diff --git a/packages/lib-classifier/src/store/Classification/Classification.js b/packages/lib-classifier/src/store/Classification/Classification.js
index b510646774..ed38161940 100644
--- a/packages/lib-classifier/src/store/Classification/Classification.js
+++ b/packages/lib-classifier/src/store/Classification/Classification.js
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 import cuid from 'cuid'
-import { types, getSnapshot, getType } from 'mobx-state-tree'
+import { types, getSnapshot, getType, addDisposer } from 'mobx-state-tree'
 import * as tasks from '@plugins/tasks'
 import AnnotationsStore from '@store/AnnotationsStore'
 import Resource from '@store/Resource'
 import ClassificationMetadata  from './ClassificationMetadata'
+import { autorun } from 'mobx'
 
 const annotationModels = Object.values(tasks).map(task => task.AnnotationModel)
 
@@ -19,6 +20,17 @@ const Classification = types
     metadata: types.maybe(ClassificationMetadata)
   })
   .views(self => ({
+    /**
+     * Returns false until we start updating task annotations.
+     */
+    get inProgress() {
+      let inProgress = false
+      self.annotations.forEach(annotation => {
+        inProgress ||= annotation._inProgress || annotation._choiceInProgress
+      })
+      return inProgress
+    },
+
     toSnapshot () {
       let snapshot = getSnapshot(self)
       let annotations = []
@@ -58,5 +70,23 @@ const Classification = types
     newSnapshot.annotations = Object.values(snapshot.annotations)
     return newSnapshot
   })
+  .actions(self => {
+    function _onAnnotationsChange () {
+      // set started at when inProgress changes from false to true
+      if (self.inProgress) {
+        self.setStartedAt()
+      }
+    }
+
+    return ({
+      afterAttach () {
+        addDisposer(self, autorun(_onAnnotationsChange))
+      },
+
+      setStartedAt () {
+        self.metadata.startedAt = new Date().toISOString()
+      }
+    })
+  })
 
 export default types.compose('ClassificationResource', Resource, AnnotationsStore, Classification)
diff --git a/packages/lib-classifier/src/store/Classification/ClassificationMetadata.js b/packages/lib-classifier/src/store/Classification/ClassificationMetadata.js
index 4cbaeb6596..84e3a48535 100644
--- a/packages/lib-classifier/src/store/Classification/ClassificationMetadata.js
+++ b/packages/lib-classifier/src/store/Classification/ClassificationMetadata.js
@@ -36,9 +36,10 @@ const ClassificationMetadata = types.model('ClassificationMetadata', {
   .actions(self => ({
     afterAttach() {
       function _onLocaleChange() {
-        self.update({
-          userLanguage: getRoot(self)?.locale
-        })
+        const userLanguage = getRoot(self)?.locale
+        if (userLanguage) {
+          self.update({ userLanguage })
+        }
       }
       addDisposer(self, autorun(_onLocaleChange))
     },
diff --git a/packages/lib-classifier/src/store/ClassificationStore.spec.js b/packages/lib-classifier/src/store/ClassificationStore.spec.js
index 346714d9a8..0cdbc17d3d 100644
--- a/packages/lib-classifier/src/store/ClassificationStore.spec.js
+++ b/packages/lib-classifier/src/store/ClassificationStore.spec.js
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ describe('Model > ClassificationStore', function () {
   describe('when a subject advances', function () {
     let classifications
     let rootStore
+
     beforeEach(function () {
       rootStore = setupStores({
         dataVisAnnotating: {},
@@ -106,6 +107,62 @@ describe('Model > ClassificationStore', function () {
   })
 
   describe('on complete classification', function () {
+    describe('submitted classifications', function () {
+      let classifications
+      let rootStore
+      let clock
+      let submittedClassification
+
+      before(function () {
+        clock = sinon.useFakeTimers(new Date('2024-11-06T13:00:00Z'))
+        rootStore = setupStores({
+          dataVisAnnotating: {},
+          drawing: {},
+          feedback: {},
+          fieldGuide: {},
+          subjectViewer: {},
+          tutorials: {},
+          workflowSteps: {},
+          userProjectPreferences: {}
+        })
+
+        classifications = rootStore.classifications
+        classifications.setOnComplete(snapshot => {
+          submittedClassification = snapshot
+        })
+        const taskSnapshot = Object.assign({}, singleChoiceTaskSnapshot, { taskKey: singleChoiceAnnotationSnapshot.task })
+        taskSnapshot.createAnnotation = () => SingleChoiceAnnotation.create(singleChoiceAnnotationSnapshot)
+        const classification = classifications.active
+        const annotation = classification.createAnnotation(taskSnapshot)
+        clock.tick(1 * 60 * 60 * 1000) // wait for one hour before starting the classification.
+        annotation.update(0)
+        clock.tick(30 * 1000) // wait for 30 seconds before finishing the classification.
+        annotation.update(1)
+        classifications.completeClassification()
+      })
+
+      after(function () {
+        clock.restore()
+      })
+
+      it('should record the started at time', function () {
+        const startedAt = submittedClassification.metadata.started_at
+        expect(startedAt).to.equal('2024-11-06T14:00:00.000Z')
+      })
+
+      it('should record the finished at time', function () {
+        const finishedAt = submittedClassification.metadata.finished_at
+        expect(finishedAt).to.equal('2024-11-06T14:00:30.000Z')
+      })
+
+      it('should only record time spent classifying', function () {
+        const startedAt = submittedClassification.metadata.started_at
+        const finishedAt = submittedClassification.metadata.finished_at
+        const timeSpent = (new Date(finishedAt) - new Date(startedAt)) / 1000
+        expect(timeSpent).to.equal(30)
+      })
+    })
+
     describe('with invalid feedback', function () {
       let classifications
       let rootStore