Overview
Approve timesheets is the manager hub for reviewing submitted time and exporting hours for payroll. Use the pay period navigator to choose the week or period you are closing out, then approve entries and download exports for that same range.
Warning: Dirt Face tracks time and estimated burdened labor cost for job costing — it does not run payroll. See Time export for QuickBooks sync vs payroll CSV.
Where in the app: Manage → Approve timesheets
Open: Approve timesheets
Who can access: Account owner, App Admin, users with Manager job role, or anyone granted timesheet approval permission. Requires Crew plan or higher and Operations portal enabled.
Configure pay periods and export defaults under Timesheets settings.
Select a pay period
Use the period arrows above Review & approve to move between pay periods. The label matches your Default pay period and Week starts on settings (weekly, biweekly, twice monthly, or monthly).
Only time entries whose work date falls inside the selected period appear in Review & approve and Approved. Change the period to review earlier or later time.
Review and approve
Pending approval lists submitted entries for the selected period. For each entry or in bulk:
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Approve | Locks entry; posts labor to job costing; triggers QBO TimeActivity sync when enabled |
| Approve all | Bulk-approve visible pending entries |
| Reject | Returns entry to draft with optional reason |
| Edit | Correct hours on pending or approved entries in the period |
| Add time | Manager-added entry for missing time |
Watch for Long hours — review flags on unusual entries.
Below pending, Approved lists approved and synced entries for the same pay period. Managers can still edit approved hours when corrections are needed.
If QuickBooks time sync is on and employees are unmapped, a warning may appear with a link to map them under Business Settings → Integrations → QuickBooks.
Time export (manual download)
The Export section downloads reports for the selected period. No automatic email — managers export when ready. See the full Time export guide.
Period presets
Daily · Weekly · Biweekly · Twice monthly (1st & 15th) · Monthly · Custom date range
On Approve timesheets, export defaults to the pay period shown in the navigator. You can change the preset or date range inside the export panel when needed.
Report types
| Report | Use |
|---|---|
| Summary | Payroll handoff — one row per employee: regular hrs, OT hrs, total, optional burdened labor cost, PTO hrs |
| Detail | Audit — one row per entry with job, function, entry method, regular/OT split |
| Daily | Employee × day grid |
| Exceptions | Open clocks, unapproved entries, long hours, manager-added pending, QBO-unmapped approved |
| QBO sync status | Which approved entries synced, blocked, or pending |
Filters and downloads
- Status: Approved (default), Submitted, or All
- Employee: Optional single-employee filter
- Download CSV — all report types
- Download PDF — Summary and Daily only
Summary CSV uses the payroll template (Generic, Gusto, ADP, Paychex) from Timesheets settings.
End-of-period checklist
Typical manager workflow for a pay period:
- Select the correct pay period with the period navigator
- Clear exceptions in export if any (open clocks, unsubmitted employees)
- Approve valid submitted entries
- Fix QBO blocked employee mappings if using time sync
- Download Summary CSV (or PDF) for payroll
QuickBooks TimeActivity
When QuickBooks job costing sync includes Time cards (TimeActivity), approved entries push after approval. Map employees and jobs under Business Settings → Integrations → QuickBooks.
Use the QBO sync status export to find approved entries that could not sync.