A timesheet approval process is the checkpoint between an employee logging hours and those hours becoming a paycheck. Skip it, or rubber-stamp it without actually reviewing, and errors, inflated hours, and missing punches flow straight into payroll unchecked. This guide covers how to build an approval workflow that catches problems without slowing payroll down.
Why Timesheet Approval Matters
Getting paychecks right, and on time, matters more than most approval processes get credit for. According to PayrollOrg’s 2025 “Getting Paid In America” survey, 78% of U.S. workers would face financial difficulty if their paycheck were delayed by even a week. A timesheet approval process that catches errors before payroll runs connects directly to whether employees get paid accurately and on schedule.
Beyond accuracy, a documented approval step creates an audit trail. If a wage dispute ever comes up, this documentation matters. Showing that a manager reviewed and approved specific hours supports both compliance and your own defense. That’s consistent with FLSA recordkeeping standards, which favor documented review over hours simply flowing untouched from time clock to paycheck.
The Basic Timesheet Approval Workflow
Most timesheet approval processes follow the same core structure, regardless of the specific software involved:
1. Time recording
The employee logs hours, tasks, and breaks throughout the pay period as they work. This beats reconstructing everything from memory at the end.
2. Submission
At the end of the pay period, the employee reviews their own logged hours and submits the timesheet for approval.
3. Manager review
A supervisor or manager checks the submitted hours against the expected schedule. They look for missing punches, unexplained overtime, or entries that don’t match what actually happened.
4. Approval or rejection
If everything checks out, the manager approves the timesheet, and it moves forward to payroll. If something looks off, the manager rejects it with a note. The employee corrects the issue and resubmits.
5. Lock and process
Once approved, the timesheet should lock against further changes without a documented correction request. Only approved timesheets should flow into the actual payroll run.
Common Timesheet Statuses
A clear status system keeps everyone aware of where a timesheet stands in the process:
- Open: the pay period is active and the employee is still logging hours
- Ready to Submit: the period has closed and the employee needs to submit
- Waiting for Approval: submitted, sitting with the manager for review
- Approved: reviewed and cleared to move into payroll
- Rejected: sent back to the employee with a note for correction
Making these statuses visible to both employees and managers removes a lot of the “did you get my timesheet?” back-and-forth that slows payroll down. Tracking approval status informally over email doesn’t offer the same clarity.
Building an Effective Approval Process
Set clear submission deadlines
Employees should know exactly when their timesheet is due each pay period, not just “sometime before payday.” Deadlines should also account for your pay schedule, since a biweekly cycle needs a different review buffer than a semi-monthly one. A specific deadline reduces the number of late submissions a manager has to chase down manually. Pairing it with automated reminders leading up to it helps even more.
Review within a defined window, not whenever there’s time
A timesheet sitting in “waiting for approval” for a week isn’t actually being reviewed. It’s being ignored. Reviewing submissions within a day or two of receipt keeps the whole process moving. It also gives employees time to correct an issue before the payroll deadline.
Use exception-based review for established teams
Once a manager has a baseline for what a normal timesheet looks like, focused review works better than scrutinizing every line equally. Entries that deviate from that baseline- unusual overtime, missing days, unexpected hours- deserve the closest look.
Only one approver per timesheet
Routing a single timesheet through multiple approvers creates confusion about who’s actually responsible for catching an error. One clear approver per submission keeps accountability simple. Define this clearly as part of a new manager’s onboarding, rather than leaving it implicit.
Keep organized records of approved timesheets
Beyond the immediate payroll use, approved timesheets count as payroll records that need retention for compliance. See FRIDAY’s payroll record keeping guide for how long to hold onto them.
What Happens If a Timesheet Isn’t Approved
An unapproved timesheet generally shouldn’t move into a payroll run at all, since that defeats the purpose of the review step. If a timesheet is rejected, it goes back to the employee with a note about what needs correcting. The employee fixes it and resubmits for another review. This is exactly why submission deadlines need enough buffer before the actual payroll processing date. A rejection that happens the day before payroll runs leaves no room to fix and reapprove in time.
Delegating Approval Without Delegating Payroll Access
For growing teams, one manager reviewing every timesheet across the whole business doesn’t scale. A common solution is giving frontline managers or team leads the ability to review and approve their own team’s timesheets. They don’t need access to process payroll or view compensation data to do that. This keeps oversight close to where the work actually happens. It also keeps sensitive payroll functions restricted to the people who need them.
FRIDAY supports this through a dedicated timesheet admin role. It lets a manager review, edit, and approve their team’s hours. They can’t process payroll or view pay details. Edits are tracked, so timesheets stay easy to correct. If something needs adjusting before it reaches payroll, there’s a clear record of what changed and who changed it. For the broader time tracking setup this approval process builds on, see FRIDAY’s guide to time tracking for small businesses.
FAQs
How long does it take for a timesheet to be approved?
This depends entirely on your internal process, but reviewing submissions within one to two days of receipt is a reasonable standard for most small businesses. Longer than that, and the review step starts to bottleneck the rest of the payroll timeline.
How do you approve timesheets?
A manager reviews the submitted hours against the expected schedule. They check for missing punches, unexplained overtime, or entries that don’t match actual work performed. If everything checks out, the manager approves it and it moves forward to payroll. If something looks wrong, the manager rejects it with a note for the employee to correct.
What happens if your timesheet is not approved?
An unapproved or rejected timesheet typically doesn’t move into the payroll run. The employee corrects whatever issue was flagged and resubmits for another review. This is why submission deadlines should leave enough buffer before the actual payroll processing date. That buffer is what allows for a correction cycle.
What are the steps in the timesheet approval process?
The typical steps are straightforward: the employee records time throughout the pay period, then submits the completed timesheet at the end. A manager reviews it against the expected schedule and approves or rejects it. Approved timesheets lock and flow directly into payroll from there.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or HR compliance advice. Recordkeeping and wage payment requirements vary by state. Consult a licensed employment attorney for guidance specific to your business.
Pincus Schiff is a payroll software specialist at Friday App, where he helps businesses simplify payroll, stay compliant, and automate their workflows. He writes about payroll best practices, compliance, and the latest in workforce technology.
