> ## 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.

# Time Clock permissions

> Which roles can clock in, view, edit, submit and approve timecards in TimeTracker, plus the app gate, the plan gate and the per-person clock override.

The Time Clock uses seven capabilities. This page shows what each one unlocks and
which roles hold it.

## The capabilities

| Capability                | What it lets you do                                                   |
| ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `timecard.clock`          | Clock in and out, and correct your own shift times                    |
| `timecard.view`           | See your own timecard                                                 |
| `timecard.manage`         | See and edit someone else's timecard, and resolve flagged corrections |
| `timecard.approve`        | Approve a submitted timecard, or request changes                      |
| `timecard.submit`         | Submit your own period                                                |
| `timecard.submitOnBehalf` | Submit someone else's period                                          |
| `timecard.reopen`         | Reverse an approval                                                   |

Reading and editing a timecard also depends on `schedule.view`, because expected
hours come from a schedule.

## Which roles hold what

| Capability                | Owner | Admin | Project Manager | Finance | Member | Contractor | Client |
| ------------------------- | ----- | ----- | --------------- | ------- | ------ | ---------- | ------ |
| `timecard.clock`          | Yes   | Yes   | Yes             | Yes     | Yes    | Yes        | –      |
| `timecard.view`           | Yes   | Yes   | Yes             | Yes     | Yes    | Yes        | –      |
| `timecard.submit`         | Yes   | Yes   | Yes             | Yes     | Yes    | Yes        | –      |
| `timecard.manage`         | Yes   | Yes   | Yes             | –       | –      | –          | –      |
| `timecard.approve`        | Yes   | Yes   | Yes             | –       | –      | –          | –      |
| `timecard.submitOnBehalf` | Yes   | Yes   | Yes             | –       | –      | –          | –      |
| `timecard.reopen`         | Yes   | Yes   | –               | –       | –      | –          | –      |
| `schedule.view`           | Yes   | Yes   | Yes             | Yes     | Yes    | Yes        | –      |
| `schedule.manage`         | Yes   | Yes   | –               | –       | –      | –          | –      |

<Note>
  **Finance clocks in.** Unlike time tracking, which Finance has no part in, the
  Time Clock is a working-role feature. Finance clocks in, reads its own timecard
  and submits it – but never reviews anyone else's.
</Note>

<Note>
  **Client contacts never clock.** A portal contact holds no internal capabilities
  and is skipped by the absence job entirely.
</Note>

## Self versus others

Almost every timecard rule follows the same shape:

* **Your own** timecard is governed by `timecard.clock` and `timecard.view`.
* **Someone else's** is governed by `timecard.manage` or `timecard.approve`.

So a Member can correct their own shift times but cannot open a colleague's
timecard at all.

## Capability is not scope

`timecard.manage` says you **may** work on other people's timecards. Your
**supervision scope** says whose.

A Project Manager whose scope covers one group will only find that group's people
in the member picker – even though the capability is workspace-wide on paper.
Both checks run on every read and every write.

See [Supervision scope](/concepts/supervision-scope).

## Self-approval is allowed

A manager may approve their own timecard. There is no rule forcing a second pair
of eyes on your own period.

## Two gates that are not permissions

### The app gate

The **Time Clock** app must be on in **Settings → Apps**.

* It is **off by default**. A workspace opts in.
* It **requires Work schedules**. You cannot switch it on without them.
* Switching it off hides the clock and the timecards, keeps every recorded
  session, and stops missing clock-out reminders.

### The plan gate

| Action               | Plan    |
| -------------------- | ------- |
| Clock in and out     | Free    |
| Read a timecard      | Free    |
| Correct shift times  | Free    |
| Submit a period      | Free    |
| **Approve a period** | **Pro** |
| **Request changes**  | **Pro** |

This is the general rule across TimeTracker: **capture is free, resolution is
paid**. A Free workspace records everything and accumulates submissions it cannot
clear. The day it upgrades, the backlog can be cleared – nothing is lost.

See [Plans and features](/concepts/plans-and-features).

## The per-person override

Clocking can be switched off for one person on their member record, under
**Employment → Time & attendance**.

It is **deny-only**. It narrows what their role grants and can never widen it. If
the role does not grant clocking, or the app is off, the switch is disabled.

Changing it needs `member.changeRole` – Owner and Admin only. See
[Turn clock access off for one person](/time-clock/turn-clock-access-off-for-one-person).

## Location rules

A location rule can hold clocking back while someone is off-site. That is a
**state**, not a permission – the capability is still there, the person is
in the wrong place right now. They see an explanation, and nothing already
recorded is affected.

See [Location rules overview](/location-rules/overview).

## Example

At Northwind Studio, with the Time Clock switched on:

| Person        | Role            | What they can do                                                                                    |
| ------------- | --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Sarah Lin     | Member          | Clocks in, reads and corrects her own timecard, submits her period.                                 |
| Ana Ferreira  | Contractor      | The same as Sarah.                                                                                  |
| Daniel Okafor | Finance         | Clocks in and submits his own period. Cannot open anyone else's.                                    |
| Priya Raman   | Project Manager | All of the above, plus opens her group's timecards, edits their shifts, and approves their periods. |
| Tom Whitfield | Admin           | Everything, including reopening an approved period.                                                 |
| Maya Ellis    | Owner           | Everything Tom can do.                                                                              |
| Ruth Castillo | Client          | Nothing. Never sees the Time Clock.                                                                 |

Approving is Pro, so Priya's **Approve** button only works while Northwind is on
a paid plan.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can a Member see a colleague's timecard?">
    No. That needs `timecard.manage` or `timecard.approve`, which Members do not
    hold.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I let one person approve timecards but nothing else?">
    Yes. Build a custom role containing `timecard.approve` and the clock
    capabilities, and assign it. See [Custom roles](/team/custom-roles).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why can a Project Manager not reopen an approval?">
    Reversing a sign-off is an owner and admin action, the same tier as closing a
    period. It also requires a written reason.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do timecard permissions affect time tracking?">
    No. They are separate capability families. Someone can clock in without being
    able to track time, and the other way round.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is the Timecards tab missing for me?">
    The Time Clock app is off, or you do not hold `timecard.view`. If you are
    looking at someone else, you also need `timecard.manage` or
    `timecard.approve`.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Roles and capabilities" icon="key" href="/concepts/roles-and-capabilities">
    The full permission model.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Turn clock access off for one person" icon="user-lock" href="/time-clock/turn-clock-access-off-for-one-person">
    The deny-only override.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Apps and modules" icon="toggle-on" href="/concepts/apps-and-modules">
    Why the Time Clock may be hidden.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Approve a timecard" icon="circle-check" href="/approvals/approve-a-timecard">
    Using `timecard.approve` in practice.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>