Record of hours, leave, or work time submitted for a pay period before payroll calculates earnings.
A timesheet is the record that summarizes an employee’s hours, leave, or work time for a pay period.
It is one of the main source records payroll uses before calculating earnings. If the timesheet is incomplete, late, or wrong, the paycheck can still be wrong even when pay rates and deduction settings are correct.
A timesheet matters because it affects:
For hourly payroll in particular, the timesheet is often the foundation for the entire earnings calculation.
The timesheet appears after time entry but before gross pay is built. In practice, payroll teams may:
That means the timesheet is not the paycheck. It is a source record used to create the paycheck.
| Term | Payroll role |
|---|---|
| Timesheet | Summary of time for the pay period |
| Timecard | Punch-by-punch or clock-by-clock record |
| Pay stub | Output showing the final pay result |
| Payroll register | Run-level summary after payroll is calculated |
An employee submits a timesheet showing:
40 regular hours4 overtime hoursPayroll uses the approved timesheet to calculate regular pay and overtime pay for the employee’s next payroll run.
| Review item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Total hours | Drives regular pay and other earnings |
| Overtime hours | Changes the rate or premium payroll applies |
| Leave entries | Determines whether paid or unpaid time belongs in the run |
| Missing approvals | Can block the hours from being used in the current run |