Timesheet: definition, uses and best practices

Definition

A timesheet is a structured record of working time. Each entry usually has a date, a number of hours, what the time was spent on and sometimes whether it can be billed to a client. Timesheets are typically completed daily or weekly and submitted to a manager for approval.

Timesheets can be paper forms, spreadsheets or part of a software tool. Some tools use a running timer; others record time after the fact in fixed steps, such as quarter hours.

Why it matters

Time is the main cost in service businesses. Without records, a company cannot say which clients are profitable, whether estimates were realistic or where the week actually went.

Timesheets matter for several reasons:

• Client billing. Agencies, consultancies and accounting firms need accurate billable hours.
• Payroll. Hourly and part-time staff are paid from recorded time.
• Planning. Past time records improve future estimates.
• Workload. Managers can see who is overloaded and where non-billable work piles up.

How it works

A typical timesheet process looks like this:

1. Log. Each person records time against a project or task, with a short description.
2. Classify. Entries are marked billable or non-billable, or given a category.
3. Submit. At the end of the period, usually weekly, the person submits the timesheet.
4. Approve. A manager reviews and approves it, or rejects it with a request for changes.
5. Report or export. Approved time goes into billing, payroll or reports.

Examples

• A consultant logs 1.5 billable hours to a client workshop and 0.5 non-billable hours to internal admin.
• An agency reviews hours per client each month to see which retainers are running over.
• An internal IT team logs time to understand how much of its week goes to support versus projects.

Common problems

• Logging from memory. Filling in a whole week on Friday afternoon produces guesses, not records.
• Time far from the work. When time is kept in a separate tool, entries are hard to link to the tasks they belong to.
• Timers left running. Stopwatch-style tracking can overcount when people forget to stop it.
• Vague descriptions. "Project work" says little when reviewing or billing.
• Slow approvals. Weeks pile up unapproved, delaying billing.

Best practices

• Log time daily, or at least before memory fades.
• Record time against the specific task or project it belongs to.
• Use short, specific descriptions.
• Mark billable status at the time of logging.
• Approve weekly so problems are caught quickly.
• Export or report regularly rather than at the last minute.

The guide on how to run effective projects explains where time records fit in a project routine. Timesheets also feed into team productivity reviews.

How Emitii approaches it

In Emitii, the Timesheet is a tab inside each space. You log time in quarter hours by date, hours and description, mark each entry billable or non-billable and optionally link it to a card or to-do. Views show time by day, by work item or for the whole team. Each week is submitted, then approved or rejected, and can be reopened. Timesheets export to CSV.

Timesheet entries export to CSV for billing. Read more on the timesheets feature page.