Use case: your team logs time on client requests, and you want an admin to check that time before it counts toward totals, reports and the client's hours balance.
When you turn on approval, time that team members log starts as Pending approval. It doesn't count anywhere until a portal admin or admin approves it. Rejected time never counts.
Who needs approval
Team members: all time they log or edit waits for review, including time synced from Hubstaff.
Portal admins and admins: their own time is approved straight away. They are also the people who can approve or reject time.
Clients: never see pending or rejected time. They only see approved, billable entries.
Turn on approval
Go to Settings > Modules and extensions > Requests.
Make sure Request time tracking is on. The approval setting only shows when time tracking is on.
Turn on Require approval for team time.
Click Save changes.
Good to know: approval only applies to time logged or edited after you turn it on. Entries that already exist stay approved.
Review time on a request
Open the request and go to the Timesheets tab.
Waiting time shows in the Pending approval panel above the entries, with the total waiting for review. The pending total also shows in orange next to Total time tracked, and it isn't included in that total.
Click Approve on an entry, or the reject icon (X) to reject it. To review everything at once, click Approve all or Reject all.
Approved time moves into the timesheet and counts toward totals, reports and the client's balance. Rejected time stays on the timesheet with a Rejected badge so you can see what was declined, but it never counts.
Review all pending time in one place
Go to Reports > Timesheets and open the Pending approval tab. The number next to the tab, and next to Timesheets in the sidebar, is how many entries are waiting.
Entries are grouped by request, with the oldest first. Use the Team member and Organization filters to narrow the list.
Approve or reject each entry, or use Approve all and Reject all for a whole request.
The queue shows pending time on the requests you can see. Portal admins and admins see every request.
What team members see
Team members see their own pending time on the request's Timesheets tab with a Pending approval badge. The day total doesn't include it yet.
If an admin rejects their time, the entry shows a Rejected badge and the team member gets an email and an in-app notification. To send it for review again, they edit the entry from its menu.
Notifications
Time pending approval: approvers who can see the request get an email and an in-app notification when a team member leaves time waiting on it. You get one notice per person and request, not one per entry. The email links to the Pending approval queue.
Time rejected: the team member who logged the time is told when it is rejected, with a link to the request.
Each person can turn these off under Settings > Profile and account > Notification preferences.
Tips and FAQ
What happens when a team member edits approved time?
The entry goes back to Pending approval, and the hours are taken off the client's balance until it is approved again.
Does a running timer show up for review?
No. Time shows up for review once the timer is stopped.
Does approval change how rounding works?
No. The pending totals use your portal's time rounding, so you see what will be billed when you approve.
What if I turn approval off again?
New time counts straight away. Time that is still pending stays pending, and the Pending approval tab stays under Reports > Timesheets until you have reviewed it.
Does it work with Hubstaff?
Yes. Time synced from Hubstaff follows the same rules as the team member it belongs to, and shows a Synced from Hubstaff badge in the queue. See How to connect Hubstaff to sync tracked time.
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