Understand time-entry statuses and actions

Status belongs to the active company's view

TimeSentry computes a display status for the active company and returns the actions that are currently valid. The same logical work can have a different status in another company's workspace after submission or approval.

Use the status badge and available actions shown on the entry rather than assuming the underlying record is globally shared.

Status reference

AI Suggested: an AI-created draft. Review it and use Save, Save & Sync, or Save & Submit when available.
Ready to Bill: editable work owned by the active company. It can be billed, submitted, or synced according to configuration.
Submitted: sent to another company for review. The submitter may be able to recall it while it is pending.
Needs Review: received from a timekeeper or provider. Approve it to create the receiving company's editable copy, or reject it for revision.
Approved: accepted upstream and locked in the submitting company's view.
Rejected: returned to the submitter. Revise and resubmit, or delete when permitted.
Recalled: pulled back by the submitter before a decision. Edit and resubmit, or delete.
Synced: pushed to the configured external system of record.
Copied: an internal sentinel for work superseded by a linked editable copy. It is normally excluded from the consolidated list.

Available actions

Depending on the entry, TimeSentry can offer Approve, Reject, Submit, Recall, Retract, Save, Save & Sync, Save & Submit, Sync, Delete, Archive, or Unarchive.

Actions are restricted by ownership, status, project relationship, permissions, and integration setup. For example, Sync is hidden when no sync target is configured, and a received entry uses Approve or Reject instead of the owner's save actions.

Archive versus delete

Archive hides an owned entry from the normal active list while preserving it for restoration. Delete is destructive and may be unavailable after work is submitted, approved, copied, synced, or invoiced.

Submission and approval chains

Approving received work creates an editable record for the receiver and links it to the submitter's original. This is why the submitter can see Approved while the receiver sees its own Ready to Bill copy.