Timesheet Approvals

Timesheet Approvals provide an end-to-end workflow for submitting, reviewing, and approving weekly timesheets before time flows into invoicing. Unlike the object approval tool where users approve work by work object, with Timesheet Approvals reviewers can assess a complete weekly timesheet, understand how time has been logged, and approve or decline the timesheet as a whole.

This feature introduces new configuration options, a dedicated Timesheet Approvals page, activity locking based on approval state, and alignment with invoicing to ensure—if required—only approved time can be invoiced.

Timesheet Approvals are particularly useful for project managers, account managers, and reviewers who need confidence that submitted time is accurate, final, and ready for billing.

Important to note, if using Timesheet Approvals all approvals will be via The Timesheet Approvals page, and the object approval tools for each work object can only be used to edit activities and can not be used for approvals. 

Using this guide, you can:

• Enable Timesheet Approvals and configure the required settings and permissions (including turning off Timesheet Approvals)

• Understand changes to the Weekly Timesheet and how users submit and re-submit timesheets

• Understand the Timesheet Approvals page and how to review, approve, or decline submitted timesheets

  • Provide a reason when declining a timesheet 

  • Decline individual activities within a timesheet (coming soon)

  • Address individual activity declines from the Weekly Timesheet (coming soon)

• Understand how approval states affect activities, editing, and locking behavior (including interactions with closed periods)

• See how Timesheet Approvals align with existing object approvals and invoicing (including information for previously approved activities)

Enable Timesheet Approvals and configure the required settings and permissions

Timesheet Approvals are controlled at the deployment level and must be enabled before users can submit or review weekly timesheets. Once enabled, additional permissions determine who can view, submit, review, and approve timesheets.

Enable Timesheet Approvals

1. Navigate to Settings → Activities & Emails → Settings.

2. Locate the Use Weekly Timesheet Approvals setting.

3. Toggle the setting to Yes and save your changes.

Once enabled, the Timesheet Approvals page will become available from the top navigation under Time → Timesheets. 

Note: It can take up to 10 minutes for the new Timesheet Approvals page to appear in the top navigation after enabling the setting.

Important Behavior After Enabling

When Timesheet Approvals are enabled, the following behavior applies:

• A timesheet is created for each user for the current week.

• Activities that were previously approved using the Object Approval tool will now require timesheet submission and approval. 

• The "Unapproved Time" custom list filter does not consider work approved via the new Timesheet Approvals workflow.

• New weekly timesheets will be created automatically going forward.

This ensures all time is consistently governed by the Timesheet Approvals workflow.

Turning off Timesheet Approvals

If Timesheet Approvals is disabled after being enabled, the following system behaviour will occur:

• The Timesheet Approvals page will no longer be available

• Any activities previously approved will need to be approved via the object approval tool - however any invoiced activities will continue to be invoiced and be located in the invoiced section of the object approval tool 

• The Weekly Timesheet will revert to its standard view:

  • The Past column will be removed

  • Status banners will no longer display

  • The Submit Timesheet option will be removed
• Activities in the Past Column - Any activities located in the Past column at the time of turning off Timesheet Approvals will be moved back to the day on which the activity was originally "logged for".
  
  If Timesheet Approvals is later re-enabled:
  • These activities will return to the Past column for a Pending Timesheet

Configure Permissions

Administrators automatically have full access to Timesheet Approvals.

For other user licence types, permissions can be reviewed and updated as follows:

1. Navigate to Users & Groups → Permissions.

2. Open the Timesheet Approvals permission set.

3. Review and update permissions as required for your organisation.

Permissions control actions such as viewing timesheets, submitting timesheets, and reviewing or approving submitted time.

For detailed explanations of each permission and how they interact, refer to the following guide:
https://help.accelo.com/guides/settings-and-configuration-guide/users-groups-and-access-control/access-control/user-group-and-individual-user-permission-options/

Understand changes to the Weekly Timesheet and how users submit and re-submit timesheets 

When Timesheet Approvals are enabled, the Weekly Timesheet becomes the primary place for users to review, submit, and manage their logged time for approval. Several updates have been made to support this workflow. 

Changes to the Weekly Timesheet

The Weekly Timesheet now includes additional elements to guide users through the approval process:

• A Submit / Re-Submit Timesheet button

• A status banner indicating the current approval state of the timesheet

• A Past column that may populate in specific scenarios (see section 'The Past Column')

Timesheet Statuses

Each weekly timesheet will display one of the following statuses:

• Pending – When the timesheet is editable, it's the current week and has not yet been submitted 

• Overdue - The timesheet is overdue, and has not yet been submitted

• Submitted – The timesheet has been submitted for review

• Approved – The timesheet has been approved

• Declined – The timesheet has been declined and requires changes
  
  

The status banner at the top of the Weekly Timesheet clearly communicates the current state and any required action. Please note a banner is not displayed for a Pending timesheet)

Submitting a Weekly Timesheet

To submit a timesheet:

1. Navigate to your Weekly Timesheet for the relevant week.

2. Review all logged activities for accuracy and completeness.

3. Select Submit Timesheet.

Once submitted:

• The timesheet status changes to Submitted

• Activities included in the timesheet become locked

• The timesheet becomes visible on the Timesheet Approvals page for reviewers

Re-Submitting a Declined Timesheet

If a timesheet is declined:

• The status changes to Declined

• Activities may become editable again, depending on their state

• The user is expected to review and update their logged time

To re-submit a declined timesheet:

1. Make any required changes to activities.

2. Select Re-Submit Timesheet.

The timesheet will return to the Submitted state and reappear in the reviewer’s queue.

The Past Column

In some scenarios, a Past column may appear on the Weekly Timesheet.

This column indicates activities created after a timesheet has already been submitted or approved. These activities remain visible so users and reviewers can clearly understand when time was created and how it relates to approval timing.

Example

A user submits their weekly timesheet on Thursday, having already logged all expected time for the week.

Later that week, an unexpected task arises and the user logs additional time on Friday. Because the weekly timesheet has already been submitted and is no longer editable, this new activity cannot be added to the submitted timesheet. Instead, it is automatically associated with the next week’s timesheet and displayed in the Past column.
 

Understand the Timesheet Approvals page and how to review, approve, or decline submitted timesheets

The Timesheet Approval page provides a centralised view for reviewing and actioning submitted timesheets. It is designed to help reviewers quickly understand who has submitted time, how that time compares to expectations, and whether it is ready for approval. 

This page is available from the top navigation under Time → Timesheets when Timesheet Approvals are enabled.

Page Overview

The Timesheet Approvals page lists weekly timesheets across users and includes the following key information:

• Timesheet status (Grouped by Pending, Submitted, Approved, Declined or All timesheets)

• The weekly period displayed 

• User name and position

• Logged hours compared to available hours

• Indicators for leave

• Access to historical timesheets 

Filtering and Navigation

Reviewers can tailor the view to focus on relevant timesheets:

• Filter by All Users or Managed by Me

• Filter by timesheet status

• Navigate between current and past weeks 

Reviewing a Timesheet

To review a submitted timesheet:

1. Locate the submitted timesheet in the list.

2. Select the user or expand the row to view a weekly breakdown.

3. Review logged time across days, work objects, and leave entries.

For deeper review, select a user row and click View Timesheet to open the user drawer, where you can:

• Drill down into activities by work object and day (where there are activities from the past column the date shown here will be the logged for date, however the activity would have been created in the week shown in the header of the user drawer.

• Review activity-level details

• View a Details tab showing an audit history of the timesheet

For even further analysis, select a user row and click the external link item to open the users Weekly Timesheet for the week in question. 


 

Approving a Timesheet

If the timesheet is complete and accurate:

1. Select Approve on the timesheet.

Once approved:

• The timesheet status changes to Approved

• Associated activities remain locked

• Approved time becomes available for invoicing (subject to permissions and invoicing rules) 

Declining a Timesheet

If changes are required:

1. Select Decline on the timesheet.
   
   

When a timesheet is declined:

• The status changes to Declined

• The Decline Drawer is presented where a reason can be provided to the submitting user. 
  
  
• This reason will be displayed on the users Weekly Timesheet 
  
  
  

• The timesheet is returned to the user for updates

• Activities may become editable again, depending on their state

Bulk Approval

For teams with multiple timesheets ready for approval, the page supports bulk approval. Reviewers can select multiple submitted timesheets and approve them in a single action.

To bulk approve submitted timesheets:

1. Locate the submitted timesheet in the list

2. Using the checkboxes against each applicable user select each row you wish to bulk approve

3. Once your selection is made click Bulk Approve

4. A confirmation will appear, click Yes, Approve to proceed or No, Cancel to return to the overview screen.

Understand How Approval States Affect Activities, Editing, and Locking Behavior (including interactions with closed periods)

Timesheet Approvals introduce activity locking based on the approval state of a timesheet. This ensures time cannot be changed once it has entered review, approval, or invoicing workflows, while still allowing appropriate edits when changes are required.

Activity Approval States

Each activity associated with a weekly timesheet will display one of the following statuses:

• Pending – The timesheet/activity has not yet been submitted

• Submitted – The timesheet/activity has been submitted for review

• Approved – The timesheet/activity has been approved

• Declined – The timesheet/activity has been declined

• Invoiced – The activity has been invoiced

When Activities Are Editable

Activities are editable when:

• The associated timesheet/activity is in a Pending state

• The associated timesheet/activity is Declined, and the activity is not invoiced

In these states, users (where permitted) can:

• Edit time and details

• Delete activities

• Relocate activities between work objects 

When Activities Are Locked

Activities become locked when their associated timesheet is:

• Submitted

• Approved

• Invoiced

When locked, activities cannot be:

• Edited

• Deleted

• Relocated to another work object

This locking behavior applies consistently across:

• View Activity pages

• Weekly and Daily Timesheets

• Rate-card–affected activities

What Happens When a Timesheet Is Declined

When a timesheet is declined:

• The timesheet status changes to Declined

• Activities generally become editable again

• Users can make changes and re-submit the timesheet

This allows reviewers to request corrections without losing the original audit trail.

Interaction with Closed Periods

Prior to enabling Timesheet Approvals, closing a period provides an additional layer of protection for time logged against retainers, preventing any further edits to activities within that period. 

When Timesheet Approvals are enabled, this behavior changes

Timesheet Approval rules take precedence over closed period logic, meaning approval state and not period state determines whether an activity can be edited.

Specifically:

• Activities against a closed period can still be edited if the associated activity or timesheet is in a Pending or Declined state

• Activities associated with Submitted, Approved, or Invoiced timesheets remain locked, regardless of whether the period is open or closed

This ensures a consistent approval workflow, allowing users to make required corrections when a timesheet is declined, even if the activity falls within a closed period.

For users familiar with period-based locking, it’s important to note that once Timesheet Approvals are enabled, the previous closed period behavior no longer applies. Approval state becomes the primary mechanism for controlling when activities can be edited.

Invoiced Activities

Once an activity is invoiced:

• The activity status updates to Invoiced

• The activity becomes permanently locked

• The linked invoice name, link, and raised date are visible

This ensures a clear audit trail between approved time and invoicing.

If an invoice is deleted the associated activity will also be updated to remove the linked invoice and invoiced raised date, and the status of the activity will update to Approved.

See how Timesheet Approvals align with existing object approvals and invoicing

Timesheet Approvals are designed to work alongside existing invoicing workflows, ensuring a consistent and reliable path from time entry through to billing. For further details regarding each object approval tool please refer to the following guides:

Project Approval Tool
Ticket Approval Tool
Retainer Approval Tool

Relationship to Object Approvals

The existing Object Approval tool remains available when Timesheet Approvals are enabled, but with some changes.

When Timesheet Approvals are enabled:

• The Object Approval tool is no longer used to approve time or for invoicing

• Activities approved via the Timesheet Approval process will not move to the approved section of the object approval tool

• The Object Approval tool can still be used to:

  • Bulk edit activities 

  • Edit individual time entries 

These actions apply only to activities that are Pending or Declined. Activities that are Submitted, Approved, or Invoiced remain locked. 

This ensures that approval decisions are centralised in the weekly timesheet workflow, while preserving existing tools for operational edits where appropriate.

In-Flight Approvals 

When Timesheet Approvals are enabled, it’s important to understand how previously approved activities are handled, particularly if approvals have already occurred using the Object Approval tool.

Activities Approved in Previous Weeks

Activities that were approved in weeks prior to enabling Timesheet Approvals:

• Remain grouped as approved via the Object Approval tool

• Do not carry a Timesheet Approval status

• Are unaffected by the new workflow

These activities are treated as historically approved and will not be available for re-submission or re-approval. It’s recommended that this time is either already invoiced or invoiced using the All work status filter.

Activities Approved in the Current Week

Activities that were approved via Object Approvals earlier in the current week, before Timesheet Approvals is enabled, are handled differently.

Once Timesheet Approvals is turned on:

• These activities transition to a Pending approval state

• They continue to appear grouped as approved for reference purposes

• They are automatically included in the newly created weekly timesheet for that week

• They must be submitted and approved using the Timesheet Approvals workflow

This ensures consistency, so all time within the same week follows a single approval process before invoicing.

Example

A project manager approves time logged on Monday and Tuesday using the Object Approval tool. On Wednesday, Timesheet Approvals is enabled.

• Time approved in previous weeks remains approved and does not carry a Timesheet Approval status or associated Timesheet ID

• Time approved earlier in the current week is included in the current weekly timesheet

• The weekly timesheet must now be submitted and approved before that time can be invoiced

This approach avoids mixing approval methods within the same week and ensures a clear, auditable approval path moving forward.

Invoicing Alignment

Timesheet Approvals can be used to control which activities are available for invoicing.

When invoicing work done:

• The Approved only filter in both single and bulk invoicing includes time approved via Timesheet Approvals

• Time that has not been approved via a weekly timesheet is excluded when this filter is applied

This ensures that only reviewed and approved time progresses to billing.

Invoiced Activity Visibility

Once an activity is invoiced:

• The activity status updates to Invoiced

• The activity becomes locked and cannot be edited

• The linked invoice name, invoice link, and raised date are displayed on the activity

This provides a clear audit trail from approved time through to invoicing.

If an invoice is deleted the associated activity will also be updated to remove the linked invoice and invoiced raised date, and the status of the activity will update to Approved.