Use time sheets
This article describes how to use time sheets to track absence, and to track time and resources that are spent on a project. Tracking time helps you identify issues early and avoid delays or cost overruns. Time sheets make it easy for a resource to report time usage for an individual or a machine so that managers can review the usage and its allocation.
You can copy and use your project planning lines in a time sheet. In that way, you must only enter the information in one place and the line information is always correct. To learn more, go to To copy project planning lines to a time sheet.
After you approve time sheet entries for a project, you can post them to the relevant project journal or resource journal. To learn more, go to To post time sheet lines in a project journal and To post time sheet lines in a resource journal.
Before you can use time sheets, you must set up general information and specify an administrator and one or more approvers of time sheets. To learn more about setting up time sheets, go to Set Up Time Sheets.
Tip
You can use time sheets on a mobile device. To do that, you might have to turn on the Use New Time Sheet Experience toggle on the Resources Setup page.
Create time sheets
You can use the Create Time Sheets page to set up time sheets for a specified number of time periods or weeks. Then, the time sheet owner can open it and record time that has been spent on a task. You can also schedule the batch project to run automatically.
Important
You must have permissions to create time sheets. To learn more about permissions, go to Set Up Time Sheets.
Choose the
icon, enter Create Time Sheets, and then choose the related link.Tip
You can also use the Create Time Sheets action on the Resources list page and the Resource Card page.
Fill in the fields as necessary. Hover over a field to read a short description.
Note
Before you create time sheets for a resource, make sure that the Use Time Sheet and Time Sheet Owner User ID fields are specified for them on the Resource Card page.
Optionally, choose the Schedule action to specify how often to automatically run the task. For example, to configure the task to run weekly for four weeks, on the Schedule a Report - Create Time Sheets page, in the Next Run Date Formula field, enter 4W. To learn more about how to schedule reports, go to Scheduling a Report to Run.
You can view the time sheets that you create on the Time Sheets page. Each time sheet consists of one or more lines that define the time that you want to submit for approval. The following table describes the types of lines that you can add to the time sheet.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Use to add a note or marker in the Description field of the time sheet line. For example, you can use this field to categorise time sheet entries. If you leave the Type field empty for a time sheet line, you can't enter time values in the weekday fields for that line. | |
| Absence | Use to register the time you're absent during a work week. To complete the information for the line, specify the type of absence in the Cause of Absence Code field. |
| Assembly Order | Used to register time for assembly orders. A time sheet line of this type is created while posting assembly order lines for which the resource is set up to use time sheets. You can't manually select a line of this type. |
| Project | Use to register time usage for a project. To complete the information for the line, specify the project number and the project task number for which you want to register time. You can register time for lines that you haven't scheduled. |
| Resource | Use to register time usage for a resource. To complete the information for the line, provide a description of the work. |
| Service | Use to register time usage for a service order or service credit memo. |
For example, you want to submit a time sheet for a week where you did cleaning tasks and had a day off for a medical appointment. The following table shows how you would add lines to the time sheet.
| Type | Description | Work Type Code | Absence Type Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resource | Work hours | Cleaning | |
| Absence | Time off | Health | |
| I had to take off Tuesday due to a medical appointment. |
In this hypothetical example, you can then register the hours across the relevant days for each weekday.
Tip
In most cases, your company will have predefined work types for the various types of lines. In those cases, you just choose the relevant work type from the list, and then you add your own description.
Choose the work type by choosing the 
button in the Description field, by choosing the Activity Details action and then specifying it in the page that opens, or by choosing it in the Work Type Code field or the Absence Type Code field, respectively. In this case, you can ignore the To define work types and add one to a time sheet section.
Reuse time sheet lines in other time sheets
If your time sheet information remains the same from time period to time period, copy the lines from the previous time period to save time. Then, just enter your time usage for the new period.
- Choose the icon, enter Time Sheets, and then choose the related link.
- Open the time sheet for a period later than the period for an existing time sheet with lines.
- Choose the Copy Lines from Previous Time Sheet action.
The lines are copied, including details such as type and description. For example, if the line is related to a project, the Project No. is copied. All copied lines have the status Open. You can now modify the lines as needed.
Copy project planning lines to a time sheet
The following procedure describes how to quickly add project planning lines to a time sheet.
- Choose the icon, enter Time Sheets, and then choose the related link.
- On the Time Sheets page, select a time sheet for the relevant time period.
- Choose the Create lines from project planning action. Any project planning lines in the time sheet time period are copied to the time sheet for the person or machine in the Resource No. field on the time sheet.
Define work types and add one to a time sheet
You can define the work type for all-time sheet lines for service orders, project orders, and resources. In this way, you can add information that you need to bill the customer for different types of work.
- On the Time Sheets page, choose the relevant time sheet.
- On the first of the lines in the Lines section, choose the Type field, and then choose the relevant type, such as Resource.
- Choose the Description field, and then, in the Time Sheet Line Resource Detail page, fill in the fields. Hover over a field to read a short description.
- If no work types exist, choose the New action.
- On the Work Types page, fill in the fields as necessary, and then return to the time sheet.
- Fill in the rest of the time sheet. For more information, see the To fill in time sheet lines and submit for approval section.
Tip
You can follow similar steps to define absence codes.
Fill in time sheet lines and submit for approval
Time sheet registration is tracked in hours, the standard base unit of measurement for resources. By default, a time sheet shows the common work days of Monday through Friday.
Choose the
icon, enter Time Sheets, and then choose the related link.Select a time sheet for the relevant period.
Fill in the fields on a line as necessary. Enter the number of hours used by the resource on each day of the week.
In most cases, to track work, you add a line of type Resource, and then register hours spent each day. If you want to register absence, add a line of type Absence.
Tip
You can review the sum of time sheet hours entered in the Actual/Budgeted Summary FactBox.
Repeat step 3 for other work types that the resource performs.
Next, decide whether to submit all, or selected, lines on the time sheet.
To submit the time sheet for one or more lines, choose the relevant line, and then choose the Submit action.
On the submission page, choose the Selected lines only option. The state of the line changes from Open to Submitted.
To submit the time sheet for all open lines, choose the Submit action at the top of the Time Sheet page.
Confirm that you want to submit all open lines on the current time sheet.
Note
You can only submit time sheet lines for which you have entered time.
To modify information on a line that has been set to Submitted, select the line, and then choose the Reopen action.
Note
A manager might reject a time sheet line that is submitted for approval. If a line has the status Rejected, you can make changes to the line, and then choose Submit again.
Choose the OK button.
Approve or reject a time sheet
A time sheet must be submitted for approval before it can be used. You can approve and reject individual lines on a time sheet or send them back to the submitter. You approve a time sheet in two ways:
- A time sheet administrator can approve any time sheet.
- The person who is specified in the Time Sheet Approver User ID field on a resource card can approve that resource's time sheets. To learn more about setting up approval, go to Set Up Time Sheets.
- Choose the icon, enter Manager Time Sheets, and then choose the related link.
- Select a time sheet from the list.
- On the Time Sheet page:
- Choose the Process action, then choose the Approve action.
- Choose the All submitted lines action to approve all lines or the Selected lines only action to approve only the lines that are selected on the Time Sheet page.
- Choose the OK button.
- Alternatively, choose the Reject action and follow steps 4 through 5.
Tip
Use the Time Sheet Status and Actual/Budgeted Summary FactBoxes to get an overview of time sheet information.
After you approve or reject a time sheet, it can't be modified unless it's first reopened. The following procedure explains how to reopen an approved or rejected time sheet.
Reopen a time sheet
Choose the
icon, enter Manager Time Sheets or Time Sheets, and then choose the related link.Open a time sheet from the list.
Note
You can only reopen lines with the status Approved. You can't reopen lines with the status Rejected or that are posted.
On the Time Sheet page, choose the Reopen action, and then choose the All submitted lines action to reopen all lines, or the Selected lines only action to reopen only the lines that are selected on the Time Sheet page.
Choose the OK button. The status of the time sheets line or lines is changes to Submitted.
View and approve time sheets by project
On a project, you can specify a person who is responsible for the project. That information is linked to time sheet lines. The link gives project managers a list of the time sheets to approve. For example, the team's project manager might be responsible for certain projects in your company. In that case, the manager should be designated as the Person Responsible on the Project Card page. This view of time sheet information shows the project tasks associated with a project and the quantity of hours used.
Note
To approve time sheets on the Manager Time Sheet by Project page, you must first select a Time Sheet by Project Approval option in the Resources Setup page. To learn how to set up approvals for resources, go to Set Up Resources.
Approve or reject a time sheet by project
In the Search box, enter Manager Time Sheet by Project, and then choose the related link. Business Central displays a list of time sheet lines associated with the projects for which you're responsible.
Choose the Approve action, and then choose the All submitted lines action to approve all lines or the Selected lines only action to approve only the lines that are selected on the Time Sheet page.
Note
You can only approve time sheets with the status of Submitted.
To provide additional information about the approval or rejection, select the Related action, then Comments, and then Line Comments.
Choose the OK button.
Note
After you approve or reject a time sheet line by project, you can't reopen or modify it on the Time Sheet page.
Post time sheet lines in a resource journal
After you have approved time sheet entries for a resource, you can post them to the relevant resource journal.
- Choose the icon, enter Resource Journals, and then choose the related link.
- Choose the Suggest Lines from Time Sheets action.
- On the Suggest Res. Jnl. Lines page, in the fields as necessary. Hover over a field to read a short description.
- Choose the OK button. Entries for usage are created in the resource journal, where you can modify the information as needed.
- Choose the Post action.
- To verify the posting, choose the Ledger Entries action. The Resource Ledger Entries page opens and shows the result of posting the resource journal.
Post time sheet lines in a project journal
After you have approved time sheet entries for a project, you can post them to the relevant project journal.
Choose the
icon, enter Project Journals, and then choose the related link.Choose the Suggest Lines from Time Sheets action.
On the Suggest Project Jnl. Lines page, fill in the fields as necessary. Hover over a field to read a short description.
Choose the OK button. Entries for usage are created in the project journal, where you can modify the information as needed.
Note
Information about the work type and whether the work is chargeable is copied from the time sheet line. If needed, you can reduce the quantity of hours and do a partial posting. If you reduce the quantity, the next time you choose the Suggest Lines From Time Sheets action, the line will contain the remaining quantity of hours.
Choose the Post action.
To verify the posting, choose the Ledger Entries action. The Project Ledger Entries page opens showing the result of posting the resource journal.
Archive time sheets
After you post time sheets, you can archive them for future reference. You must post all lines on a time sheet before you can archive it.
Note
When you archive a time sheet, it's removed from the lists on the Time Sheets and Manager Time Sheets pages.
- Choose the icon, enter Time Sheets, and then choose the related link.
- Select the Move Time Sheets to Archive action.
- On the Move Time Sheets to Archive page, fill in the fields as necessary, and then choose the OK button.
- To review archived time sheets, choose the icon, enter Time Sheet Archives or Manager Time Sheet Archives, and then choose the related link.
See also
Project Management
Setting Up Project Management
Finance
Purchasing
Sales
Work with Business Central