---
title: "Start a task timer"
method: POST
path: "/companies/{company}/tasks/{task}/timer/start"
tags: ["Tasks"]
---

# Start a task timer

`POST /companies/{company}/tasks/{task}/timer/start`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://api.factuarea.com/v1`
- URL: `https://api.factuarea.com/v1/companies/{company}/tasks/{task}/timer/start`
- Auth: one of:
  - HTTP bearer
  - API key in header `X-API-Key`

Start a timer on a task for the member who owns the API key. No request body. A member can run one timer at a time: if another is running, the call returns 409 `task_timer_already_running`; stop it with `POST /v1/companies/{company}/task-timers/stop`.

## Path parameters

- `company` string, uuid, required
- `task` string, uuid, required

## Headers

- `Idempotency-Key` string
- `Factuarea-Version` string, date

## Response `201`

- object
  - `data` TaskTimeEntry, required: Time logged on a task. Unrelated to the working-day records of the time tracking module (`/v1/companies/{company}/time-entries`).
    - `id` string, uuid, required: UUID v7 of the time entry.
    - `object` 'task_time_entry', required: Stripe-like discriminator. Always `task_time_entry` for this resource.
    - `task_id` string, uuid, required: UUID of the task.
    - `project_id` string, uuid, required: UUID of the project.
    - `user_id` string, uuid, nullable, required: UUID of the member who logged it, or `null`.
    - `started_at` string, date-time, required: Start of the period.
    - `ended_at` string, date-time, nullable, required: End of the period, or `null` while the timer runs.
    - `duration_seconds` integer, nullable, required: Duration, or `null` while the timer runs.
    - `description` string, nullable, required
    - `billable` boolean, required
    - `is_running` boolean, required: `true` for a running timer.
    - `invoice_id` string, uuid, nullable, required: UUID of the invoice that includes it, or `null`.
    - `invoiced_at` string, date-time, nullable, required: When it was invoiced, or `null`.
    - `created_at` string, date-time, required: Creation timestamp.
    - `updated_at` string, date-time, required: Last update timestamp.

## Other responses

- `400`: `parameter_unknown` with `subcode` `retired_active_profile_header`: the retired `X-Active-Profile` header was sent; the company goes in the path. `parameter_invalid_format` on `Factuarea-Version`: the header is not a `YYYY-MM-DD` date. `unsupported_api_version`: the `Factuarea-Version` date is not a supported version.
- `401`: Missing or invalid API key.
- `403`: The request is authenticated but not allowed: the API key lacks the required scope (`insufficient_scope`), the plan does not include the public API or this feature (`addon_not_active`, `feature_not_available_in_plan`), or the module is not available with a test key (`module_not_available_in_sandbox`).
- `404`: The requested resource does not exist or belongs to another company.
- `409`: The request conflicts with data that already exists or with a request running at the same time. `task_timer_already_running`: the person who owns the credential already has a running timer in this company. Stop it first. `resource_conflict`: another request was reserving identifiers for the same kind of record at that moment and this one could not complete its reservation. Nothing was written; send the request again after a few seconds.
- `422`: `idempotency_key_reused`: the `Idempotency-Key` was already used with a different body; send a new key or the same body. `invalid_param_format` on `Idempotency-Key`: the key must be 1 to 255 printable ASCII characters.
- `429`: Rate limit exceeded. Retry after the duration in `Retry-After`.
- `500`: Unexpected server error.

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/factuarea/apis/factuarea-public-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/factuarea/apis/factuarea-public-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/factuarea/apis/factuarea-public-api/revisions/718e77934422?raw)