Approving timesheets and resolving time variances

Timesheet lines are built automatically from support worker check-ins against the roster. This tutorial shows how to review the pay period, resolve exceptions such as late or missing check-outs, and approve and lock lines so they can go to the pay run.

Before you begin

• You need the Approve timesheets permission (and Resolve timesheet exceptions to work the exceptions list). You can’t approve your own lines.
• A pay calendar must exist. Without one the page shows No pay periods yet – see Exporting payroll to Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks.
• Shifts must be published and worked: a line appears at the first check-in, or once a rostered shift ends with no check-in.

Review the pay period

1. Go to Time → Approve timesheets. The current pay period opens; the header tells you how many lines still need approval.
2. Use the Pay period list to pick another period, and All branches or All teams to narrow the list to your area.
3. Check the four tiles: Awaiting approval (with clean, queried and open exception counts), Approved and locked, Actual vs rostered and Estimated wage cost.
4. Switch between Lines, By worker, By team and By day to see the period the way you approve it. In the grouped views each row has an Approve {n} button for its clean lines.
5. In Lines, filter with Status, Exceptions (Has exceptions or Clean), Pay category and Line type. Amber figures in Actual mean the worker was more than 15 minutes over the rostered time.

Open a line and check the evidence

1. Select a row. The line opens in a side panel titled with the worker’s name and the shift date.
2. Read Rostered, Checked in, Checked out, Actual (with the difference against the roster) and Paid. The check-in source shows as Worker app (GPS), House device, Entered by a coordinator or Closed automatically.
3. Check the geofence pictures: each shows how many metres the check-in or check-out was from the service address and whether it was inside the geofence.
4. Review Pay calculation: each pay category, hours, rate and amount the SCHADS rules produced. Wage amounts are hidden if your role can’t view wages.
5. Scroll to History for the roster, check events, edits, queries and approvals on the line.

Resolve exceptions

A line with an open exception can’t be approved. Exceptions are raised when check-in or check-out is more than 5 minutes from the roster, a check-out is missing, the worker was outside the geofence, overtime was worked, and similar.

1. Select Exceptions in the page header (or go to Time → Exceptions).
2. Use the chips to filter by kind, for example Late clock-in or Missing check-out. The Worker’s reason column shows what the worker typed in the app.
3. Select Resolve on a row, or tick several rows of the same kind and select Resolve selected.
4. Choose a Decision: Accept actual times, Pay rostered times, Not payable (this voids the line), Note received or Other. Add a Note for the audit trail.
5. Select Resolve to leave the line pending, or Resolve and approve line to approve it in the same step if nothing else is open.
6. If you need the worker’s side first, select the message icon, type your question and select Send. The line is held out of the pay run until they answer.

To pay different times from both the roster and the check-ins, open the line and use Edit with reason instead of a decision.

Edit a line with a reason

1. Open the line and select Edit with reason.
2. Change Start, Finish, Unpaid break (min) or Kilometres. A finish earlier than the start is treated as the next day.
3. Pick a Reason, such as Shift ran over – approved by team leader, and write a Note (required).
4. Select Save change. Pay categories, overtime and allowances are recalculated and the change is added to the audit trail.

Approve and lock

1. To approve one line, open it and select Approve line. The button is disabled while exceptions are open.
2. To approve everything clean, select Approve {n} clean lines in the page header, or tick rows and select Approve selected.
3. Read the message: lines are approved and locked, sent to the approvals inbox when overtime is above your limit, or skipped when they still have open exceptions or a query.
4. Approved lines show a lock icon and appear in Time → Pay runs and export.

Tips

• Use Add time for training, meetings, travel time or a shift the worker couldn’t check in to. The line is created pending with a Manual time exception so a second person reviews it.
• The Leave in the pay run card lists approved leave that flows into the period alongside worked hours.
• Approvers without organisation-wide access can sign off up to 12 hours of overtime on a line by default; above that the line goes to Home → Approvals inbox.

If something goes wrong

Approve line is greyed out

The line still has open exceptions. Resolve or dismiss them on Time → Exceptions, then approve.

A line was skipped in bulk approval as queried

A query to the worker is still open. The line returns to Pending when the query is answered, then it can be approved.

Someone else changed this line. It has been reloaded

Another person edited the line while you had it open. Check the reloaded values and save your change again.

You can’t approve a line for yourself

Approving your own timesheet is blocked by separation of duties. Ask another approver.