Let the client approve project timesheets

When working on projects that include time and materials deliverables, the client might want to see and approve the associated time entries before being invoiced for them. With a little set up in the back office you can offer your clients this option.

After it has been set up in the back office, you can configure a project to require client approval when the project is created, or the project can be edited later to required the approval; for instance, after a time and materials deliverable is added to the project.

Even if you set up a project to require client approval, note that this requirement only applies to time and materials deliverables. Time entries associated with fixed rate deliverables must be approved by the project manager.

Set up client approval

Before a client can start approving timesheets, the feature has to be turned on in the back office.

  1. Go to the Project settings page.

  2. Locate the Enable time entry approval by client checkbox and select it.

  3. Click Save.

After the feature has been turned on in the back office, the client must be made the approver of timesheets.

  1. Go to the project and click pencil circle to open the edit page.

  2. Locate the Time entries must be approved by the client checkbox and select it. The Client approvers dropdown list will appear.

  3. Select the client from the dropdown list or add the client as a new contact.

  4. Click Save.

Send the client an approval request

  1. Go to the Timesheet approval requests page.

  2. Select the project from the left side panel and the project’s current timesheets wil display on the right side panel.

  3. If you want to change the search dates, use the From and To date selectors to do so.

  4. Once you have theappropriate timesheets, click Send Request. The Send approval request dialog will display.

  5. If you want to leave a message, type it into the Message field.

  6. Click Send to email the client the request.

The client’s options

Once receiving the email, the client has several options:

  • She can click Approve All.

  • She can click Review and Approve.

If the client clicks Review and Approve a detailed timesheet approval page will open. Here the client can review the list of time entries and then click Approve All, or she can click Approve or Reject for each time entry. If she clicks Reject she will be given the option to enter a reason for the rejection that will be relayed back to the employee who submitted the time entry.