invoicing, and project management, with higher tiers adding utilization, budgeting, and accounting links. A firm with several project managers and engineers can track hours, costs, and fees in one system and see which contracts are making money.

The limits are the price and the lack of a free plan, so do not buy BigTime for a small firm that only needs timesheets. BigTime is not built for government contract rules, so a firm that bills cost-plus contracts should check whether its audit trail meets the contract terms. Choose BigTime when your firm needs project profit and capacity views, not just hours.

Website: https://getharvest.com/

Best for: Hours, expenses, and invoices in one place

Starting price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Time, expenses, and invoices in one place; simple project budgets

Cons: Free plan covers only 1 seat and 2 projects; Flex usage fees apply to active items

Harvest ties timesheets straight to money, which suits a contractor that bills clients for time and materials. The Teams plan at $9 per seat per month on annual billing includes timers, timesheets, expenses, estimates, invoices, and project budgets, so hours flow from a timer into a client invoice without retyping. Project budgets show how much of a fixed fee has been used, which helps a project manager spot a job that is running over.

The costs to watch are the Flex usage fees, which apply to active projects, clients, tasks, and invoicing on top of the seat price, and the Enterprise plan at $14 per seat per month on annual billing, which adds the controls a larger firm needs. The free plan covers 1 seat and 2 projects. Harvest is not built for government contract rules, so check the audit trail before using it on a government contract.

Website: https://clockify.me/

Best for: Lowest cost entry for small firms

Starting price: $3.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Free plan for up to 5 users; low Basic price with billable rates

Cons: Activity monitoring starts on Pro at $7.99; free plan limited to 5 users

Clockify gives a contractor a full timesheet tool for less than any other option in this list. The free plan covers up to 5 users with unlimited tracking, timers, timesheets, and a calendar view, which is enough for a small firm to run its week. The Basic plan at $3.99 per user per month on annual billing adds time estimates, project templates, required fields, and bulk editing, plus the ability to add time for other people, so a manager can log hours for the whole team from one screen.

Higher tiers add the pieces a growing firm needs. Standard at $5.49 brings timesheet approval, time off management, and invoicing, while Pro at $7.99 adds activity monitoring, scheduling, forecasting, expenses, and labor costs. Clockify is not built for government contract rules, so use it for commercial work or for a small firm that does not bill the government directly.

Website: https://toggl.com/

Best for: Simple timers and project reports

Starting price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Very simple timer and reporting; clear reports by client and project

Cons: No built-in invoicing on the entry plan; project budgeting sits on higher tiers

Toggl Track keeps timesheets simple, which matters for staff who need to start and stop a timer fast between tasks. The Starter plan at $9 per user per month on annual billing adds billable rates, time estimates, project templates, and saved reports, while the free plan covers basic timers and reporting for a small team. A project manager can run one timer per contract and pull a weekly report by project, task, or person.

The limits are around billing and budgets. Invoicing is not built into the entry plan, and project budgeting with alerts sits on Premium at $16 per user per month. Toggl Track also has no expense tracking on the entry plan, so receipts need a separate tool. Choose it for commercial work when your firm wants clean, simple hours and already handles invoicing elsewhere.

Website: https://www.paymoapp.com/

Best for: Estimates, hours, and invoices together

Starting price: $10.90 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Estimates, time tracking, and invoicing together; team scheduling included

Cons: Price rises to $15.90 after 3 months; solo plan covers only 1 user

Paymo suits a contractor who estimates a job, tracks hours against it, and then invoices the client from the same record. The Plus plan at $10.90 per user per month on annual billing includes task management, time tracking, estimates, invoicing, and team scheduling, while the Solo plan at $5.90 per month covers a single user. The link between estimate and actual hours shows whether a fixed fee job made money.

The price to watch is the rise after the first 3 months, when Plus goes to $15.90 per user per month, and Pro at $16.90 adds the most advanced reporting. The free plan covers 1 user, which lets a solo contractor test the flow before adding staff. Paymo is not built for government contract rules, so use it for commercial work.

Website: https://timelyapp.com/

Best for: Automatic tracking with little manual entry

Starting price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Pros: Automatic time capture from apps and calendars; clean project budgets

Cons: Starter caps at 5 users and 20 projects; no free plan

Timely suits a contractor whose staff work across many contracts and forget to start timers. It records time automatically from calendars, documents, and apps, then lets each person review and assign those hours to a project, which cuts the end of week chase for missing timesheets. The Starter plan at $9 per user per month on annual billing covers automatic tracking, project budgets, and team capacity views for a small team.

The limits are the caps. Starter allows at most 5 users and 20 projects, so a firm with more staff or more active contracts must move to Premium at $16 or Unlimited at $22 per user per month. There is no free plan, only a trial, so use the trial to check whether the automatic capture matches your real hours. Timely fits office and management staff best.