Approving and Managing Timesheets

This guide covers everything approvers and managers need to know about reviewing timesheets, the approval process, rejection workflow, and closing finalized timesheets.

Who Can Approve Timesheets?

Global Approvers

Users with the CanApproveTimesheets global permission can approve any timesheet in the organization.

Typical roles:

• Office managers
• Operations managers
• Payroll administrators

Project-Level Approvers

Users with can_approve_timesheets permission on a specific project can approve only timesheets for that project.

Typical roles:

• Project managers (for their projects)
• Third-party inspectors (for specific contracts)
• Client representatives

Admin/System Admin

Always have approval rights regardless of other permissions.

The Approval Queue

Accessing the Queue

1. Click Timesheets in the navigation
2. Click the Approval tab or Pending Approval button
3. View all timesheets awaiting your approval

Queue Overview

The approval queue shows:

• Total timesheets pending
• Total hours pending (Regular, OT, DT)
• Breakdown by project
• Breakdown by date range

Filtering the Queue

Filter pending timesheets by:

• Project - See only specific projects
• Date Range - Focus on specific time periods
• Employee - Find specific workers' timesheets
• Creator - Filter by who created the timesheet

Reviewing a Timesheet

What to Check

Before approving, verify:

1. Hours Accuracy

• Are regular hours reasonable for the work?
• Is overtime justified?
• Do hours match expected work schedule?

2. Employee Assignment

• Were these employees actually on this project?
• Are all workers accounted for?
• No duplicate employees?

3. Date Correctness

• Is this for the correct work date?
• Not accidentally duplicated?

4. Work Description

• Does description match what was supposed to be done?
• Is it detailed enough for invoicing?

5. Equipment & Materials

• Is equipment usage reasonable?
• Are material costs documented?

6. Rates (Visible on Review)

• Pay rates locked correctly
• Bill rates appropriate for project

Red Flags to Watch

⚠️ Unusual overtime - More than expected
⚠️ Missing employees - Crew seems incomplete
⚠️ Vague descriptions - "Worked on job"
⚠️ Weekend/holiday entries - Verify if expected
⚠️ High material costs - Verify against scope

Approving Timesheets

Single Timesheet Approval

1. Open the timesheet from the approval queue
2. Review all details (see checklist above)
3. Click Approve
4. Confirm the action

What Happens on Approval

When you click Approve:

1. Status changes to "Approved"
2. Costs are calculated:

   Labor Cost = Hours × Pay Rate (with OT/DT multipliers)
   Burden Cost = Labor Cost × Burden %
   Per Diem = Flat rate if enabled
   Total Cost = Labor + Burden + Per Diem + Equipment
   

3. Revenue calculated (for billable work):

   Labor Revenue = Hours × Bill Rate (with OT/DT multipliers)
   Equipment Revenue = Equipment Hours × Bill Rate
   Total Revenue = Labor + Equipment + Rentals - Discounts
   

4. Audit trail recorded:
   • Your name
   • Your email
   • Timestamp
   • Your IP address

Batch Approval

For efficiency, approve multiple timesheets at once:

1. In the approval queue, check the boxes next to timesheets
2. Review the summary of selected items
3. Click Approve Selected
4. Confirm batch action

Best practice: Only batch approve timesheets you've already reviewed individually.

Rejecting Timesheets

When to Reject

Reject a timesheet when:

• Hours are incorrect
• Wrong project selected
• Employees missing or incorrect
• Work description needs clarification
• Rates need correction (rare - contact admin)

Single Rejection

1. Open the timesheet
2. Click Reject
3. Enter rejection reason (optional but recommended)
4. Confirm

What Happens on Rejection

1. Status returns to Draft
2. All locked rates are cleared
3. Creator can edit the timesheet
4. Creator must re-submit
5. New rates will be locked on re-submission

Rejection Notifications

The creator is notified that their timesheet was rejected. Include a clear reason so they know what to fix.

Good Rejection Reasons

✅ "Please add Bob Wilson - he was on site that day"
✅ "Overtime needs to be split between Tuesday and Wednesday"
✅ "Work description too vague - please specify building/area"
✅ "Wrong project - this should be WIL1001-PR, not WIL1002-SC"

Batch Rejection

1. Select timesheets to reject
2. Click Reject Selected
3. Enter rejection reason (applies to all)
4. Confirm

Warning: Batch rejection uses the same reason for all. Use individual rejection if reasons differ.

Closing Timesheets

What Closing Means

Closing is the final step that archives an approved timesheet. It indicates:

• Payroll has been processed
• Billing has been generated
• Timesheet is finalized

Who Can Close

Users with CanCloseTimesheets global permission (typically office/admin staff).

When to Close

Close timesheets after:

• Payroll for that period has been run
• Invoices have been generated
• You're confident no changes needed

How to Close

Single Close

1. Open an approved timesheet
2. Click Close
3. Confirm

Batch Close

1. Filter approved timesheets (e.g., all from last pay period)
2. Select timesheets to close
3. Click Close Selected
4. Confirm

After Closing

• Timesheet cannot be edited
• Status shows as "Closed"
• Timestamp recorded for audit

Reopening Closed Timesheets

When to Reopen

Only reopen if absolutely necessary:

• Discovered error after closing
• Rate correction required
• Payroll issue needs fixing

Who Can Reopen

Admin/System Admin only - this is an emergency function.

How to Reopen

1. Open the closed timesheet
2. Click Reopen (admin only sees this)
3. Confirm with reason
4. Timesheet returns to Approved status

After Reopening

• Timesheet is "Approved" not "Draft"
• Cannot edit hours (would need to create correction)
• Can be closed again after resolution

The Approval Workflow: Step by Step

Complete Flow Example

Day 1: Foreman creates timesheet for crew
        ↓
        Saves as Draft
        ↓
        Reviews, adds missing details
        ↓
        Clicks Submit
        ↓
Day 2: Timesheet appears in approval queue
        ↓
        Approver reviews hours and description
        ↓
        Issue found: Missing employee
        ↓
        Clicks Reject with reason
        ↓
        Returns to Draft
        ↓
Day 2: Foreman adds missing employee
        ↓
        Re-submits
        ↓
Day 2: Approver reviews again
        ↓
        Clicks Approve
        ↓
        Costs calculated
        ↓
Week End: Office runs payroll
        ↓
        Closes all approved timesheets
        ↓
        Archive complete

Approval Best Practices

Daily Review

• Review submissions daily
• Don't let queue build up
• Fresh memories = better accuracy

Communication

• Use rejection reasons to communicate
• If patterns emerge, talk to creators
• Provide feedback on descriptions

Batch vs Individual

• Batch approve after individual review
• Never batch approve without reading each one
• Batch close is usually safe after payroll

Audit Awareness

Remember: your name is permanently attached to approvals. Review carefully.

Common Approval Questions

Can I approve my own timesheet?

Generally not recommended, but technically possible if you have approval permissions. Follow company policy.

What if I approve the wrong timesheet?

Contact admin immediately. They may be able to help depending on whether billing/payroll has processed.

Can I partially approve a timesheet?

No. Timesheets are all-or-nothing. If some hours are correct but others need changes, reject the entire timesheet with notes.

What if the approver is on vacation?

Ensure backup approvers are designated. Multiple people can have approval permissions.

How long should approval take?

Best practice: within 24-48 hours of submission. Don't let timesheets sit in queue.

Approval Permissions Summary

Related Articles

• Timesheet Overview - Complete workflow explanation
• Creating and Submitting Timesheets - For timesheet creators
• Timesheet Permissions and Scenarios - Detailed permission setup