Can't create a new project or task (free plan limits)

If clicking Add Project (or the + button on the Tasks or Cost Items tab) opens the TimeBill Premium screen instead of a creation sheet, you've hit one of the free plan's limits. Nothing is broken. The free tier caps how much you can create:

• 10 projects in total, and this counts the Active and Archived sections combined
• 5 visible tasks per project
• 5 cost items per project (bulk-adding from the catalog is blocked if the total would exceed 5)
• 5 items in the shared Cost Item Catalog

TimeBill Premium removes all of these limits (and the watermark on invoice PDFs).

"But I archived my old projects!"

This is the most common confusion: archived projects still count toward the 10-project limit. Archiving only moves a project out of your active list; it doesn't free up a slot. Only deleting a project does. See Archiving vs. deleting projects for the trade-offs.

One small exception on the task limit: fixed-rate projects carry a hidden "<project name> - fixed price" task internally, but it does not count toward your 5 visible tasks.

Your options

Option 1: Free up a slot by deleting

1. Export the project first so nothing is lost: File → Export → Project Export → Export Selected Project (or Export All Projects).
2. If the project has archived invoices you want to keep as files, export them from the Invoice Vault first (use Re-export on each invoice, or Export All).
3. Right-click the project in the sidebar and choose Delete Project, then confirm in the Delete Project? dialog.

Be careful: deletion is permanent and has no undo. It removes the project's tasks, time entries, and cost items (archived invoices survive and stay in the Invoice Vault under No Project). More in Can I recover deleted data?

Option 2: Upgrade to TimeBill Premium

Open View → Upgrade to Premium… (Shift-Cmd-U) or simply proceed from the Premium screen that appeared. Premium is available as a one-time Lifetime purchase or a yearly/monthly subscription. See Free vs. TimeBill Premium for what's included.

Already paid, but still hitting limits?

If you bought Premium on another Mac (or reinstalled the app), your entitlement may not have synced yet:

1. Open View → Upgrade to Premium… to show the paywall.
2. Click Restore Purchase at the bottom.
3. Wait for the confirmation: "Your purchase has been restored successfully!"

Make sure you're signed into the Mac App Store with the same Apple account you purchased with. Full details in Buying, restoring, and canceling Premium. Setapp users never see these limits at all, because the Setapp edition always has full premium access.

Still stuck after restoring? Contact us via the in-app Help → Contact Support menu or the contact form.