Time Tracking and Timesheets

system · March 3, 2026, 3:47am

Accurate time tracking helps you bill correctly, measure productivity, and manage labor costs. The Exoserva Timesheet feature lets technicians clock in and out, log time against specific jobs, and gives managers a clear view of hours worked. This guide covers the complete time tracking workflow including editing entries, approval processes, and exporting reports for payroll.

Estimated time: 9 minutes

Before You Begin

An active Exoserva account (Technicians for clocking, Managers/Owners for reporting)
At least one team member added to your account (see “Adding Team Members” guide)
Recommended: Jobs created for job-specific time tracking

Step 1: Navigate to the Timesheet Page

Click “Time” in the left sidebar. The Timesheet page opens with two main areas: a Clock Status banner at the top and a time entries data table below. Technicians see their own personal timesheet with their entries for the current pay period. Managers and Owners see a team-wide view with additional controls: a technician dropdown selector to view individual timesheets, a date range navigator (with left/right arrows to move between weeks), a view mode switcher (Day, Week, Bi-Weekly, or Month views), and an “Export” button in the toolbar.

Above the data table, you will see quick-filter status buttons: All (shows total entry count badge), Pending (shows count of entries awaiting approval), Overtime (shows count of entries with overtime hours), and Today (shows count of today’s entries). Click any filter button to narrow the table instantly.

Tip: Managers can toggle between individual and team views using the technician selector dropdown. Selecting “All” shows a summary row for each team member, making it easy to compare hours worked across your entire team for the selected period. Use keyboard shortcuts: press 1 through 4 to quickly switch between the All, Pending, Overtime, and Today filters without touching the mouse.

Warning: The date range navigator defaults to the current week. Make sure you are viewing the correct period before reviewing entries – it is easy to accidentally review last week’s data if you navigated away previously.

Step 2: Clock In and Clock Out

At the top of the Timesheet page, the Clock Status banner displays your current time clock state in a gradient-bordered card. When you are not clocked in, the banner shows “Not Clocked In” with the prompt “Ready to start your day?” and a large primary-colored “Clock In” button (with a log-in icon).

Click “Clock In” to start your shift. The banner transforms: the clock icon turns green with a pulsing dot, the text changes to “Currently Clocked In,” a GPS verification badge appears (blue “Verified” label with a map-pin icon confirming your location was recorded), and a live timer starts counting up in large monospace font with a green glow effect (e.g., “2h 34m 12s”). The timer updates every second in real time.

When your work is done, click the red “Clock Out” button (with a log-out icon). A success toast confirms “Clocked out successfully” and the banner reverts to the “Not Clocked In” state. The system records exact timestamps and calculates total hours automatically.

Tip: Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+K (or Cmd+K on Mac) to toggle clock in/out without clicking. Technicians can also clock in from the mobile view or directly from a specific job detail page – clocking in from a job page automatically links that time entry to the job for accurate per-job labor tracking.

Warning: Forgetting to clock out creates an open-ended time entry that runs indefinitely. The entry appears as “In Progress” with a running timer until manually corrected by you or a manager. Set a personal reminder or use the end-of-day checklist to ensure you clock out.

Step 3: Take a Break

While clocked in, a secondary “Break” button (with a coffee icon) appears next to the Clock Out button. Click it to start a break. The button text changes to “End Break” and a break indicator appears below the clock status: an amber-bordered badge showing a coffee icon, “On break” text, and a note that “Break time is paused.” The break button toggles – click “End Break” to resume your clock.

Break time is tracked separately from regular work time. You can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+B (or Cmd+B on Mac) to toggle breaks quickly.

Tip: Use the Break function consistently for lunch breaks and rest periods. Accurate break tracking ensures your billable hours are correctly calculated and your payroll reports reflect actual working time versus break time. Many labor regulations require documented break periods for shifts over a certain length.

Warning: If you forget to end a break, the system will continue counting break time. This results in fewer billable hours being recorded. Check the break indicator in the clock status banner to confirm your break has ended before resuming work.

Step 4: View Time Entries

The main section of the Timesheet page displays individual time entries in a data table. The table columns include: Date (shown with weekday abbreviation, month, day, and year), Technician (visible in manager view, showing technician name), Start Time, End Time, Total Hours (calculated duration), Overtime (hours exceeding the standard threshold, highlighted if present), Type (Regular, Overtime, or Break), Status badge (Pending in amber, Approved in green, Rejected in red), and Notes (any notes added to the entry).

Entries are sortable by any column. The quick-filter buttons above the table (All, Pending, Overtime, Today) narrow results based on the selected criterion, with each button showing a count badge so you can see how many entries match each filter at a glance.

Tip: Entries with overtime hours are easy to spot using the “Overtime” quick-filter. Click it to see only entries where overtime was recorded. This is especially useful for managers who need to monitor labor costs and ensure overtime is authorized.

Warning: Time entries should be reviewed daily. Unclosed clock-ins (when a technician forgets to clock out) appear as “In Progress” with no end time and a running duration. These must be manually corrected before approval to prevent payroll errors.

Step 5: Edit Time Entries

Click any time entry row in the data table to open the edit modal. The modal displays editable fields for: Date (date picker), Start Time (time input), End Time (time input), Associated Job (dropdown to link the entry to a specific job), Type (dropdown: Regular, Overtime, Break), and Notes (textarea). Modify any field as needed. If an entry was created by mistake, click “Delete Entry” to remove it. Click “Save” to persist your changes. A success toast confirms “Time entry updated.”

All edits are logged with a timestamp and the user who made the change, creating an audit trail for payroll accountability.

Tip: Link time entries to specific jobs whenever possible. Job-specific time tracking feeds into your per-job profitability reports in the Analytics section, helping you understand true labor costs per job type and identify which job categories are most and least profitable. This data is invaluable for pricing decisions.

Warning: Editing time entries that have already been approved requires manager-level permissions and resets the entry status back to “Pending” for re-approval. The original values are preserved in the audit log. Coordinate with your manager before editing approved entries to avoid payroll discrepancies.

Step 6: Review and Approve Timesheets

Managers and Owners can review and approve time entries from the Timesheet page. Use the “Pending” quick-filter button to show only entries awaiting review – the badge count shows how many entries need attention. Each pending entry’s row includes “Approve” and “Reject” action buttons (or they appear when you click the row to open the entry detail).

Click “Approve” to confirm a time entry – a success toast shows “Time entry approved” and the status badge changes to green “Approved.” Click “Reject” (or “Return for Correction”) to send it back to the technician with a note about what needs fixing – a toast confirms “Time entry rejected” and the status changes to red “Rejected.” For bulk approval, use the batch approve action in the toolbar to approve all pending entries at once. A confirmation toast shows “Approved X entries.”

Tip: Set up a weekly approval routine – for example, every Monday morning review the previous week’s timesheets. Consistent approval timing ensures payroll processing stays on schedule and technicians get paid on time. The Pending count badge in the filter bar serves as your weekly to-do reminder.

Warning: Once approved, time entries are considered final for payroll purposes. While they can still be edited by a manager (which resets them to Pending), frequent post-approval edits undermine trust in the timesheet system. Encourage technicians to review and correct their own entries before the approval deadline.

Step 7: Review the Weekly Summary

Switch to the Week view mode using the view mode selector in the toolbar. The weekly summary displays aggregated hours for the selected period. Summary statistics appear at the top or in the toolbar area showing: Total Hours (aggregate for the entire period), Regular Hours versus Overtime Hours breakdown, and the date range label (e.g., “Feb 24 - Mar 2, 2026”).

The data table in week view groups entries by day with subtotals, making it easy to identify which days had the most work and whether overtime patterns emerge on specific days of the week. The date range navigator arrows let you quickly move between weeks for comparison.

Tip: Monitor overtime hours weekly to manage labor costs proactively. If a technician is consistently approaching overtime thresholds (typically 40 hours/week), consider redistributing workload across the team before the hours accumulate. Preventing overtime is almost always cheaper than paying overtime rates.

Warning: The weekly summary only includes entries within the selected date range. Entries from a different pay period (e.g., a late clock-out that spills into the next week) may need manual adjustment. Verify that your date range aligns with your pay period before exporting for payroll.

Step 8: Export Time Reports

Click the “Export” button in the toolbar to open the export dialog. Choose from three export formats: CSV (for spreadsheet and payroll import), PDF (formatted summary suitable for client billing, compliance records, or printing), and QuickBooks (formatted specifically for QuickBooks payroll import). Select the date range, choose an individual technician or the entire team, and click the export button for your chosen format. A success toast confirms “Exported to [FORMAT]” and the file downloads automatically.

The CSV export includes all entry details: date, technician name, start time, end time, total hours, overtime hours, break duration, associated job number, entry type, status, and notes. The PDF format provides a formatted summary with company branding suitable for sharing with clients or attaching to compliance documentation.

Tip: The QuickBooks export format pre-maps fields to QuickBooks payroll categories, saving you manual data entry. Set up a consistent export schedule (e.g., every Monday for the previous week) to keep your payroll pipeline predictable. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+N (or Cmd+N on Mac) to quickly open the Quick Entry modal and manually add a time entry if a technician forgot to clock in.

Warning: Exported reports include only entries matching your current view filters and date range. Before exporting for payroll, clear all filters (set to “All”), select the correct pay period using the date navigator, and verify that no pending entries remain unapproved – unapproved entries may or may not be included depending on your export settings.

What’s Next?

Now that you’ve completed this guide, check out:

Need help? Post in the Tech Support category or contact support@exoserva.com.