Timesheet review guide
Auto Shop Timesheet Review Checklist
Before exporting auto shop timesheets, close active sessions, resolve missing punches, review breaks and corrections, approve the hours, and lock every timesheet in the period. A consistent review gives your payroll process a clear attendance record to work from.
Updated · Strut product team
01 / Timesheet review guide
Confirm the period and finish active sessions
Check that the period covers the intended employees and dates before looking at totals. An employee who is still clocked in has an unfinished record. Have the employee complete the session or use the authorized correction process if a punch was missed. In Strut, active sessions prevent export of the period. A scheduled finish time is not a substitute for the recorded end of the working day.
- Confirm the date range and employee list
- Review anyone still clocked in
- Resolve missed punches before export
02 / Timesheet review guide
Review breaks and exceptions with context
Inspect paid and unpaid break records separately. Ask about an unexpected total instead of changing it to match a planned shift. Review missing-punch requests and the explanation for each correction, and retain the review trail. If a correction changes the period after an initial review, check the resulting timesheet again. This checklist describes an operational workflow; it does not set your employees’ pay or break rules.
- Compare totals with individual records
- Check the explanation for each correction
- Keep attendance evidence attached to the review
03 / Timesheet review guide
Approve, then lock the complete period
Approval and locking are separate steps. Approval records the reviewer’s decision; locking prepares the reviewed hours for export. Strut requires every timesheet in the period to be locked before downloading the payroll CSV. If hours are returned for correction, resolve the issue and follow the review process again rather than working around it with an edited spreadsheet that no longer matches the source.
- Approve reviewed timesheets
- Lock every timesheet in the period
- Recheck any returned or corrected record
04 / Timesheet review guide
Check the handoff to payroll
Download the locked-hours CSV and confirm that employee identifiers, date ranges, and totals map correctly to your payroll process. A CSV export is not the same as a native payroll integration. Keep tax deductions, pay calculations, and final payroll approval in the appropriate payroll workflow. If a later correction is needed, document the change and ensure the source record and payroll adjustment agree.
- Confirm the receiving system’s import requirements
- Reconcile exported totals before processing payroll
- Keep a record of subsequent adjustments
Map this to your shop