What's covered in this guide?:
Who can edit and approve timesheets?
Managers can edit and approve timesheets for employees in the teams they manage. They can only approve their own timesheet if the setting “Allow team managers to edit/approve their own timesheets” is turned on.
Admins, General Managers and Payroll Officers can edit and approve all timesheets.
How to approve timesheets
It’s best practice to approve timesheets at the end of each shift, using the Daily timesheet view.
Go to Timesheets > Daily.
Use the Pending, Approved and All filter buttons to see which shifts still need approving and which are done.
Approval options
Approve shifts one at a time: each shift you approve leaves the Pending view, so you can easily see what’s left.
Approve all: click Approve all to approve every shift on the day. A shift stays Pending if:
it’s missing information, such as a start or finish time, or a break that isn’t complete;
it fails a pay check set to Blocking (for example, the shift overlaps a leave request);
it differs from the rota and Require shift variance approval is turned on (a comment is needed first).
Shifts with only Warnings are still approved.
What to check when approving timesheets
The right person clocked in. Hover over the photo on the shift to see all photos taken during the shift: clock-in, breaks and clock-out. For mobile clock-ins, a map is also shown.
The shift has a start and finish time. This is the minimum needed to approve a worked shift.
Breaks are complete. If a break should apply, check it has a total time, or both a start and a finish time if you record break times.
Approving shifts automatically
In Settings → Timesheets → Shift auto approval, turn on “Turn on auto approval for shifts based on selected fields”. Then choose which conditions should stop a shift being auto-approved:
start and finish times (with a grace period);
cost variance;
shift length;
GPS data.
Shifts approved this way are tagged Auto-Approved.
Adding missing shifts
Daily view: click Add Shift in the top right to add a shift for an employee who didn’t clock in.
Weekly view: click Add Missing Timesheet, then click Add timesheet next to the employee.
Scheduled times on timesheets
Timesheets only show rostered times from published schedules. If the rota hasn’t been published, the shift shows a warning icon with an “Unpublished Roster” tooltip.
Locking and unlocking timesheets
Once timesheets are exported, they’re locked. Nobody can edit them and costs won’t be recalculated until they’re unlocked.
Who can unlock: Admins, General Managers and Payroll Officers for all timesheets, and team managers for timesheets of the teams they manage.
Unlock everything shown: click Unlock all timesheets at the top of the timesheets page.
Unlock one timesheet: open the employee’s timesheet and click Unlock in the yellow banner (“Timesheet is locked and exported”).
Lock again: go to More Actions → Lock all approved timesheets. If you need costs updated first, choose Lock and recalculate all timesheets instead. On a single timesheet, use Lock timesheet.
FAQs and Troubleshooting
An employee couldn’t clock out or has a missing clock-in. What should I do?
An employee couldn’t clock out or has a missing clock-in. What should I do?
Confirm the hours worked with the employee, then add or correct the times on their timesheet. To stop it happening again, check how they clock in (mobile app or location tablet) and make sure the device or app is set up and working.
Why can’t I approve a shift that overlaps with leave?
Why can’t I approve a shift that overlaps with leave?
The “The shift overlaps a leave request” check is set to Blocking, which is the default for UK accounts. To change it:
Go to Reports → Central Pay Check Report → Pay Check Settings → Shift Settings.
Set the check to Warning (you can approve, but the overlap is flagged) or Disabled.
Why are some times highlighted orange?
Why are some times highlighted orange?
The start or finish time was added manually by the employee, or came from an offline clock-in, and a manager needs to confirm it. Employees can only add their own times if “Allow employees to add times to their own timesheets” is turned on in Timesheet settings.
Does the team from the rota apply to the timesheet?
Does the team from the rota apply to the timesheet?
Usually. The rostered team is used when the employee clocks in at the rostered location or on the mobile app. If they pick a team when clocking in, that team is used. Otherwise their default team is used. You can change the team on the timesheet. If it doesn’t match the rota, it’s highlighted.
Can I edit a timesheet after it’s approved?
Can I edit a timesheet after it’s approved?
Approved: unapprove the shift first, then make your changes. Managers can unapprove shifts for the teams they manage.
Exported: the timesheet must be unlocked first (see Locking and unlocking timesheets above).
Why approve timesheets daily?
Why approve timesheets daily?
Less work at the end of the pay period.
It’s easier to remember what happened if something needs correcting.
Cost reports are more accurate because errors are fixed each day.
Only lock timesheets once the pay period has finished, so all clock-ins are included.
How are hours calculated on timesheets?
How are hours calculated on timesheets?
Hours are based on when the employee clocks in and out, not their rostered times, unless your rounding settings change this. Go to Settings → Timesheets to check:
Round clock-ins/clock-outs to rostered times: if someone clocks in or out within the set number of minutes of their rostered time, the rostered time is used instead.
Clock-in / Clock-out Time Rounding: rounds clock times to the nearest set number of minutes.
How are breaks deducted?
How are breaks deducted?
If an employee doesn’t record a break, an automatic unpaid break is deducted for shifts over the minimum length you’ve set. For example, with a 15-minute automatic break, a shift from 07:30 to 14:00 is paid as 6 hours 15 minutes.
How is overtime calculated?
How is overtime calculated?
Overtime is worked out from the employee’s pay conditions (award or pay rules), based on the hours on their timesheet. If overtime looks wrong, check which pay conditions the employee is on.
Why does a shift show “Different shift and roster cost”?
Why does a shift show “Different shift and roster cost”?
The cost of the worked shift is different from the cost of the rostered shift. This is usually because the times worked were different from the rota, or because the employee’s pay rate changed after the rota was published. Check the shift times and the employee’s pay conditions, then click Recalculate costs on the timesheet if you’ve made changes.
I changed a shift after exporting, but the export hasn’t updated. Why?
I changed a shift after exporting, but the export hasn’t updated. Why?
Exported timesheets are locked, and their costs aren’t recalculated. To update them:
Unlock the timesheet (or click Unlock all timesheets).
Click Recalculate costs.
Export again.
How do I remove a duplicate shift caused by clocking in twice?
How do I remove a duplicate shift caused by clocking in twice?
Go to the timesheet and find the duplicate shift.
If it’s approved, unapprove it.
Click Clear shift to remove its times, then Collapse shift to hide it.
To stop accidental double clock-ins, go to Settings → Timesheets and set Minimum interval between clock-ins (minutes). If someone clocks in more than once within that time, only the last clock-in is kept.
Why aren’t timesheets filled in from the rota?
Why aren’t timesheets filled in from the rota?
Rostered shifts aren’t added to timesheets automatically. A shift appears on the timesheet when the employee clocks in.
For everyone on a rota: open the rota, select Create timesheets from the tools menu and choose the rota. This can’t easily be undone, so check the rota is final first.
For one employee: add their shift manually. Go to Timesheets → Daily and click Add Shift, or in the weekly view click Add Missing Timesheet.