Timesheet
Overview
Timesheet — Business Overview
The Timesheet is a business document used to record how employees or contractors spend their working time on specific projects, tasks, or activities. It helps organizations track effort, control costs, measure productivity, and ensure accurate billing or internal cost allocation.
What the Timesheet Is Used For
In daily business operations, the Timesheet serves as the official record of working hours. It is commonly used to:
- Capture time spent by employees or consultants on projects and tasks
- Support client billing based on actual hours worked
- Track internal labor costs against budgets
- Monitor productivity and workload distribution
- Provide documented proof of work for audits or client reviews
The Timesheet turns time into measurable business data that supports financial and operational decisions.
Prerequisites and Setup Before Using Timesheet
Before using the Timesheet, the following should be in place:
- Employees or service providers must be set up in the system
- Projects, tasks, or cost centers should be defined if time is tracked against them
- Clear internal rules for how and when time should be recorded (daily, weekly, per task, etc.)
- Approval roles or managers assigned if timesheets require validation
Having these basics ready ensures consistent and reliable time reporting.
Typical Workflow and Business Process Fit
A common business workflow for the Timesheet looks like this:
Time Entry
The employee records hours worked for a specific date, project, and activity.Review and Submission
The Timesheet is reviewed by the employee to ensure accuracy and then submitted.Approval
A manager or supervisor reviews the Timesheet for correctness, compliance, and reasonableness.Business Impact
- Approved hours feed into project cost tracking
- Billable hours can be used for customer invoicing
- Time data supports payroll calculations or performance analysis
The Timesheet acts as a bridge between daily work and financial or operational outcomes.
Key Business Scenarios Where Timesheet Is Essential
The Timesheet is especially important in the following scenarios:
Project-Based Businesses
Consulting firms, agencies, and service providers tracking time against client projects.Billable Services
Organizations that invoice customers based on hours worked.Cost Control and Budgeting
Businesses monitoring labor costs compared to planned budgets.Internal Productivity Tracking
Management reviewing how teams spend their time and identifying bottlenecks.Compliance and Audits
Situations where documented proof of work hours is required.
Important Considerations for Users
When using the Timesheet, users should keep the following in mind:
- Enter time regularly to avoid errors or forgotten work
- Be accurate and honest—Timesheets often affect billing and payroll
- Use clear descriptions so managers and clients understand the work performed
- Submit Timesheets on time to prevent delays in approvals, invoicing, or reporting
- Follow company guidelines on billable vs. non-billable time
A well-maintained Timesheet improves transparency, trust, and financial control across the business.
In summary, the Timesheet is a critical business document that transforms daily work effort into actionable information for project management, billing, cost control, and decision-making.
Basic Information
- Module: Projects
- Document Type: Document
Fields
| Field Name | Label | Type | Required | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| title | Title | Data | - | Descriptive title identifying this timesheet record in Dafater | |
| naming_series | Series | Select | ✓ | TS-.YYYY.- | Auto-generated numbering pattern for timesheet identification in Dafater |
| company | Company | Link | Company | Company under which employee time is recorded | |
| customer | Customer | Link | Customer | Customer associated with billable work hours | |
| currency | Currency | Link | Currency | Currency used for billing and costing calculations | |
| exchange_rate | Exchange Rate | Float | - | Conversion rate between company and transaction currency | |
| sales_invoice | Sales Invoice | Link | Sales Invoice | Linked sales invoice generated from billable timesheet hours | |
| salary_slip | Salary Slip | Link | Salary Slip | Salary slip linked for payroll-related time entries | |
| status | Status | Select | Draft, Submitted, Billed, Payslip, Completed, C... | Current workflow status of the timesheet in Dafater | |
| parent_project | Project | Link | Project | Project against which employee time is logged | |
| employee | Employee | Link | Employee | Employee who performed the recorded work | |
| employee_name | Employee Name | Data | - | Full name of the employee for reference | |
| department | Department | Link | Department | Employee’s department responsible for the work | |
| user | User | Link | User | System user who created or owns this timesheet | |
| start_date | Start Date | Date | - | Start date of the timesheet period | |
| end_date | End Date | Date | - | End date of the timesheet period | |
| time_logs | Time Sheets | Table | ✓ | Timesheet Detail | Detailed daily time entries recorded by the employee |
| total_hours | Total Working Hours | Float | - | Sum of all working hours logged | |
| totalbillablehours | Total Billable Hours | Float | - | Total hours eligible for customer billing | |
| basetotalbillable_amount | Base Total Billable Amount | Currency | - | Total billable amount in company base currency | |
| basetotalbilled_amount | Base Total Billed Amount | Currency | - | Total already billed amount in base currency | |
| basetotalcosting_amount | Base Total Costing Amount | Currency | - | Total internal cost calculated in base currency | |
| totalbilledhours | Total Billed Hours | Float | - | Total hours already billed to customer | |
| totalbillableamount | Total Billable Amount | Currency | currency | Total billable value in selected transaction currency | |
| totalbilledamount | Total Billed Amount | Currency | currency | Total invoiced amount in transaction currency | |
| totalcostingamount | Total Costing Amount | Currency | currency | Total internal cost in transaction currency | |
| per_billed | % Amount Billed | Percent | - | Percentage of billable amount already invoiced | |
| note | Note | Text Editor | - | Additional comments or clarifications about the timesheet | |
| amended_from | Amended From | Link | Timesheet | Reference to the original timesheet being amended |
Child Tables
Time Sheets (Timesheet Detail)
| Field Name | Label | Type | Required | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| activity_type | Activity Type | Link | Activity Type | Type of work activity performed in Dafater timesheet entry | |
| from_time | From Time | Datetime | - | Start date and time of the recorded work | |
| description | Description | Small Text | - | Brief details of work performed during this time period | |
| expected_hours | Expected Hrs | Float | - | Planned or estimated hours for the activity | |
| to_time | To Time | Datetime | - | End date and time of the recorded work | |
| hours | Hrs | Float | - | Actual hours worked between start and end time | |
| completed | Completed | Check | - | Indicates whether the activity is fully completed | |
| project | Project | Link | Project | Linked Dafater project for which work was performed | |
| project_name | Project Name | Data | - | Project title automatically fetched from linked project | |
| task | Task | Link | Task | Specific Dafater task associated with this time entry | |
| is_billable | Is Billable | Check | - | Marks whether recorded hours are billable to customer | |
| sales_invoice | Sales Invoice | Link | Sales Invoice | Sales invoice generated for billed time, if applicable | |
| billing_hours | Billing Hours | Float | - | Total hours considered for customer billing | |
| basebillingrate | Billing Rate | Currency | - | Standard billing rate in company base currency | |
| basebillingamount | Billing Amount | Currency | - | Calculated billing amount in base currency | |
| basecostingrate | Costing Rate | Currency | - | Internal costing rate in company base currency | |
| basecostingamount | Costing Amount | Currency | - | Calculated internal cost amount in base currency | |
| billing_rate | Billing Rate | Currency | currency | Billing rate applied in selected transaction currency | |
| billing_amount | Billing Amount | Currency | currency | Total billable amount in transaction currency | |
| costing_rate | Costing Rate | Currency | currency | Internal cost rate in transaction currency | |
| costing_amount | Costing Amount | Currency | currency | Total internal cost in transaction currency |
Permissions
| Role | Read | Write | Create | Delete | Submit | Cancel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing User | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Employee | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Projects User | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| HR User | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Accounts User | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Related DocTypes
| DocType | Relationship | Module |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Links to | Setup |
| Currency | Links to | Geo |
| Customer | Links to | Selling |
| Department | Links to | Setup |
| Employee | Links to | Setup |
| Project | Links to | Projects |
| Salary Slip | Links to | Payroll |
| Sales Invoice | Links to | Accounts |
| Timesheet | Links to | Projects |
| User | Links to | Core |