Submitting your timesheet for approval
This guide is for team members whose admin has set up timesheet approvals. It covers how to submit, resubmit and withdraw your timesheet, what locking means for your time logs, and what happens when an admin submits, resubmits or withdraws your timesheet on your behalf. You'll also learn how weekly and monthly periods differ and where else you can check your timesheet status.
If your admin has set up timesheet approvals, you submit your tracked time for a period — a week or a full calendar month — and an approver reviews it. Once you submit, that period locks so the numbers behind billing, payroll, and reporting stay stable. In Toggl Track, time logs are called time entries.
Timesheet approvals are part of the Premium and Enterprise plans, in the web app and desktop app. You submit from the Timesheet view on the Timer page — you don't need to open the Approvals page, which is for approvers.
Before you submit
Open the Timer page in the sidebar and switch to the Timesheet view (the grid icon next to the calendar). If your admin has added you to a timesheet setup, you'll see a banner above the grid showing your approval period and its status:
| Status | What it means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Not submitted | You haven't submitted this period yet. You can add, edit, and delete time logs. | Submit for approval |
| Pending review | You've submitted and are waiting for your approver. The period is locked. | Withdraw submission |
| Changes requested | Your approver sent it back with a comment. The period is unlocked so you can fix it. | Resubmit |
| Approved | Your approver signed off. The period stays locked. | Nothing — the period is read-only |
A padlock icon on the status pill shows when the period is locked. For a weekly setup, the banner also reads "Approval week runs {weekday}–{weekday}" with a Why? link that explains the period was set by your admin and that your Calendar and Reports views still follow your own week-start preference. For a monthly setup, the banner reads Approval month with the status.
If your admin has stopped creating new timesheets for you, a grey Discontinued badge appears next to the status. Your existing timesheets stay as they are, but no new periods are created after the last one.
Submit your timesheet
- Review your time logs for the period in the Timesheet grid.
- Click Submit for approval in the banner above the grid.
- A toast confirms: "Timesheet submitted for approval."
Your period is now locked. You can't add, edit, or delete time logs in it until your approver takes action.
On a monthly setup
A monthly timesheet shows the whole calendar month. The arrows at the top move one month at a time, and This month jumps to the current month. Week 1 through Week 4 (or Week 5 in a 31-day month) scroll to that part of the month — they're navigation only, not separate submissions. You submit the entire month as one timesheet.
Copy last month offers the same two choices as a weekly sheet's Copy last week:
- Copy projects and time logs — duplicates last month's entries into this month.
- Prefill projects and tasks — copies the project and task structure without the time.
After you submit
Your approver can approve, request changes, or withdraw an approval later. Here's what happens from your side:
- Approved: The period stays locked. You'll see the Approved status in the banner. You don't get an email when a timesheet is approved.
- Changes requested: The period unlocks, and you'll see your approver's comment and any flagged items in the banner. Fix the flagged time logs, then click Resubmit. A toast confirms: "Timesheet resubmitted for approval."
- Withdrawn by approver: The period unlocks and goes back to Not submitted. You get an email saying you need to resubmit.
Withdraw a submission
If you need to edit your time logs after submitting but before your approver has acted:
- Click Withdraw submission in the banner.
- A confirmation dialog asks: "Would you like to withdraw this timesheet submission?" It explains the timesheet will be unlocked and moved back to "Not submitted," and your approver will be notified.
- Click Yes, withdraw.
The period unlocks and you can edit your time logs again. Your approver gets an email.
When an admin acts on your behalf
Workspace admins can submit, resubmit or withdraw your timesheet for you from the Approvals page. They can do it for one timesheet at a time, or submit several members' timesheets at once. This is useful if you're away when a period is due.
| Status of your timesheet | What an admin can do for you |
|---|---|
| Not submitted | Submit on behalf, or approve directly |
| Changes requested | Resubmit on behalf. Resubmitting clears the reviewer's flags. |
| Pending review at the first approval layer | Withdraw submission |
| Pending review at a later approval layer | No on-behalf withdrawal |
| Approved | Withdraw approval |
When an admin submits or resubmits your timesheet, your time for that period locks, just as if you had submitted it yourself. When an admin withdraws your submission, the period unlocks. Every action asks the admin for confirmation first.
An admin can also submit a period that hasn't ended yet, such as the current week. Your time for that whole period then locks straight away and stays locked until the submission is withdrawn. If you still need to log time for that period, ask the admin to withdraw the submission while it's waiting for the first approver, or ask your approver to request changes.
You get an email whenever an admin submits, resubmits or withdraws your timesheet. When an admin submits on your behalf, your approvers' email names the admin who submitted it.
An approver who isn't a workspace admin can't act on your behalf. Admins submit their own timesheets the normal way, from the banner on the Timesheet view.
What locking means
When your timesheet is Pending review or Approved, the period is locked:
- You can't add, edit, or delete time logs in that period.
- On the Calendar view, locked time blocks show a lock icon, and logging new time there is disabled. Planning ahead is still allowed.
- The Timesheet grid dims to indicate read-only mode.
- In the browser extension, time logs in a locked period are greyed out and can't be edited. A note explains why and links to your timesheet.
Admins and other access levels with the approvals permission can still edit locked entries if needed, with a warning that the change affects an already-submitted or approved timesheet.
Emails you'll get
| Event | Who gets an email |
|---|---|
| Reminder to submit (if your admin turned reminders on) | You |
| Approver requests changes | You |
| Approver withdraws an approval | You |
| An admin submits, resubmits or withdraws your timesheet on your behalf | You |
| Your timesheet is approved | No email — check the banner |
Reminders and due dates respect your own timezone, and the timesheet view always displays in your timezone for both you and the approver.
FAQ
Can I edit a time log after my timesheet is approved?
No. The period stays locked. Ask your approver or an admin to make the change — they can edit locked entries with a warning.
Do I submit each week separately on a monthly setup?
No. Week 1 through Week 5 are just navigation tabs inside the month. You submit the month once.
My approver requested changes. What do I do?
Open the Timesheet view. The banner shows their comment and which items are flagged. Fix the flagged time logs, then click Resubmit.
Can I submit before the period ends?
Yes. You can submit any time during the period. The period locks from the moment you submit.
My timesheet was submitted, but I didn't submit it. Why?
A workspace admin submitted it on your behalf from the Approvals page. You'll have received an email about it. If you need to change something, ask the admin to withdraw the submission while it's still pending review at the first approval layer, or ask your approver to request changes.
What if I don't see a submission banner?
Your admin may not have added you to a timesheet setup yet. A member can belong to only one active setup at a time. If your admin added you to a setup from a later start date, the banner appears from that date. Check with your admin, or see Setting up timesheet approvals.
Where else can I see my timesheet status?
In the Detailed report, turn on the Timesheet status column from the column picker. Each time log shows the status of the period it falls in: Not submitted, Submitted, Approved or Changes requested. The column is also included in CSV and XLSX exports.