Time card approvals

Time card approvals before payroll.

Managers review each employee and pay period, approve accurate timesheets, reject ones that need attention, and keep edit requests connected to the entries they change.

See features

Submitted status

See who is ready for manager review.

Approve or reject

Decide one time card or many at once.

Edit requests

Review proposed corrections with reasons.

Locked records

Approved time stays final until reopened.

Approval benefits

Why employers approve time cards before payroll.

Approvals give managers a clear checkpoint before hours become payroll records. They help separate everyday corrections from final time cards.

Review, decide, lock, and reopen when a correction is needed.

Close the pay period cleanly

Managers can see which timesheets are not submitted, submitted, approved, or rejected for the selected period.

Catch issues before payroll

Open a time card from the approvals page to inspect entries, jobs, notes, and location context before approving.

Keep employee corrections visible

Edit requests show the original entry, the proposed change, and the reason the employee gave.

Lock approved hours

Approved timesheets are locked until a manager cancels the approval or an employee submits an edit request.

How time card approvals work

Employees submit, managers approve or reject, and corrections stay connected to the time entries they change.

Review the pay period

See each employee and approval status.

The approvals page shows one row per employee, per period, so managers know exactly what still needs attention.

Not submittedThe employee has not submitted this period's timesheet yet.
SubmittedThe employee submitted the timesheet and it is waiting for review.
ApprovedThe time card is locked and ready for payroll reports unless reopened.
RejectedThe time card is sent back to the employee with a review note.

Make a decision

Approve, reject, or reopen entries.

Managers can decide one time card at a time or use bulk actions when several rows are ready for the same decision.

View timesheetOpen the time entries for that employee and period before approving.
Approve directlyApprove a not-submitted timesheet when the entries are correct and the employee is unavailable.
Reject with a noteSend a submitted timesheet back when the employee needs to review or correct it.
Cancel approvalReverse the approval state, reopen entries, and re-approve after a manager fix.

Handle corrections

Keep edit requests connected to the original entry.

When an employee requests a correction, managers can see the original entry and the proposed change before deciding.

Original and requested valuesThe request shows the original in/out time or job next to the requested change.
Employee reasonEmployees can add a note explaining why the entry needs a correction.
Approve or rejectApproved requests update the original time entry; rejected requests leave it unchanged.
Payroll-ready reportsApproved time cards feed into reports once the period is ready.

Common questions

Questions about time card approvals.

  • Approve or reject
  • Bulk decisions
  • Edit requests
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Can a manager approve a time card the employee has not submitted?

Yes. Use Approve on a not-submitted row when the manager trusts the entries and the employee is unavailable.

What happens after a time card is approved?

Approved time cards are locked. To change an entry, cancel the approval and edit it, or have the employee submit an edit request.

Can managers approve or reject in bulk?

Yes. Select eligible rows and use bulk Approve, Reject, or Cancel. Bulk decisions do not carry per-row notes, so use individual review when a note matters.

Can employees request corrections after approval?

Yes. Employees can submit edit requests for approved timesheets. The request shows the original entry, the proposed change, and the employee note.

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Approve employee time cards before payroll.

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