What is timesheet approval?

Timesheet approval is the process managers or supervisors use to review and verify employee work hours before they’re submitted for payroll. It ensures that the recorded hours—whether clocked in via a digital time clock, mobile app, or manual timesheet—are accurate and reflect the actual time worked, including breaks, overtime, and paid leave.

For small businesses, timesheet approval is a critical step that prevents payroll errors, controls labor costs, and maintains compliance with wage and hour laws. With Homebase, you can automate timesheet approval, making it easier to review, correct, and approve hours in just a few clicks.

Why timesheet approval matters

Accurate timesheets are the backbone of reliable payroll and labor compliance. Timesheet approval helps businesses:

• Prevent payroll mistakes by catching missing punches, incorrect hours, or unapproved overtime
  
• Control labor costs by ensuring only approved hours are paid
  
• Stay compliant with federal, state, and local labor laws requiring accurate time records
  
• Avoid wage disputes with clear documentation of approved work hours
  
• Streamline payroll by sending only verified timesheets for processing
  
• Promote fairness by holding all employees accountable to the same standards
  

For small businesses where every labor dollar counts, timesheet approval provides a final quality check before paychecks go out.

How timesheet approval works

The timesheet approval process typically includes these steps:

1. Employees record their hours by clocking in and out each day, including breaks.
   
2. Managers review timesheets for accuracy, looking for missed punches, unexpected overtime, or errors.
   
3. Corrections are made as needed with proper documentation explaining the changes.
   
4. Employees may confirm their timesheets to ensure they agree with recorded hours.
   
5. Supervisors approve the timesheets once all information is verified.
   
6. Approved timesheets are sent to payroll for wage calculations and payment.
   

Digital systems like Homebase make this process much faster by highlighting errors automatically and allowing one-click approvals.

Real-world examples of timesheet approval

• A restaurant manager reviews weekly timesheets for 15 employees, correcting missed clock-outs and approving overtime before payroll is processed.
  
• A construction supervisor checks timesheets for workers on multiple job sites to ensure hours are logged under the correct project.
  
• A cleaning service owner reviews timesheets from different client locations to confirm all shifts were completed as scheduled.
  
• An office manager verifies PTO and sick leave requests on timesheets before approving payroll for the week.
  

These examples show how timesheet approval ensures accurate, fair, and legally compliant payroll in various industries.

Benefits of timesheet approval for employers

Timesheet approval offers several key benefits for business owners and managers:

• Reduces payroll errors by catching mistakes before they affect employee paychecks
  
• Saves administrative time with an organized process for reviewing hours
  
• Helps detect time theft like buddy punching or unapproved early clock-ins
  
• Improves compliance with labor laws by maintaining accurate records
  
• Provides better labor cost insights for budgeting and scheduling decisions
  
• Builds trust with employees by ensuring they’re paid correctly for their time
  

It’s a small but essential step in managing an accurate and efficient payroll process.

Common challenges with timesheet approval

Despite its importance, timesheet approval can create challenges if not managed well:

• Manual review delays when managers have to check each timesheet one by one
  
• Human error if managers miss mistakes in paper timesheets
  
• Communication issues when employees disagree with recorded hours
  
• Missed payroll deadlines caused by late approvals
  
• Inconsistencies if some managers are stricter about approval than others
  

Digital timesheet approval software helps avoid these problems by automating much of the process.

Best practices for timesheet approval

To create a smooth and reliable timesheet approval process:

• Use digital timesheets that automatically flag errors like missed punches
  
• Set a clear deadline for employees to submit timesheets each pay period
  
• Train managers on how to review, correct, and approve timesheets consistently
  
• Communicate policies for missed punches, overtime, and break tracking clearly
  
• Allow employees to verify timesheets before they’re approved
  
• Integrate timesheets with payroll software to save time and reduce administrative work
  

These practices ensure that your timesheet approval process is accurate, fair, and efficient.

How Homebase simplifies timesheet approval

Homebase makes timesheet approval fast, easy, and accurate for small businesses. With Homebase, you can:

• Automatically generate digital timesheets from employee clock-ins and clock-outs
  
• Highlight missed punches, overtime, or other potential issues for quick review
  
• Allow managers to correct and approve timesheets with just a few clicks
  
• Give employees visibility into their timesheets so they can confirm hours
  
• Export approved timesheets directly to payroll without manual data entry
  
• Keep secure, cloud-based timesheet records for compliance and auditing
  

By automating the approval process, Homebase saves time, reduces errors, and ensures employees are always paid correctly.

Explore Homebase Timesheets to simplify timesheet approval, improve payroll accuracy, and save time for your business.