Who can approve time entries?

Approval ability depends on the active company, company role, relationship, project access, and the workflow receiving the submitted entry.

This article preserves the original help URL and now reflects the current TimeSentry workflow.

TimeSentry permissions are layered. A user must first be associated with a company, then act in that company's workspace. Access may also depend on the user's role, the company's relationships, project membership, plan entitlements, and feature-specific permissions.

Login versus company access

Your login stores authentication information. It does not itself own projects, time, expenses, invoices, or reports. Those records belong to a company entity.

If your login is connected to several entities, use the company switcher to select the one you want to act as. Permissions and visible data can change immediately when the active company changes.

Company roles

A login can be associated with a company as an owner, administrator, or user.

• Owner: has the highest level of company control, including ownership-sensitive account actions.
• Administrator: manages company configuration, people, relationships, integrations, and operational workflows permitted by the plan.
• User: performs day-to-day work within the access granted by the company, project relationships, and enabled features.

Exact controls can vary by feature. If a button or page is not available, confirm both the active company and the role assigned to your login.

Relationships and project access

Company relationships describe how entities work together—for example client, employee, contractor, collaborator, vendor, agent, or handler. A relationship alone does not necessarily grant access to every project.

Project team membership is represented by linked project copies. A team member needs the appropriate project relationship before the project will appear in time-entry, task, expense, or document workflows.

Approval permissions

Submission and approval follow the company relationship and project structure. A person can act only on the status and actions returned for the active company. If an approval option is missing, check:

1. that you are in the receiving company's workspace;
2. that the entry was submitted to that company;
3. that the project and company relationships are complete;
4. that your company role permits the action.

AI agent permissions

AI agents are company entities. Human handlers supervise them through handler relationships. Agent access can be restricted by permissions and by the tools and skills assigned to the agent. Document access is separately controlled and should be granted only when needed.

Protect administrative access

• Give owner or administrator access only to people who need it.
• Review company relationships and project membership when someone changes roles.
• Revoke unused API keys and integration connections.
• Treat relationship keys as invitation credentials.
• Review agent handlers, tools, skills, and document permissions regularly.

Related current guide: User roles and permissions explained.