> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.timetracker.in/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Close a period

> Lock approved time through a date so it can no longer be edited, deleted or added to, how closing differs from approving, and who is allowed to do it.

Closing a period locks every approved time entry on or before a date. After that, nothing in that range can be edited, deleted, or added to. Corrections go through an adjustment.

## Closing vs approving

They sound similar and they do very different jobs.

|                        | Approving                       | Closing                                    |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| Works on               | One person's period             | A whole date range, everyone               |
| Who does it            | Anyone with `time.approve`      | Owner and Admin only                       |
| What it means          | "This week's hours are correct" | "This range is final – the books are done" |
| Entry status after     | `approved`                      | `locked`                                   |
| Can be undone          | Yes, by reopening               | Not from that screen                       |
| Correction route after | Reopen                          | Adjustment only                            |

Approving is a per-person judgement. Closing is a month-end financial act.

<Warning>
  Closing only locks **approved** entries. Draft and submitted entries in the range are not locked, so make sure everything is approved before you close – otherwise you close a month with hours still floating.
</Warning>

## What closing prevents

Inside the closed range, for every locked entry:

* No edits – project, task, description, times, billable flag, all frozen.
* No deletions.
* No new entries for that date range.
* No reopening the approval. That is refused with "That period is closed."

The only way to correct locked time is an **adjustment** – a separate, linked entry carrying a signed correction. See [/approvals/adjustments](/approvals/adjustments).

## How to close a period

<Steps>
  <Step title="Make sure everything is approved">
    Check **Approvals → Timesheets → Awaiting approval** and **Not submitted**. Anything left unapproved will not be locked.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open Settings → Time policies">
    Scroll to the **Period locking** card. It reads "Locks all approved time on or before a date. Locked entries can't be edited, deleted or added to – corrections go through adjustment entries."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a Close through date">
    Use the date picker. Everything dated on or before this date is in scope.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Close period…">
    The button is only enabled once a date is chosen.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read the confirmation">
    "This will lock every approved time entry dated on or before `<date>`. Locked entries can't be edited or deleted, and no new entries can be added for that range. This can't be undone from this screen."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Type the confirmation string">
    You have to type or paste `<workspace> / through <date>` to enable the button. There is a copy control next to it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Click **Close period**. You get `Period closed through <date>. N entries locked.`
  </Step>
</Steps>

The close runs in batches, so a large backlog is handled without timing out. The number in the toast is the real count of entries locked.

## Why the typed confirmation

Closing a period is irreversible from that screen and affects every person in the workspace. A single misplaced click on the wrong date would freeze weeks of work that nobody expected to be frozen.

So the confirmation is a **ready-to-copy string** you have to match – the workspace name and the date together. Copy it, paste it, and the button enables.

## Example

It is the first working day of the month at Northwind Studio.

Tom Whitfield checks **Approvals → Timesheets**. The **Awaiting approval** tab is empty and **Not submitted** reads "All caught up". Every week of last month has been approved.

He opens **Settings → Time policies → Period locking**, picks the last day of last month as the **Close through date**, and clicks **Close period…**.

The modal asks him to type `northwind / through 2026-06-30`. He copies it, pastes it, and confirms.

`Period closed through 2026-06-30. 412 entries locked.`

Every approved entry in June is now locked. Sarah Lin, Jonas Bergman and Ana Ferreira each get a notification that their period was closed.

Two days later a client queries 2 hours on Bluebird Coffee's Website Redesign. Priya cannot reopen it – the period is closed. Daniel Okafor posts an adjustment of `-2` hours instead, with a reason. The original entry stays untouched and the corrected total nets out.

## Options and settings

The **Period locking** card lives on **Settings → Time policies**, alongside two related settings.

| Card                     | What it controls                                                             |
| ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Time policies            | What every entry must contain, the editing window, the daily limit, rounding |
| **Timesheet submission** | The period length – weekly, biweekly, or monthly                             |
| **Period locking**       | The close-through date                                                       |

If you cannot close periods, the card reads "Only an owner or admin can lock periods in this workspace."

## Permissions

| Action              | Capability            | Default roles                          |
| ------------------- | --------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| Close a period      | `period.close`        | Owner, Admin                           |
| Approve time        | `time.approve`        | Owner, Admin, Project Manager          |
| Reopen an approval  | `time.reopenApproval` | Owner, Admin                           |
| Correct locked time | `time.adjust`         | Owner, Admin, Project Manager, Finance |

`period.close` is Owner and Admin only by default. It sits at the same tier as reopening an approval – both change records that have already been settled.

Your workspace can build a custom role that includes `period.close`. The only capability that can never be given to a non-owner is deleting the workspace.

## Plan and app gating

**Closing a period is free** on every plan. It is not a resolution action being sold – it is a safety mechanism for your own records.

Approving, however, is Pro. So on the Free plan there is usually nothing approved to lock.

The **Timesheets** app must be switched on.

## What happens next

* Every approved entry on or before the date becomes **locked**.
* Each affected person is notified that their period closed.
* Reopening any period inside the range is refused.
* Locked billable time can go onto an invoice, which moves it to **invoiced**.
* Corrections happen through adjustments only.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I unlock a closed period?">
    Not from the Period locking screen. Locked time is corrected with an adjustment, which keeps the original record intact and the audit trail honest.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does closing lock submitted-but-not-approved time?">
    No. Only approved entries lock. Approve everything first, or those hours stay editable.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if I close through the wrong date?">
    Entries dated on or before that date are locked. Correct anything wrong with adjustments. Closing again through a later date locks more; it never unlocks.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does closing stop people tracking time going forward?">
    No. It only affects the closed range. New time on later dates is unaffected.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can someone add a forgotten entry into a closed range?">
    No. "That day's timesheet is locked, so time can't be added or changed." An adjustment is the route.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How often should we close?">
    Most teams close monthly, once every week in the month is approved and invoices are ready to go out.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

* **"You can't close a period."** You do not hold `period.close`. Ask an owner or admin.
* **The Close period button is disabled.** Pick a **Close through date** first.
* **The confirm button will not enable.** The typed string has to match exactly. Use the copy control.
* **"Couldn't close the period. Please try again."** Retry – the close runs in batches and is safe to re-run.
* **Fewer entries locked than expected.** Some entries were not approved. Approve them, then close again.

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Adjustments" icon="calculator" href="/approvals/adjustments">
    The only way to correct locked time.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Reopen an approval" icon="rotate-ccw" href="/approvals/reopen-an-approval">
    The route that closing takes away.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Time policies" icon="sliders" href="/settings/time-policies">
    Where period locking lives, and what sits beside it.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Timesheet statuses" icon="git-branch" href="/timesheets/timesheet-statuses">
    Where locked sits in the state machine.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Month-end close" icon="calendar-check" href="/guides/month-end-close">
    A full month-end routine, step by step.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Approve a timesheet" icon="check" href="/approvals/approve-a-timesheet">
    Get everything approved before you close.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>