This article is written primarily for managers but other team members may find it useful as we cover:
What is a timesheet
Timesheets:
- are the records of a shift that has been worked.
- need to be approved either automatically or by a manager
- can be exported to your payroll system to pay your team members
Ways a timesheet can be created in Deputy
There are four ways to create a Timesheet in Deputy:
1. A Team member clocking on and off
When a team member uses the Deputy mobile, web, Timeclock or Kiosk app to clock on, Deputy will capture the exact time they do so to start a timesheet. For the timesheet to be successfully created via clocking on, the system will need at least a start time.
If using web or mobile apps to clock on, the system will register the start time as soon as the team member clocks on. The Kiosk and Timeclock app will do the same unless the iPad or tablet is offline, in which case the timesheet will be created when it connects to the internet.
Please note, that if the system does not receive an end time within 23 hours (eg. the team member forgets to clock off or Kiosk/Timeclock is still offline), the shift will be rounded to the same as the rostered shift duration from the start time.
eg. If you have an 8 hour shift scheduled from 9am-5pm, and a team member clocks on at 8:50am but doesn't clock off, the timesheet will show an end time of 4:50pm.
2. From a shift on the schedule
If you have scheduled shifts in Deputy, the system will automatically generate timesheets, even if the team member does not clock on.
Timesheets will be generated in this manner as long as the shifts:
- have a team member assigned to them (ie. are not an open or empty shift)
- are published or unpublished
Note: if the shift was not published then the team member will not be aware of the shift.
If the team member fails to clock in for a scheduled shift then the timesheet will display the timesheet progress of Possible Absentee until 15 minutes before the end of the shift, at which time the timesheet progress will instead display Unsubmitted.
The timesheets will remain as Unsubmitted timesheets unless:
- the system matches the timesheet with a timesheet manually created by the team member
- the manager imports the schedule shift details and approves the shift
- the Deputy Extension Schedule Shift > Auto Start and Finish was previously activated and submits unsubmitted timesheets automatically
3. Manager manually creates a timesheet for another Team member
There are two broad reasons a manager may need to manually create a timesheet for another team member.
Firstly, if the team member was scheduled to work but did not clock in then their timesheet will remain unsubmitted as explained above. If the team member did actually work the shift as scheduled but just forgot to clock in, then the manager can review the unsubmitted timesheet in Approve Timesheets then click on Import scheduled details and approve the shift as usual.
Secondly, if a team member was not scheduled to work on a particular day but did complete a shift, then a manager who has Supervisor access or higher is able to manually create ad-hoc timesheets for other users with lower access than themselves.
On the Approve Timesheets page, click Add Timesheet.
After doing so you will be asked to select a team member and date for the timesheet. Complete the shift details and approve as normal.
Note: By manually adding a timesheet, you will see an icon appear on the timesheet as shown below and if you hover your mouse over, it will say Non Scheduled. In terms of area of work, if you assign this timesheet to a location that is not assigned to your team member in their profile, the hours and cost will not appear in the Schedule vs Timesheet vs Sales report
Alternatively, you may also manually create timesheets for team members from the mobile app.
1. Tap on the Timesheets screen and select the location you wish to create the timesheet for.
2. Click the + icon (in the top right-hand corner on the iOS app or lower right-hand side corner for the Android app).
3. You will need to add the details of the timesheet. This includes:
- the area the team member worked the shift in
- the team member(s) you are creating a timesheet for,
- the date, start and end shift times, break details.
Note that the time period you select to create a timesheet must be a date or time in the past. You can not create timesheets for the future.
4. Tap Add to create the timesheet(s).
Note: If you are a Location Manager or System Administrator then when you tap Add the timesheet will be approved in one step. Supervisors who create shifts in this way may still need a manager to approve them.
4. Team member manually creating a timesheet for themselves
A team member may manually submit a timesheet from the Deputy web or mobile assuming that they have been allowed to. Team members can also edit existing timesheets if permission has been enabled.
To submit a timesheet from the website, the team member must first login, and click on Profile from the drop-down menu under their name.
From there, scroll down to Recent Timesheets and click Add New.
From here, eligible team members can enter the timesheet details they need to submit the shift. Don't forget to include any breaks as well as a comment and click Add when you are done.
Using the Deputy app, you can add a new timesheet for a past shift:
-
Tap on the Timesheets screen and then tap on the + icon as shown in the iOS (left) and Android (right) example below:
2. Enter the details of the shift including where you worked, start and end times as well as any breaks taken. Add a comment if you need to let your manager know why you are creating this timesheet.
3. When you are done tap on Add (iOS) or Tick icon (Android) to create the timesheet.
Where can I view my team's timesheets as a manager?
On the Deputy web application, you can view your team's Timesheets by clicking the Timesheets tab. You will see two options, "Approve Timesheets" and "Export Timesheets".
To view, edit or approve your team's timesheets, please select Approve Timesheets.
Once you're on the timesheets page, you'll need to use the location and date selectors found in the top left corner to display the timesheets you need to review.
Timesheets will only appear for the selected date range and location, meaning that most of the time if you can't find a timesheet one of these two selectors may be incorrectly set. If you are looking for a specific team member you may also use the search function to enter their name.
Selecting a team member's name from the list on the left will display all of their timesheets for the chosen date range and location.
Timesheets status
N/A | Timesheet is still in progress |
Pending |
Timesheet not approved Note: While some timesheets with a "Pending" status will be for shifts that have ended and are ready for manager approval, it is also possible to see the "Pending" status for shifts that are still in progress. Usually, this means the shift in progress has passed its predicted end time because the team member worked over the scheduled shift time, forgot to clock off or is one hour into an unscheduled shift. |
Approved | Timesheet approved |
Timesheet progress
Future |
The team member's shift is scheduled but not started yet. Note: This timesheet progress will appear in Approve timesheets as soon as the shift is created in the Schedule even if it is not published. |
Possible Absentee |
The team member's scheduled shift time has passed but they have not clocked in yet. If the team member fails to clock in then the timesheet will display this progress until 15 mins before the end of the shift, at which time the timesheet progress will instead display Unsubmitted. Note: This timesheet progress will appear in Approve timesheets even if the shift is not published (and the shift is not visible to the team member) |
Started |
The team member has clocked in to start a shift. The team member's shift is in progress (you can approve this shift but not with an end shift time in the future). |
Unsubmitted |
A shift was scheduled, but no team member clocked on or off. This timesheet progress will display if the team member has not clocked into the scheduled shift and either:
You will either need to enter the shift details and approve, or discard the shift if it was not worked. Note: This timesheet progress will appear in Approve timesheets even if the shift was not published (and the shift was not visible to the team member) |
Submitted |
A timesheet was created. To review what actions will trigger the creation of a timesheet review Ways a timesheet can be created in Deputy. |
Time Approved | The start, end and break time details of the timesheet have been approved. |
Pay Approved | The time and pay details of the timesheet have been approved. |
Paid | A manager with permission to export timesheets has marked the timesheet as Paid. The timesheet can no longer be edited without marking the timesheet as unpaid. |
Team member colour in timesheet list
Yellow | The team member has timesheets that require action such as approval |
Green | The team member has timesheets that do not require action at this time, either because they are already approved or not ready to be approved yet (ie. future timesheets) |
Purple |
Team members' timesheets are currently selected and have their shift details displayed on the screen. |
You can also view, amend and approve team member timesheets on your Deputy mobile apps by tapping on Timesheets.
Read more about how to Review, Amend and Approve timesheets on mobile apps.
Editing timesheets
Managers may need to edit the details on a timesheet before approving it, due to some misadventure such as the team member forgetting to clock off, going home unwell or you know the details are incorrect for the shift worked.
To edit the timesheet display the team member's timesheets as described above and click on the timesheet from the list that you wish to edit.
What details in a timesheet can you edit?
- Date
- Areas of Work (use this field to change the timesheet to a leave timesheet if required by scrolling to end of the list of areas to see leave types)
- Start / End Shift Times
- Break Type and Duration
- Break Start and End Times
- Answers to optional shift questions
In the example below, you can see that Abby has a list of timesheets from this week with status Pending which means they have not been approved. There is also a timesheet with progress listed as Unsubmitted and no details in the timesheet.
Abby did not clock in or out for this shift but if you know that she worked the shift as scheduled you can click the Import scheduled details button and transfer the shift details to the timesheet. If you know that Abby did not work the shift then you can also Discard the timesheet.
You can also click on any Submitted timesheet and click on the relevant fields to amend any start, stop or break times as required.
Note: Only users with Deputy access of Supervisor and above are able to edit the timesheets of the team members they manage.
It's also possible for managers to edit the details of their team members' timesheets from their Deputy mobile Android and iOS apps by tapping the Timesheets screen and selecting the timesheets to amend the details such as area of work, shift start and end time or break details.
Approving timesheets
Users with Deputy access level of Location Manager and System Administrator are able to amend and approve the time and pay component of the timesheets for team member's they manage.
Users with Deputy access level of Supervisor are only able to amend and approve the time component of the timesheets for team member's they manage but they are unable to view or amend the pay component of any timesheets.
To approve a timesheet for an employee, you'll first need to click it on the list of their timesheets. Doing so will display the details of that shift; this includes the start time, end time, break and the area of work.
You can review the timesheet details and select:
- Approve All - approves all submitted timesheets at once for the team member(s) you have selected
- Approve & Next - to approve and view the next timesheet for approval
- Approve - this allows you to approve the timesheet but stay on that timesheet
Note that when approving timesheets, you should always do so in chronological order, approving timesheets starting with the oldest date to the most recent date. This will ensure that all overtime and shift loading calculations are accurate. Anytime you edit a timesheet and there are previously approved timesheets for the same employee on a more recent date, you should unapprove and re-approve all timesheets after the date on which you made the edits.
For a more in-depth look at approving timesheets, including how to approve timesheets on our mobile apps, please read Approving Timesheets
Unapproving and amending timesheets
There may be a time where an Approved timesheet needs to be amended. To amend an approved timesheet you first have to unapprove it to be able to amend the details.
Select the timesheet you wish to amend then click on Unapprove Time or Unapprove Pay (Location Manager and System Administrators only) as highlighted below.
The details in the timesheet will now be able to be edited. Amend any details, then click Approve & Next when you are done.
For a more in-depth look at unapproving and amending timesheets please read Approving Timesheets.
Exporting timesheets
Once you have approved your team's timesheets they are ready to be exported to your payroll system.
-
Click on Timesheets and select Export Timesheets.
-
Select the Location and Date range of the timesheets you wish to export.
-
Click on the team member's timesheets you wish to export. Use the Select All button to select every team member if desired.
-
Click Export Selected Items.
You can export timesheets from Deputy:
- in file formats configured for popular payroll systems
- by connecting your payroll system directly to Deputy via an integration
- by creating a custom payroll export file if your payroll system isn't supported
Note: only Location Managers and System Administrators can export timesheets.
Mark timesheets as paid
Managers that have permission to approve and export timesheets are also able to mark timesheets as Paid. Once a timesheet is marked as Paid, it is unable to be edited.
Read more at Mark a timesheet as paid.
Custom timesheet fields
Custom Timesheet Fields allows you to create and customise fields within your team's timesheets.
How to create a custom timesheet field
System Administrators can select Business Settings from the drop-down menu under their name.
Click the Timesheets tab then Shift Questions.
A new popup window will appear and you can click New Custom Field.
Here you can configure the setting you need to set up a custom timesheet field including:
The field name
- A tooltip to help team members know what to enter in the field
- What type of characters you are expecting in the field
- Whether data in the field is required to complete the timesheet
- When you want team members to complete the field (clock in and/or out)
- Which locations and areas of your organisation you want the custom timesheet field to apply to.
When you are done, don't forget to click Save This Custom Field at the top of the page to confirm your changes.
Entering data in custom timesheet fields
Team members can answer customer fields in their timesheet at the time you have configured (ie. clock in / clock out) or they can also update previous timesheets that are still pending approval.
Managers can review and edit team members' entries into the custom field in their timesheets on the Approve Timesheet page.
Timesheet comments and history
On the timesheet tab, you may click on the Comments tab to view any timesheet comments left by the team member or other managers. This timesheet comment field has a limit of 300 characters.
You may also view a full history of any changes made to the selected timesheet by clicking the History tab.
For more information on the Timesheet History, please read Timesheet History.