Setting up online timesheets that work
Approval flows, overtime rules and the lock-past-weeks rule that saves every ops team money — how to set up online timesheets that work.
Start from tracked time, not a blank grid
Pre-fill timesheets from tracked time. An empty timesheet filled in on Friday from memory becomes a fictional one — rounded, optimistic and impossible to audit. When the timer, the desktop tracker or the attendance clock-in fills the week, people only review and correct.
Design the approval flow
Decide who approves whose time and how often — weekly is the most common rhythm. One-click approvals save managers hours each month, and any change after approval should need an admin override rather than a quiet edit.
Manual entries for retroactive time are sometimes necessary. Allow them, but route them to a manager so they are visible.
Set overtime rules once
Configure overtime thresholds by day and by week, and per jurisdiction if your team works across regions. When the rules live in the timesheet tool, overtime is calculated the same way for everyone and payroll does not have to re-check it by hand.
If you pay hourly staff, the free time card calculator is a quick way to sanity-check totals.
Lock past weeks
Lock past weeks. Edits to last month should require an override, not a casual save — otherwise invoices, payroll and reports that were already sent quietly stop matching the data.
Connect timesheets to payroll and invoicing
Approved timesheets are the input for payroll and client invoicing. In HelloTime the Business plan unifies timesheets for desk and deskless staff, so one approval covers both. The setup details are in the timesheets & approvals help article.
See the feature overview for timesheets and approvals.