The Timesheets section is where you record your hours every day. This is how your employer tracks what you have worked, which projects your time went to, and how your pay is calculated.
This section is for: All staff — Employees, Managers, and Admins
How Timesheets Work — The Big Picture
End of your Fill in the Your manager Hours counted
work day → timesheet → reviews it → toward payroll
(takes 2 mins) (approves or
rejects it)
It is that simple. You fill in your hours, your manager checks them, and the system keeps a permanent record.
Part 1 — Logging Today's Hours
How to Get There
- Sign in to WorkRoster
- Click Timesheets in the left-hand sidebar
- Click the green + Log Hours button (or + New Timesheet)
The Timesheet Form — What Each Field Means
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Log Your Hours │
│─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ │
│ Date │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 19 June 2026 ▼ │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ (Today's date is filled in automatically) │
│ │
│ Time Started (Time On) Time Finished (Time Off) │
│ ┌─────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 07:30 │ │ 16:00 │ │
│ └─────────────────────┘ └─────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ Break Duration (in minutes) │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 30 │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ (How long was your lunch/break? e.g. 30 or 60) │
│ │
│ Project / Client │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Acme Office Fit-Out ▼ │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ What did you work on today? (Notes) │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Installed conduit in Section B, tested │ │
│ │ emergency lighting panel │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ WorkRoster calculates your hours automatically: │
│ 16:00 − 07:30 − 30 min break = 8.0 hours │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Submit Timesheet │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step-by-Step Instructions
Date — This is set to today automatically. If you are entering yesterday's hours, click the date and choose the correct day.
Time Started (Time On) — What time did you arrive and begin work? Use 24-hour format:
- 7:30 AM =
07:30 - 1:00 PM =
13:00 - 3:30 PM =
15:30
- 7:30 AM =
Time Finished (Time Off) — What time did you finish work for the day?
Break Duration — How many minutes did you take for lunch or breaks that were NOT paid?
- Half-hour lunch =
30 - One-hour lunch =
60 - No break taken =
0
- Half-hour lunch =
Project / Client — Click the dropdown and select the project you worked on. If your project is not listed, ask your Administrator to add it.
Notes (What did you work on?) — Write a brief description of what you did. Be specific — this helps your manager approve quickly and keeps a clear record.
Click Submit Timesheet
✅ Done! Your timesheet is now submitted and waiting for your manager to review.
How Your Hours Are Calculated
WorkRoster works it out for you automatically:
Total Hours = Time Finished − Time Started − Break
Example:
Start: 07:30
Finish: 16:00
Break: 30 minutes
Time Finished − Time Started = 8.5 hours
Minus break (0.5 hours) = 8.0 hours worked
What about overtime?
If you work more than the standard 8.0 hours in a day, the extra time is recorded as overtime:
You work: 9.5 hours
Standard day: − 8.0 hours
Overtime: = 1.5 hours overtime
Overtime is shown separately on your timesheet and in payroll reports.
Part 2 — The One-Per-Day Rule
⚠️ You can only submit ONE timesheet per day. If you accidentally submitted the wrong information, do not try to submit again — edit the existing entry instead (see below).
If you try to submit a second entry for the same date, you will see an error message. This is normal and protects the accuracy of your records.
Part 3 — Viewing Your Timesheet History
After you submit, your timesheet appears in the history table on the Timesheets page:
┌──────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────┬──────────┬────────────┐
│ Date │ Project │ Hours │ Overtime │ Status │
├──────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────┼──────────┼────────────┤
│ 19 Jun 2026 │ Acme Office │ 8.0h │ — │ Pending │
│ 18 Jun 2026 │ City Council Jobs │ 9.5h │ 1.5h │ Approved │
│ 17 Jun 2026 │ Acme Office │ 7.5h │ — │ Approved │
│ 16 Jun 2026 │ City Council Jobs │ 8.0h │ — │ Rejected │
└──────────────┴───────────────────┴─────────┴──────────┴────────────┘
You can see all your past entries here, filtered by month or date range using the controls at the top.
Part 4 — Editing an Entry
Made a mistake? You can correct it as long as the entry is still Pending.
- Find the entry in your history table
- Look for the pencil icon (✏️) on the right-hand side and click it
- Update the field(s) that need correcting
- Click Update Timesheet
⚠️ Once approved or rejected, you cannot edit an entry. If you need a correction made to an approved entry, contact your manager and ask them to help.
Part 5 — Deleting an Entry
If you submitted an entry by mistake and it is still Pending:
- Find the entry in your history table
- Click the bin icon (🗑) on the right-hand side
- A box will appear asking you to confirm — click Yes, Delete
⚠️ Deletion is permanent. Once deleted, the entry cannot be recovered. You will need to re-enter the hours if you deleted by accident.
Part 6 — Understanding Status Labels
Every timesheet entry has a status label that tells you where it is in the process:
| Status | What It Means | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| 🟡 Pending | Submitted — your manager hasn't reviewed it yet | Nothing — just wait |
| 🟢 Approved | Your manager confirmed it — all good | Nothing to do |
| 🔴 Rejected | Your manager returned it with a comment | Read the comment and correct it |
When a timesheet is rejected:
- Click on the rejected entry to open it
- Read your manager's comment — it explains what needs fixing
- The entry will be unlocked so you can edit and resubmit
Part 7 — What Makes Good Notes?
Your manager uses your notes to verify that hours were correctly spent. Good notes make approvals faster.
| Too vague — slow to approve | Specific — approves quickly |
|---|---|
| "Worked on site" | "Installed 3-phase wiring in Server Room B" |
| "Meeting" | "Project kickoff meeting with Acme client — 9am–11am" |
| "Office work" | "Completed material order for City Council contract" |
💡 Tip: Write your notes as if explaining to someone who wasn't there. What did you do? Where? Any key results?
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I forgot to log yesterday's hours. Can I still do it? Yes! Click the date field and choose yesterday's date (or any past date). WorkRoster lets you log hours for any day.
Q: I worked at two different sites today. Can I split the hours? No — WorkRoster allows only one entry per day. In your notes, describe both sites: "Morning: Site A conduit installation. Afternoon: Site B meter testing."
Q: My project is not in the dropdown list. Ask your Admin or Manager to add the project in the Projects section. Once added, it will appear in your dropdown.
Q: I submitted with the wrong time. Can I fix it? Yes, if the status is still Pending — click the pencil icon and correct it. If it has already been approved, contact your manager.
Q: Can I see timesheets on the calendar? Yes! Go to Calendar in the sidebar to see your submitted hours on a visual monthly calendar. See the Calendar guide for more.
Next: Leave & Balances →