Timesheet approval software with locked weeks and deadlines
Sumhour has each person submit their week, lets a manager approve it or send it back with a comment, and locks approved weeks so the hours cannot change under an invoice. A weekly deadline reminds anyone who has not submitted, and can submit open weeks for them.
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Waiting for approval
Last week, not submitted
Sam’s week of 2 November, approved in one click
Sam submitted the week on Friday 6 November at 16:40. Maya, who manages approvals, sees it waiting, checks the hours per project and approves it. The week then locks.
Undo stays open for ten seconds. Sending the week back with a comment instead reopens it for Sam.
| Harbor Healthretainer | 16:00 |
|---|---|
| Fieldworkdesign | 6:00 |
| Cedar Worksfixed fee | 13:15 |
| Internalnot billable | 1:30 |
| Approved and locked | 36:45 |
Demo workspace: Birch & Row Studio, USD
Timesheet approvals in Sumhour, step by step
- 01
Submit the week
Press “Submit week” on the Week view, or ⌘ Enter. The entries turn read-only while the week waits; “Withdraw submission” takes it back.
- 02
Review it
The Approvals page lists every week waiting. “Review” opens the person’s grid with each entry and its notes, and warns about running timers and missing notes.
- 03
Approve or send back
“Approve and lock” locks every entry in the week. “Send back” needs a comment, and the person sees it on their week.
- 04
Set a deadline
Pick a day and an hour. Sumhour reminds everyone who has not submitted, and can submit open weeks for them if you turn that on.
Review each timesheet with its notes before you approve it
Owners, admins and managers review weeks. Press "Review" on any row to open that person’s week. You see the grid, every entry by day with its notes, and a warning when a timer is still running or an entry misses a required note.
Under "Decision", add an optional comment and press "Approve and lock", or write what needs fixing and press "Send back". The person gets a notification either way.
- Approve a late week from "Last week, not submitted" without waiting
- "Approve all waiting" clears the queue in one go, after you confirm
| Project | Billable | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Harbor Healthretainer | 16:00 | 16:00 |
| Fieldworkhourly | 6:00 | 6:00 |
| Cedar Worksfixed fee | 13:15 | 13:15 |
| Internalnot billable | 0:00 | 1:30 |
| Week | 35:15 | 36:45 |
Decision
Comment (optional)Set a weekly timesheet deadline that reminds the team
Pick a day and an hour in the workspace timezone, for example Friday at 17:00. At that time Sumhour looks at everyone who tracked time in the week and has not submitted it.
By default each of them gets one reminder in the bell, and by email if they allow it. Tick the second box and Sumhour also submits their week as it stands, tells them, and puts it in the Approvals queue as usual. That box is off until you tick it.
Timesheet deadlines in the guideWorkspace settings · Timesheet deadline
Lock timesheets on a schedule, or everything up to a date
Approving is one way to lock a week. "Auto-lock last week" takes a day and an hour, and every week at that time the previous week locks for everyone who has time in it. For month end or after an import, "Lock time up to a date" locks every week through the date you pick.
Approved weeks stay approved and running timers are left alone. Managers, admins and owners can press "Reopen week" on any locked week; entries already on an invoice stay locked.
Turn approved hours into an invoiceRina Akter · recent weeks
| Week of | Hours | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Oct | 36:00 | Approved |
| 19 Oct | 34:30 | Approved |
| 26 Oct | 32:00 | Locked |
| 2 Nov | 31:15 | Open |
Timesheet approvals: limits to know about
- Approval covers one person’s whole week. You cannot approve a single entry, or one project’s hours, on their own.
- Approving skips a timer that is still running in that week, so that entry is not locked.
- Only owners, admins and managers review weeks. Accountants, members and contractors cannot approve.
- Reopening a week leaves entries that are already on an invoice locked.
Missing something you need? Write to [email protected]. The person who builds Sumhour reads every message.
Timesheet approvals: Sumhour and other tools
Checked against each tool’s own pricing and help pages on November 5, 2026; the sources are under the table. Plans change, so check before you rely on a line.
| Feature | Sumhour | Harvest | Toggl Track | Clockify | Productive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timesheet approvals with locked weeks | Every plan | Enterprise plan: $14 a seat billed yearly, $17.50 billed monthly | Premium plan: $16 a seat billed yearly, $24 billed monthly | Standard plan: $5.49 a seat, billed yearly | Approvals on Professional ($25 a user, billed yearly), locking on Ultimate (quote) |
Sources: Harvest pricing; Toggl Track pricing; Clockify pricing; Clockify plans; Productive pricing; Productive approving time; Productive timesheet locking.
Full comparison: Sumhour vs Harvest.
Timesheet approvals: common questions
How do I lock timesheets after approval?
Approving a week locks every entry in it, except a timer that is still running. You can also lock without approving: “Auto-lock last week” locks the previous week at a day and hour you pick, and “Lock time up to a date” on the Approvals page locks every week up to a date, for month end or after an import.
Locking weeks in the guideCan timesheets be submitted automatically at a deadline?
Yes. Under “Timesheet deadline” in workspace settings, pick a day and an hour and tick “Submit open weeks automatically at the deadline”. It is off by default. People are told their week went in, and managers see it in Approvals as usual. A reminder at the deadline is on by default.
How do I send a timesheet back for changes?
Open the week from the Approvals page with “Review”, write a comment under “Decision” and press “Send back”. The comment is required. The person sees “Sent back” with your comment on their Week view, fixes the entries and submits again.
Can a manager approve their own timesheet?
By default, yes. To require a second person, an owner or admin turns off “Managers can approve their own timesheets” under Approvals in workspace settings. After that, a different manager or an admin has to approve it.
Is timesheet approval included in every Sumhour plan?
Yes. Approvals, the weekly deadline with auto-submit, auto-lock and “Lock time up to a date” are part of Solo, the smallest plan, and of every plan above it.
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