Timesheets and Time Tracking Workflow

Overview

This workflow covers how a team business records, reviews, and approves worked time in MyApprentice, a web-based job-management platform. Timesheets record the hours worked each week and can be populated automatically from shift clock in/out data, entered manually, or recorded as a sum of hours. The Tradie or Apprentice records and submits their own time; a Business Owner, Supervisor, or Admin reviews and approves it; and the Business Owner, Supervisor, or Finance exports the approved data for payroll. This guide walks through clocking in and out, automatic and manual entries, work and travel time, allocating time to jobs, submitting a week, and approving or correcting timesheets.

Who This Workflow Is For

Tradies and Apprentices record and submit their own time.
Business Owners, Supervisors, and Admins review and approve team timesheets.
Finance users can view all timesheets and export payroll.

Note on roles: clock in/out is available to Business Owners, Supervisors, Tradies, and Apprentices. Admin and Finance cannot clock in/out. Timesheets can be approved or unapproved by the Business Owner, Supervisor, or Admin. Payroll export is available to the Business Owner, Supervisor, and Finance — not Admin. Tradies and Apprentices can view and edit their own timesheets only and cannot approve others’ time.

Before You Start

Shifts must be scheduled and assigned before rostered hours appear on a timesheet. The timesheet entry method (start and end times, or a sum of hours) is configured by the business in Business Settings under the Site tab. If your business uses the shift-based entry mode, clock in and clock out times are converted into timesheet entries automatically.

End-to-End Workflow

Step 1: Clock In at the Start of the Day

The Tradie or Apprentice records the start of the day.

Open MyApprentice and find your assigned shift on the dashboard or schedule.
Open the shift to view its detail dialogue and select Clock In at the start of the day.
The shift turns light green to show the active clocked-in state, and the clock-in time is recorded — this creates or updates the timesheet row automatically.

Step 2: Clock Out at the End of the Day

When the day’s work ends, open the shift detail dialogue again and select Clock Out.
The clock-out time is added to the timesheet and the shift no longer shows as actively clocked in.

Step 3: Review Automatic Entries

If the business uses the shift-based entry mode, clock in/out times appear as timesheet entries automatically.
When clock in/out has been used against assigned time, the entry is linked to the relevant job automatically.
The worker reviews these entries for accuracy before submitting.

Step 4: Add or Correct Manual Entries

Use this when the worker forgot to clock in or out, worked additional time, or needs to record time outside direct clocking.

Open Timesheets from the application menu and use the calendar toggle to select the correct day.
Select Add Entry, then:
- Choose Work or Travel as the entry type.
- For work entries, enter the start and end time.
- Allocate the time to a relevant job where applicable. Job allocation is not required for work-type entries.
- Select Save Changes.

Step 5: Review the Week

The worker reviews each day for the week using the calendar toggle — checking rostered hours (pulled from assigned shifts), work and travel entries, manual adjustments, and any job allocations.
Save any outstanding changes before submitting.

Step 6: Submit the Week for Approval

When all entries are complete and saved, the Tradie or Apprentice selects Submit Week.
The week moves to a submitted state and becomes available for review.

Step 7: Review and Approve

A Business Owner, Supervisor, or Admin reviews the submitted week.

Open Timesheets, use the VIEWING dropdown to select the team member.
Review the submitted week — checking daily entries, rostered hours, work and travel entries, and job allocations.
If correct, select Approve. The button then changes to Unapprove.

Step 8: Request a Correction if Needed

Use this when a submitted or approved timesheet has an issue.

The approver selects Unapprove (for an already-approved timesheet) and asks the worker to correct the entries using the agreed communication method. There is no dedicated Reject or Request Changes button.
The worker updates the entries, saves, and resubmits.
The approver reviews the corrected week and approves it.

Step 9: Export for Payroll

Approved timesheet data can be downloaded as a CSV file using Export, for use in payroll or external reporting.
Payroll export is available to the Business Owner, Supervisor, and Finance.

Common Issues & Limitations

Rostered hours not showing: Rostered hours are pulled from scheduled shifts. If they are missing, confirm the shifts are correctly assigned in the schedule.
Submit Week button not available: Ensure all entries for the week have been saved before submitting — saving an entry and submitting the week are separate actions.
Timesheet approved but needs correction: Select Unapprove to reverse the approval, ask the worker to correct the entries, then re-approve once corrected.
No dedicated Reject button: MyApprentice does not have a Reject or Request Changes button. Use Unapprove plus direct communication.
Shift deleted after a timesheet is completed: Deleting a shift does not remove time already recorded on a completed timesheet — the recorded entries remain in place. The deleted shift record itself is kept and can be restored from Document History.
Job allocation is not required for work-type entries but is applied automatically when clock in/out has been used against assigned time.

What Happens Next

Approved timesheets are ready for payroll or export. Export the data as a CSV and consult your payroll process for the next steps.

Scheduling and Dispatch Workflow
Field Execution: From Shift Start to Completion
Shift Execution for Tradies and Apprentices
Getting Started as a Tradie or Apprentice