> ## 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.

# Timesheets overview

> Learn how timesheets bundle tracked time into a period you submit for approval, who reviews them, and what changes once a timesheet is approved.

A timesheet is your tracked time for one period, gathered in one place so you can send it for review. You fill it in, submit it, and a reviewer approves it.

## What is a timesheet?

A timesheet is not a separate record. It is a view over the time entries you already tracked.

Every time entry you create lands in the timesheet for the period that contains it. When the period is done, you submit the whole thing at once.

<Note>
  A **period** is the unit a timesheet is submitted and approved as. Your workspace chooses the length – weekly, biweekly, or monthly. The daily grid always shows 7 days at a time.
</Note>

## Where timesheets live

Open **Time** in the sidebar. The page has two parts.

| Part               | What it holds                                               |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Timesheets** tab | Project and task time – the billable record                 |
| **Timecards** tab  | Clock in and clock out records, if the Time Clock app is on |

The **Timesheets** tab is the one this section covers. Timecards are a separate record with their own approval chain – see [/time-clock/overview](/time-clock/overview).

## The chain a timesheet sits in

<Steps>
  <Step title="You track time">
    A timer or a manual entry creates a time entry against a task or project.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Entries roll into a period">
    Every entry in the date range belongs to that period's timesheet.
  </Step>

  <Step title="You submit the period">
    The whole period goes for review at once. It locks from edits while it waits.
  </Step>

  <Step title="A reviewer approves or asks for changes">
    Approved time is settled. Rejected time comes back to you as a draft.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Approved billable time can be invoiced">
    Money flows from there.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What you see on the page

The **Time** page gives you one set of controls that stay put as you move around.

* A period navigator – back arrow, the period label (click it to jump to a date), forward arrow, and a **Today** button.
* A view toggle with two icons – **List view** and **Grouped view**.
* A live **Tracked** total and a status badge for the period.
* A **Submit timesheet** button, or **Withdraw submission** once it is in review.
* A member picker, if you are allowed to see other people's time.

## Example

Sarah Lin at Northwind Studio tracks 32 hours across the week – 24 on Bluebird Coffee's Website Redesign and 8 on Harbor Logistics' Mobile App.

On Friday she opens **Time**, checks the week reads `32:00:00`, and clicks **Submit timesheet**. The period goes to Priya Raman, who runs delivery.

Priya opens **Approvals**, sees Sarah's week in the queue, checks the split, and approves it. Sarah's 24 billable hours on Website Redesign are now settled and ready to be invoiced.

## Options and settings

Two workspace settings shape every timesheet. Both live in **Settings → Time policies**.

| Setting                  | What it does                                                                              |
| ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Timesheet submission** | The period length – `Weekly`, `Biweekly (every two weeks)`, or `Monthly (calendar month)` |
| **Period locking**       | Locks approved time on or before a date so it can no longer change                        |

Owners and admins can change these. See [/settings/time-policies](/settings/time-policies).

## Permissions

| What you want to do          | Capability                | Roles that have it by default                     |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Track and edit your own time | `time.track`, `time.edit` | Owner, Admin, Project Manager, Member, Contractor |
| Submit your own timesheet    | `time.submit`             | Owner, Admin, Project Manager, Member, Contractor |
| See someone else's timesheet | `time.viewOthers`         | Owner, Admin, Project Manager                     |
| Approve a timesheet          | `time.approve`            | Owner, Admin, Project Manager                     |

A capability says whether you **may**. Supervision scope says **whose** time you reach. Both have to pass – see [/concepts/supervision-scope](/concepts/supervision-scope).

## Plan and app gating

Timesheets are **free**. Anyone on any plan can fill one in and submit it.

**Approving is Pro.** On the Free plan submissions still arrive and still queue up. Nothing is deleted or lost. The day the workspace upgrades, the whole backlog is there to clear. See [/concepts/plans-and-features](/concepts/plans-and-features).

The **Timesheets** app also has to be switched on in **Settings → Apps**. It depends on the **Time tracking** app, so that has to be on too.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do I have to fill in a timesheet if I use the timer?">
    No. The timer already creates the entries. The timesheet is the same time, grouped by period. You only need to submit it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I submit a week with no hours?">
    Yes. A zero-hour period submits like any other and follows the same review flow.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is a timesheet the same as a timecard?">
    No. A timesheet records hours against tasks and projects. A timecard records when you were at work – clock in and clock out. They have separate approvals.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Who sees my timesheet?">
    You, and anyone who holds `time.viewOthers` and supervises you. A plain Member only ever sees their own.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

* **The Time page is missing.** The Time tracking app is switched off in **Settings → Apps**, or your role has no time capabilities.
* **The Submit button is greyed out.** A timer is still running, or an entry is missing something your workspace requires. See [/timesheets/submit-a-timesheet](/timesheets/submit-a-timesheet).
* **You cannot edit an entry.** The period is already submitted, approved, or locked. See [/timesheets/edit-a-submitted-timesheet](/timesheets/edit-a-submitted-timesheet).

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="How timesheets work" icon="workflow" href="/timesheets/how-timesheets-work">
    Periods, entries and the review loop, explained end to end.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Fill in a timesheet" icon="pen-line" href="/timesheets/fill-in-a-timesheet">
    The list and grouped views, and how to enter hours.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Submit a timesheet" icon="send" href="/timesheets/submit-a-timesheet">
    Send a period for approval and withdraw it if you need to.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Timesheet statuses" icon="git-branch" href="/timesheets/timesheet-statuses">
    Every status, every legal move, and who can make it.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Approvals overview" icon="check-check" href="/approvals/overview">
    The reviewer's side of the same workflow.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Time tracking overview" icon="clock" href="/time-tracking/overview">
    Where the entries in a timesheet come from.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>