How approvals work in TimeSentry
Summary: Follow a time entry from creation through submission, review, approval, rejection, recall, and the receiving company's editable copy.
TimeSentry approvals are designed for work that may pass from an individual to a firm and then from the firm to a client. Each company keeps its own books, so approval does not make one shared record editable by every participant.
Before submitting
Review the entry in Time > My Time and confirm:
- date and duration;
- timekeeper;
- client and project;
- description and source details;
- billable status;
- activity category or UTBMS codes when required.
An entry must be connected to the correct client project before it can move through an upstream approval path.
Submit an entry
Use the available Submit or Save & Submit action. The entry moves to the receiving company's review queue and displays a submitted status in the submitter's workspace.
The exact action buttons shown depend on the entry's current status, the active company, and company settings. A company can also configure a quick action or nightly automatic action for high-confidence AI-suggested entries.
Approve or reject received time
Switch to the receiving company and open the relevant time view. Review the entry, then choose an available action:
- Approve: accept the work into the receiving company's books.
- Reject: return the entry for correction or further review.
When the receiving company approves the entry, TimeSentry creates a new editable copy for that company. The submitted record remains linked to the copy so the full chain can be traced without giving one company control over another company's books.
Recall a submitted entry
If the submitter needs to correct an entry before approval, use Recall when that action is available. Make the necessary changes and submit again.
If Recall is not available, the receiving company may already have acted on the entry or the current workspace may not own the action.
Understand status differences
The same logical work can show different statuses in different workspaces. For example, the submitter may see Approved while the receiving company works with its own ready-to-bill copy. TimeSentry calculates the displayed status and available actions for the active company.
Common approval problems
- No Submit action: confirm the entry has a client project and that the project links to an upstream company.
- No Approve action: switch to the receiving company's workspace and verify your role.
- Duplicate-looking entries: do not delete records until you confirm whether they are linked copies in different company views.
- Incorrect totals: run reports from the intended active company and use TimeSentry's consolidated views, which account for linked entry chains.
Related articles: Key concepts: projects, teams, contracts, and time entries and A project or client isn't appearing in my time entries.