> ## 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.

# Timesheet problems

> Fix common TimeTracker timesheet issues – cannot submit, cannot approve, a locked week, expected hours that look wrong, and reopening an approved period.

The timesheet problems people hit most, and what to do about each.

## Quick diagnosis

| What you see                                  | Go to                                           |
| --------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| The Submit button does nothing, or is missing | [Cannot submit](#i-cannot-submit-my-timesheet)  |
| You cannot approve someone's week             | [Cannot approve](#i-cannot-approve-a-timesheet) |
| The week will not let you edit it             | [Locked week](#the-week-is-locked)              |
| Expected hours look wrong                     | [Expected hours](#expected-hours-look-wrong)    |
| You approved it and need to undo that         | [Reopen](#i-approved-it-by-mistake)             |
| A submitted week is stuck waiting             | [Stuck waiting](#a-submitted-week-is-stuck)     |

## I cannot submit my timesheet

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The Timesheets area is missing entirely">
    The Timesheets app is switched off, or Time tracking is – a timesheet totals time
    entries, so it needs them. Ask an Owner or Admin to check
    [Settings → Apps](/settings/apps).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The Submit button is missing but the page works">
    You lack `time.submit`. Every internal role holds it by default, so this points to
    a [custom role](/team/custom-roles). Ask an Owner or Admin.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="It says the period is already submitted">
    Someone submitted it for you, or you submitted it and the page is stale. Reload.
    If you need it back, withdraw it – that makes it editable again.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="It says the period does not line up">
    > That period doesn't line up with your workspace's timesheet weeks. Pick a period
    > from the list.

    Your workspace runs weekly, fortnightly or monthly periods. Use the period picker
    rather than typing dates.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="An entry refuses to save">
    A [time policy](/settings/time-policies) is blocking it. The common ones are a
    required task, a required description, no future entries, an editing window that
    has passed, or a daily limit. The message names which.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="It says I am not in an allowed location">
    Your workspace uses [location rules](/location-rules/overview). Submitting is
    restricted to an office network or a named place.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## I cannot approve a timesheet

Four things must all be true. Check them in this order.

<Steps>
  <Step title="The Approvals feature is on your plan">
    Approving is a **Pro** feature. On Free, people can submit and the submissions
    build up, but nobody can clear them. Upgrading clears the whole backlog at once.
    See [plans and features](/concepts/plans-and-features).
  </Step>

  <Step title="You hold `time.approve`">
    Owner, Admin and Project Manager hold it by default. Finance does not.
  </Step>

  <Step title="That person is in your scope">
    This is the usual culprit. You may hold the permission and still not reach the
    person. See [supervision scope](/concepts/supervision-scope).
  </Step>

  <Step title="The period was routed to you">
    When someone submits, they choose an approver from the people who may supervise
    them. If it went to a colleague, it sits in their queue.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  **"I have permission but the person is not in my list"** is nearly always scope. Fix
  it by adding you both to a shared project, putting you in the same
  [group](/team/groups), or widening your role's scope.
</Note>

## The week is locked

| State     | What it means             | What to do                                        |
| --------- | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Submitted | Waiting on a reviewer     | Withdraw it, or ask for changes                   |
| Approved  | A reviewer accepted it    | Ask for a [reopen](/approvals/reopen-an-approval) |
| Locked    | The period was closed     | Post an [adjustment](/approvals/adjustments)      |
| Invoiced  | The time is on an invoice | Post an adjustment, or void the invoice           |

Closing a period is deliberate and cannot be undone. That is the point of a closed
period. See [close a period](/approvals/close-a-period).

## Expected hours look wrong

Expected hours come from the person's **work schedule**, not from the workspace's
default working hours.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check they have a schedule">
    No schedule means no expected hours to compare against. See
    [assign a schedule](/schedules/assign-a-schedule).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the schedule's timezone">
    A person's day boundaries come from the schedule's timezone. Two people on
    different schedules genuinely have different days. See
    [schedule timezones](/schedules/schedule-timezones).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check days off and holidays">
    A day off or a public holiday lowers the expected total for that week. See
    [working hours and days off](/schedules/working-hours-and-days-off).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check approved leave">
    Approved time off reduces expected hours for the days it covers. See
    [leave balances](/time-off/leave-balances).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the Work schedules app is on">
    If it is off, timesheets stop showing expected hours entirely. Saved schedules are
    kept.
  </Step>
</Steps>

See [expected vs tracked hours](/timesheets/expected-vs-tracked-hours).

## I approved it by mistake

Reopening puts the period back with its author for rework.

You need `time.reopenApproval`, and the person has to be in your scope. See
[reopen an approval](/approvals/reopen-an-approval).

<Warning>
  **Reopening is refused once any entry in the period has moved past approved** – to
  locked or invoiced. That protects a closed period and a sent invoice. Use an
  [adjustment](/approvals/adjustments) instead.
</Warning>

## A submitted week is stuck

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Nobody is acting on it">
    Check who it was routed to. The submitter picks an approver at submit time, and
    that person owns the queue. See
    [approve a timesheet](/approvals/approve-a-timesheet).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The approver has left the workspace">
    Someone with workspace-wide scope can still act on it. Ask an Owner or Admin.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The workspace is on Free">
    Approving is Pro. Submissions accumulate safely and clear the day you upgrade.
    Nothing expires and nothing is thrown away.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The approver never got an email">
    Check their notification settings, and remember you are never notified about your
    own action. See [email not arriving](/troubleshooting/email-not-arriving).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Submitting for someone else

If a person is away, someone with `time.submitOnBehalf` can submit for them – as long
as that person is in their scope. See
[submit on behalf of someone](/timesheets/submit-on-behalf-of-someone).

## Sending a reminder

Someone with `time.remind` can nudge people who have not submitted. Owner, Admin and
Project Manager hold it. See
[timesheet reminders](/timesheets/timesheet-reminders).

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I approve my own timesheet?">
    Only if your role holds `time.approve` and your scope reaches you. Most workspaces
    route approvals to a manager instead.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What is the difference between rejected and changes requested?">
    There is no "rejected" status on a timesheet. Sending a week back is **changes
    requested**, and it lands straight back with its author, editable again.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does approving a timesheet lock the hours?">
    Approving accepts them. Closing the period locks them. Approved time can still be
    reopened; locked time needs an adjustment.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Someone has no timesheet at all for a week.">
    They never submitted one. Timesheet reports count missing periods, so you can see
    exactly who. See [report metrics](/reference/report-metrics).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I change a submitted timesheet as an admin?">
    Not while it is submitted. Request changes to hand it back, or reopen it if it was
    approved. See
    [edit a submitted timesheet](/timesheets/edit-a-submitted-timesheet).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="How timesheets work" icon="calendar-week" href="/timesheets/how-timesheets-work">
    The weekly cycle end to end.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Timesheet statuses" icon="list-check" href="/timesheets/timesheet-statuses">
    What each state allows.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Reopen an approval" icon="rotate-left" href="/approvals/reopen-an-approval">
    Undoing an approval.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Adjustments" icon="pen-to-square" href="/approvals/adjustments">
    Correcting locked time.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Missing or wrong hours" icon="clock" href="/troubleshooting/missing-or-wrong-hours">
    When the numbers are the problem.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Supervision scope" icon="user-group" href="/concepts/supervision-scope">
    Why a person is not in your queue.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>