Approve a Timesheet

This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to approve timesheets in BambooHR, enhancing payroll processing and report accuracy. It outlines the process for approving individual or multiple timesheets, including notifications for approvers and methods for approval from various locations, such as the inbox or an employee's Timesheet tab. Key components include time-sensitive approval guidelines, handling of clocked-in employees, and the implications for payroll processing. The article also emphasizes the importance of timely approvals and offers links for additional assistance with timesheet settings. Approvers are reminded to consider timezone differences and the need for accurate payroll reports.

Jul 3, 2026
Knowledge

Title

Approve a Timesheet

Article Text

How do I approve a timesheet?

Purpose: This guide teaches you to efficiently and accurately approve individual or multiple employee timesheets in BambooHR to streamline payroll processing and ensure report accuracy.

Table of Contents

Email notification for an approver
Approve from your inbox
Approve from an employee's Timesheet tab
Approving Timesheets for Payroll
- Approve from Payroll Hours report
- Approve from Payroll Hours Detail report
Can I approve hours if an employee is still clocked-in?

Need help setting up your timesheet approvals?

Timesheets open for approval based on the date and time selected under the Timesheets must be approved by... section of Time & Attendance settings. The timesheet opens for approval 24 hours before the due date. However, if an employee is in a conflicting timezone (for example, midnight in the admin's timezone is still working hours in their timezone), the timesheet will open for approval at midnight in the employee's timezone. Approving timesheets by their due date is crucial. If you use our payroll system, it ensures smooth payroll runs. If you don't, it guarantees accurate payroll reports for export. If the due date is after the pay period ends (which occurs if your pay schedule signifies that the pay date happens after the pay period ends), then the timesheet will be open for approval at midnight on the last day of the pay period.

Email notification for an approver

If you are the assigned approver for a group of employees, you will receive an email notification for the specific group of employees after all of their timesheets are available for approval. (The availability is based on the employee's timezone.) The email will summarize hours worked, including holiday hours, shift differentials, project/tasks, and overtime. The approver can click the link within the email notification to go to their inbox within BambooHR to approve hours.

Once an employee's hours have been approved, they will not be able to make edits to their timesheet. Only a Full Admin user is able to make edits to an approved timesheet.

Please note if an employee gets terminated during a pay period, you will still need to approve any hours worked by the terminated employee during the pay period.

Approve from your inbox

In addition to an email notification, you will see a notification in your What's Happening widget on Home that lets you know of any timesheets awaiting your approval.

Please note that this notification will not appear until all employees' timesheets in the group are available for approval. However, if you log in before that time and view one of the employees whose pay period has ended, you will be able to approve via the Timesheet tab or your inbox.

Click on the notification within the What's Happening widget or navigate to Timesheets under Approvals within your inbox. Click Hours are ready for your approval task to review the hours.

Once you finish reviewing the hours, click Approve All Hours.

Once a timesheet is ready for approval, the system sends it to the employee's current manager (if you choose the manager as the approver in Time & Attendance settings). If the employee's manager changes, the previous manager is responsible for approving any unapproved timesheets prior to the change.

Approve from an employee's Timesheet tab

To review and approve an employee's hours, navigate to the employee's Timesheet tab. Once you check the employee's hours for the pay period, click Approve.

When a user approves hours, the Timesheet tab shows who approved the hours and when.

If you are approving hours and new hours are added, a pop-up box will prompt you to refresh the hours before you approve them.

Approving Timesheets for Payroll

If you do not have BambooHR Payroll and are interested in a demo, click here and fill out the form!

Keep in mind, you cannot approve a timesheet for a pay period that hasn't ended yet. If you are running a standard payroll, unapproved timesheets will not be included in your payroll run. Rather, all those hours will need to be entered manually or imported.

Approve from Payroll Hours report

Full Admins and custom access level users can approve hours within the Payroll Hours report if they have access to timesheet approvals and the report itself.

Navigate to the Payroll Hours report in the Standard Reports folder within the Reports tab. Select the corresponding Pay Schedule and Pay Period, then hover over an employee to see the Approve option on the right side. If you need to approve in bulk, click Approve All in the top right corner of the report.

If an approver clicks Approve All, this notice will pop up to inform them that they cannot unapprove a timesheet.

Approve from Payroll Hours Detail report

The Payroll Hours Detail report includes all the information from the Payroll Hours report, plus breakdowns of projects/tasks, shift differentials, and worked holiday hours.

Full Admins and custom access level users can approve hours within the Payroll Hours Detail report if they have access to timesheet approvals and the report itself.

Navigate to the Payroll Hours Detail report in the Standard Reports folder within the Reports tab. Select the corresponding Pay Schedule and Pay Period, then hover over an employee to see the Approve option on the right side. If you need to approve in bulk, click Approve All in the top right corner of the report.

If you have filtered your report to show only specific hour types, and any employees are excluded from the report, you will not have the ability to approve in bulk until you remove the filter.

If an approver clicks Approve All, this notice will pop up to inform them that they cannot unapprove a timesheet.

Can I approve hours if an employee is still clocked-in?

Yes! Your company can approve hours even if employees are still clocked in. For example, if your payday falls on the last day of the pay period, you might need to run payroll by 4 p.m. while employees remain clocked in until 6 p.m. Alternatively, you might need to enter a clock-out time for an employee who forgot to clock out.

If you approve an employee's hours while they are clocked-in, you will see a pop-up box that requires you to enter the employee's clock-out time before you can approve their hours.

If you are approving from the Payroll Hours or Payroll Hours detail reports, you will see a timer icon next to an employee's total time if they are clocked-in. When you choose to approve all timesheets, you will receive a similar pop-up box that requires you to enter clock-out details for all employees who are currently clocked-in.

If your employees accrue based on hours worked, the accruals will not run correctly until an approver approves the hours. If the accrual runs before the hours are approved, then a "0" will show up for the accrual period. Once the hours are approved, BambooHR will automatically replace the "0" with the correct accrual amount based on hours worked.

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