Approving Time Sheets

Before running payroll, owners and managers can review and approve their team's time entries. Approved hours are locked so workers cannot edit them, ensuring the numbers you pay against are final.

How It Works

Simple Time uses a straightforward three-step approval model:

1. Workers log time — via the weekly grid, clock in/out, or the mobile app. No extra "submit" step is required. All logged time is automatically visible to managers.
2. Managers approve — select employees and a cutoff date, then approve all entries up to that date in one action.
3. Owner confirms payroll — after paying employees, mark those entries as permanently locked.

Approving Time Entries

1. Navigate to Approve Time Sheets in the sidebar.
2. You will see a list of team members who have unapproved time entries, along with the total hours and date range for each person.
3. Set the "Approve entries up to" date. This is usually the last day of your pay period (e.g., March 15).
4. Check the box next to each employee you want to approve. Use Select All to approve everyone at once.
5. Click Approve.

All completed, unapproved time entries for the selected employees up to that date will be approved.

What Happens After Approval

• Workers see an asterisk * next to approved hours in their weekly grid. Those cells are locked and cannot be edited.
• Managers and owners can still view and modify approved entries if a correction is needed — for example, if a worker forgot to clock out and the hours are wrong.
• Approved entries remain editable by managers until payroll is confirmed.

Making Corrections

If you spot an error in an approved entry, you do not need to "unapprove" it. Simply navigate to the employee's timesheet in the weekly grid, and edit the cell directly. Managers and owners always have edit access to approved entries.

Approval States

Next Steps

Once time sheets are approved, you can confirm payroll to permanently lock those entries after your team has been paid.