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Time approval is the step between logging time and invoicing it. By reviewing and approving time entries, you confirm that the hours are accurate, the rates are correct, and the work is ready to be billed. This guide covers the approval workflow, who can approve, and best practices.

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Why Approve Time?

Approval serves several purposes:
  • Quality control: Catch errors (wrong dates, incorrect hours, missing comments) before they reach an invoice.
  • Billing accuracy: Only approved entries can be invoiced, preventing accidental billing of draft or incorrect entries.
  • Audit trail: Every approval records who approved it and when, providing a clear paper trail.
  • Client trust: Reviewed and verified time entries lead to clean, dispute-free invoices.

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Time Entry Status Flow

Understanding the status flow helps you know where each entry is in the process: 
Planned (Suggested)
    |
    v
Pending Accept (Awaiting Approval)
    |
    v
Billable (Approved)
    |
    v
Invoiced
    |
    v
Paid

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Planned (Suggested)

The initial status. Entries are either:
  • Created manually by a performer
  • Auto-generated by the automatic time tracking feature
Planned entries can be freely edited or deleted. They are not yet part of the billing pipeline.

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Pending Accept (Awaiting Approval)

The entry has been submitted for review. A performer may submit their entries, or the system may flag them as ready for approval. These entries are waiting for an owner or coordinator to review them.

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Billable (Approved)

The entry has been reviewed and approved. It is now:
  • Locked against further edits
  • Available for inclusion in an invoice
  • Recorded with the approver’s identity and timestamp

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Invoiced

The entry has been added to an invoice. It is linked to a specific invoice row and cannot be moved to another invoice. The invoice has been paid by the client. The billing cycle for this entry is complete.

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Who Can Approve?

Approval is restricted by role:
RoleCan log timeCan approve
OwnerYesYes — all performers
CoordinatorYesYes — all performers
PerformerYesNo (unless also owner/coordinator)
As a sole proprietor, you are typically the owner and the performer, so you approve your own time. In team setups, coordinators review and approve time logged by performers.

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How to Approve Time

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Individual Entry Approval

  1. Go to the Time page
  2. Find the entry you want to approve
  3. Review the details (date, hours, rate, comment)
  4. Click Approve
The entry moves from Planned/Pending Accept to Billable. The system records your user ID and the current timestamp.

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Bulk Timesheet Approval

For efficiency, you can approve an entire timesheet at once:
  1. Go to the Time page
  2. Find the timesheet for the period you want to approve
  3. Click Approve Timesheet
  4. All unapproved entries in the timesheet are approved simultaneously
The timesheet records the total approved hours, the approver, and the approval timestamp.

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What to Check Before Approving

Before clicking approve, verify:
  • Hours are reasonable: Does the day total make sense? 12 hours on a day that should have been 8 is worth questioning.
  • Dates are correct: Is the entry on the right day? Retroactive entries sometimes have incorrect dates.
  • Rate is correct: The hourly rate should match the agreed performer rate for the gig.
  • Comments are meaningful: Comments will appear on invoices. Make sure they accurately describe the work.
  • Task is correct: If the gig uses tasks, check that entries are linked to the right task.
  • No duplicates: Look for entries that cover the same time period, which may indicate accidental double-logging.

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Time Review Reminders

Each gig has a time review reminder frequency setting. You can configure it to notify you at regular intervals (e.g., weekly, monthly) to review and approve outstanding time entries. This is especially useful when:
  • You have multiple gigs with different timelines
  • You work with performers who log time independently
  • You want to maintain a consistent approval cadence

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Approval and Invoicing Connection

Approval is the gateway to invoicing. Only entries with Billable (Approved) status appear when creating an invoice. This design ensures that:
  1. You never accidentally invoice unapproved time
  2. Every invoiced hour has been explicitly reviewed
  3. There is a clear chain: logged -> approved -> invoiced -> paid
If you notice approved entries that have not been invoiced, they will appear as “uninvoiced approved hours” in your reports. This helps you track revenue that is earned but not yet billed.

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Common Scenarios

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Solo Freelancer

As a sole proprietor, you log and approve your own time. A typical workflow:
  1. Log time daily as you work
  2. At the end of each week or month, review all entries
  3. Approve them in bulk using the timesheet approval
  4. Create the invoice

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Team with Performers

When working with team members:
  1. Performers log their own time daily
  2. At the end of the period, you (as owner/coordinator) review each performer’s timesheet
  3. Approve correct entries, flag issues for correction
  4. Once all entries are approved, create the invoice

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Handling Errors After Approval

If you discover an error in an approved entry:
  • Approved entries are generally locked to preserve the billing record
  • Create a new correcting entry with negative hours or the correct amount
  • Add a clear comment explaining the correction (e.g., “Correction: original entry had wrong hours”)

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Best Practices

  • Approve regularly: Do not let weeks of unapproved time accumulate. Weekly approval is ideal.
  • Review before bulk approving: Glance through all entries before using bulk approval. It takes less time than fixing invoice disputes later.
  • Use reminders: Set up time review reminders on each gig to build a consistent habit.
  • Communicate with performers: If you find issues in a performer’s time entries, discuss them promptly. Feedback helps improve logging accuracy over time.
  • Approve before invoicing: Always ensure all entries for a period are approved before creating the invoice. Partial invoicing (mixing approved and unapproved periods) creates confusion.
Set a regular approval cadence (e.g., every Friday or the first of each month) to keep your billing pipeline flowing smoothly.
The approval records who approved the entry and when, creating an audit trail for your records.
Approved entries cannot be edited. If you find an error after approval, you may need to create a correcting entry.
You can configure time review reminders on each gig to get notified when entries need approval.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Owners and coordinators can approve time entries. Performers can log time but cannot approve their own entries (unless they are also an owner or coordinator).
Once an entry is approved, it is generally locked to preserve the billing record. If a correction is needed, the recommended approach is to create an adjusting entry.
Planned (Suggested) is the initial status for new or auto-generated entries. Pending Accept (Awaiting Approval) means the entry has been explicitly submitted for review. Both need to be approved before they can be invoiced.
It depends on your workflow. For Fixed Price gigs, time approval is less critical for billing (since the invoice amount is fixed), but it is still useful for tracking actual effort and profitability.
Invoiced entries are linked to a specific invoice. When the client pays the invoice, the entries move to Paid status, completing the cycle.
Yes. Each gig has a time review reminder frequency setting. You can configure it to remind you weekly, biweekly, monthly, or at other intervals to review and approve time entries.