Timesheets: what they should include, how to keep them and how to get client approval
A timesheet is the basis for payroll, for the invoice and for any dispute. Yet many companies keep them in a way that serves none of these purposes well. Here is what belongs on a timesheet and how to make it work.
A timesheet records who worked when, where and on what. For a company that bills by the hour, it's the single most important document: it determines what you pay your workers and what you invoice your client.
This guide is for construction and assembly firms, staffing agencies and field service companies.
What a timesheet is for
- Payroll. Hours worked, overtime and any premiums.
- Invoicing. The client pays for hours on the timesheet that they have approved.
- Evidence in a dispute. When a client disputes hours, the detail and credibility of the timesheet decide the outcome.
A timesheet you bill to a client is not the same as the statutory working-time records an employer keeps for employees, but the two overlap heavily, so keeping them from one source makes sense. More in Time tracking for field workers.
What a timesheet should include
Core fields
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Worker name | Clearly identifies who did the work |
| Date | Without it, hours can't be matched to a job or to payroll |
| Start and end time | Basis for hours worked and overtime |
| Breaks | Affect the hours worked |
| Job or location | Which client and job the hours are billed to |
| Total hours | Control total for payroll and invoice |
Recommended fields
- Activity description. One sentence on what was done. Invaluable in a dispute.
- Location at clock-in and clock-out. Confirms the worker was on site.
- Crew or team. Makes checking easier for supervisor and client.
- Extra work or materials outside the job scope.
- Approval status and the client's comment.
- Change history: who changed what and when.
The most common mistakes
Filling it in after the fact. Nobody remembers exactly after ten days. The result is rounded numbers and a "typical day".
Totals instead of individual days. "160 hours this month" can't be checked. A client who doubts one day will question the whole month.
No link to a job. If a worker switches between two sites, it must be clear which hours belong where.
Corrections without a trace. Overwritten numbers on paper or edited spreadsheet cells create distrust.
Approval a month later. The later the client sees the hours, the more questions they have.
Getting client approval
- The client sees hours continuously, not after month end.
- They approve individual entries, not the whole month.
- Disputes come with a comment, so you can respond precisely.
- After approval the period is locked, so invoice and payroll use the same numbers.
A timesheet the client approved on the day of work is the best way to prevent a dispute. The second best is one with time, location and change history on every entry.
Paper, spreadsheet or digital?
Paper is cheap and familiar, but the office retypes everything, sheets get lost and credibility is low.
Spreadsheets save retyping only if workers fill them in. Approval and change history are missing.
A digital timesheet connects recording, checking, approval and invoicing in one flow.
Moving to digital in five steps
- One crew and one job as a pilot.
- Define the fields from the table above.
- Train the crew lead first.
- Invite the client to the portal.
- Compare after a month: days to invoice and disputed hours.
Timesheets in MyAgent
In MyAgent workers log hours manually or by clocking in and out with one tap, including location. Supervisors see their crew's hours continuously. Clients approve each entry or dispute it with a comment in their own portal. The administrator locks the period and the invoice is created from approved hours. Every change is in the audit trail.
Summary
- A timesheet must work for payroll, invoicing and disputes.
- Core: name, date, start and end, breaks, job, total.
- Credibility comes from activity description, location, approval status and change history.
- Clients should approve continuously and per entry.
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