Account administrators can disable the ability for employees to submit, edit, or add a time entry within a specific time period. You can choose to lock timesheets by closed fiscal periods, weekly, or monthly.
The Weekly Timesheets feature is required to enable locking timesheet periods.
To set up a timesheet lock:
- Go to Setup > Accounting > Accounting Preferences. Click Time & Expenses.
- Under Time Tracking, in the Lock Timesheet Period field, select the time period after which you want time entries to be locked.
- None – time entries are always allowed.
- Closed Fiscal Period – time entries are no longer allowed after the accounting period is closed.
- Weekly – time entries are no longer allowed after the current week has past.
- Monthly – time entries are no longer allowed after the current month has past.
- If you select Weekly or Monthly, in the Grace Period field, enter the number of days time entries will remain open after the selected period. The grace period is dependent on which day your timesheets begin. For example, if you choose to close timesheets every week and you enter two in the Grace Period field, if your timesheets begin on Monday, they are locked on Wednesday each week.
- When you have finished, click Save.
A single timesheet can contain both locked and unlocked time entries if the timesheet spans a locked and unlocked period. Administrators can unlock previously locked timesheets for a specific employee. Administrators can also edit or create time entries for a locked timesheet.
Unlocking Timesheet Periods
You may find it necessary to unlock a time period after it has been locked for employees to update or enter time that may have been forgotten. Administrators can unlock previously locked time periods for individual employees.
To unlock a time period:
- Go to Transactions > Employees > Unlock Time Period. You can also click Unlock on the specific timesheet you want to unlock. To view a specific timesheet, go to Transactions > Employees > Weekly Timesheets.> List. Click View next to the timesheet you want to unlock.
- On the Unlock Time Period page, in the Employee field, select the employee you want to unlock the time period for. If you have clicked Unlock directly from the timesheet, the employee field is populated with the employee’s name.
- In the Valid Until field, select the date you want the lock to be reinstated.
- In the Start Date field, select the start date for the period you want unlocked. If you clicked Unlock on a timesheet, the start date for that timesheet is automatically populated in this field.
- In the End Date field, select the end date for the time period you are unlocking. For example, if you want to unlock a two week period of timesheets, select a date that is two weeks after the selected start date.
- When you have finished, click Save.
Unlocking timesheet periods is only available for administrators and permission for unlocking timesheet periods is not available for custom roles.