# Timesheets and approvals

> Weekly timesheet submission and manager sign-off, without turning it into a bottleneck.

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://helpdesk.orangescrum.com/llms.txt).

Source: https://helpdesk.orangescrum.com/guide/cloud/time/timesheets-and-approvals

---
> **Pro and Premium**
>
> Timesheets and approvals require Pro Unlimited or above.

A timesheet collects a person's [time entries](https://helpdesk.orangescrum.com/guide/cloud/time/time-tracking)
for a week into one view they submit, and a manager approves.

## The weekly cycle

**Log daily**

    The timesheet assembles itself from entries logged as work happens. It is
    not a form to fill in on Friday.

**Review before submitting**

    Check for gaps, timers left running, and days that total 14 hours. Fix them
    now — after approval it is a correction request.

**Submit**

    Usually end of week. Once submitted it locks pending review.

**Manager approves or returns it**

    With a reason if returned, so the person knows what to fix.

## Do you need approvals?

- **Yes**: You invoice clients from these hours, or a contract or regulation requires sign-off.

- **Probably not**: Time is for internal estimate calibration. Approvals add a step and catch almost nothing.

> **Approval is not a rubber stamp — or a bottleneck**
>
> A manager approving forty timesheets in two minutes is not reviewing anything,
> and the process is pure overhead. A manager who takes a week to approve blocks
> invoicing. If neither is working, drop approvals.

## Approving well

**Approve on a schedule**

    Monday morning, every week. Predictable beats fast-but-erratic.

**Look for the things that matter**

    Missing days, implausible totals, everything against one catch-all task,
    billable flags that look wrong.

**Return with a reason**

    "Please split Wednesday between the two projects" is actionable. "Rejected"
    is not.

**Have a deputy**

    Approvals should not stop because one person is away.

## Corrections after approval

Time gets logged wrong, and it is usually discovered after approval. Agree the
process in advance:

- Who can reopen an approved timesheet
- What happens if the period is already invoiced
- Whether corrections are adjustments or amendments

> **Premium keeps a record**
>
> On Premium, the [audit trail](https://helpdesk.orangescrum.com/guide/cloud/admin/audit-trail) records
> submissions, approvals and changes — which is what you need when a client
> queries an invoice months later.

## Common problems

**Everyone submits late**

    Usually because they are reconstructing the week rather than logging daily.
    Fix the daily habit; the timesheet then takes thirty seconds.

**Every week is exactly 40 hours**

    A sign of fiction, not discipline. Real weeks are lumpy. Investigate before
    building invoices on it.

**Approvals pile up**

    Either the approver is overloaded, or approval adds no value here. Fix one
    or drop the other.

**Entries are all on one task**

    People are logging against a catch-all rather than real tasks. That hides
    exactly what you wanted to measure.

## What it feeds

- [Budget and cost](https://helpdesk.orangescrum.com/guide/cloud/time/budget-and-cost): Approved hours drive cost and invoicing.

- [Resource management](https://helpdesk.orangescrum.com/guide/cloud/time/resource-management): Actual hours versus planned capacity.