Timesheet Approvals Overview

Timesheet Approvals let managers and admins review, approve, or reject employee timesheets before they’re finalized. Employees submit from Week View (weekly/biweekly models) or Timesheet View (all models). Approved timesheets are locked until reopened by an approver.

Before You Begin (Admins)

1. Assign a Timesheet Approver to each employee so submissions have a destination.
   See Assigning Timesheet Approvers.
2. Set completion rules & required fields (e.g., minimum daily/weekly hours, notes, Start & End Times) so employees know what’s needed to submit.
   Default values can be configured in Company → Preferences → Person Defaults.  For existing users, settings can be changed on a person-by-person basis under Company → People → Edit the Person's Timesheets Settings and Approvals section.
   
3. Confirm Manager permissions & scope so managers can approve/reject and see their people.
   Check Company → People → Edit the Person's Security & Permissions section.
   
4. Configure Attestation to display your custom statement during submission.
   Set text in Company → Preferences → Time and Expenses.
   
5. (Optional) Use Project Approvals if project leads must approve entries before final timesheet approval.
   Requires appropriate plan/feature enablement.
   

Availability & Roles

• Plans: Timesheet Approvals are available on ClickTime Team and up. Project-level approvals require Premier/Enterprise.
• Who can approve? Timesheet Approvers review their assigned people. Managers can approve within their scope (if permitted). Administrators can approve for anyone.
• Where to work: Approvals can be completed in Company → Timesheets.
  

Related setup: Assigning Timesheet Approvers

On mobile, approvals follow the same flow with a simplified layout. See Approving Time on Mobile.

How Approvals Work

With Approvals enabled, each employee has a Timesheet Approver. When an employee submits a period, the approver reviews and either approves (locks) or rejects (returns for edits). Administrators and, if permitted, Managers can unlock or reject as needed.

Project Approvals: If your organization uses project-level approvals, certain project entries may route to a Project Approver first, then to the employee’s Timesheet Approver for final approval.

Timesheet Stages

• Open — Employee can add/edit time.
• Waiting for Approval — Employee submitted; entries are read-only until approved/rejected or unsubmitted.
• Waiting for Time Off Approval — Pending Time Off must be approved before final approval.
• Waiting for Project Approvals — Pending Project Approvals must be approved before final approval.
• Approved / Locked — Approved and locked. Approver can Undo Approval to return to Waiting for Approval, or Reject back to Rejected.  Rejected or Open are the only statuses that support a timesheet being editable.
• Rejected — Returned with a required comment; employee edits and resubmits.

Submitting & Undoing Submission

Employees submit once they’ve met your organization’s requirements (completion rules, required fields, etc.).

• Submit from Week View — Available for weekly/biweekly models via the Submit control at the bottom of Week View.

  

• Submit from Timesheet View — Available for all models; include an optional note and CCs in the submit dialog.

  

  

• Undo Submission — If edits are needed before review, use Unsubmit (Week View) or Undo Submission (Timesheet View) to return the period to Open.

  

Reviewing & Approving

Approvers can review from either location:

• Company → Timesheets (Timesheet Review) — Filter by date, person, division, and status; open a specific timesheet via the pencil icon; approve individually or in bulk.

  

  

• Timesheet View — Inspect entries (expand rows to see notes/fields) and click Approve to lock the timesheet. Use Undo Approval if edits are needed later.

  

  

For list operations and filters, see Timesheet Review (Managers & Admins).

Rejecting

If a timesheet needs changes, approvers can Reject with a required comment.  The timesheet returns to Rejected (editable) and the employee is notified.

Timesheet Attestation

Administrators can display a custom attestation (or use the default) during submission. Configure the text in Company → Preferences → Time and Expenses. The statement appears when users submit their own timesheets (Week View, Timesheet View, and Mobile); it does not appear when someone else submits for them.

Audit: Each acknowledgement is recorded in Timesheet History (and Audit Trail, if enabled). See Audit Trail and Timesheet Attestation.

Notifications

• Submission — The assigned approver receives an email with a link to review.

  

• Approval — Optional confirmation can be sent to the employee (toggle in the submit dialog).

  

  

• Rejection — Employee is always emailed with the approver’s comment.

  

Troubleshooting

• Can’t submit: No default approver assigned, or completion rules/required fields not met.
• Manager can’t see a timesheet: Check division scope and permissions; confirm list filters.
• Waiting for Time Off Approval: Approve or reject pending Time Off to proceed.
• Need edits after approval: Reject the timesheet to return to an editable state.
• Prefer to edit on behalf of the employee: Use Override Timesheets (requires permission).