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Timesheets in Roubler – Overview for Payroll Administrators

Audience

This article is for payroll administrators, payroll managers, and finance users who:

  • Validate and authorise timesheets before payroll is run.
  • Need to understand how rosters, clockings, and timesheets flow into pay conditions and pay runs.

  • Work with integrated payroll engines (e.g. Employment Hero/KeyPay, SimplePay, Payspace) and must ensure timesheets are in the correct status before export or sync.

Before you start

Before managing timesheets for payroll:

  1. Confirm your access and role

    • Your permission group includes Time & Attendance / Timesheets, and where relevant:

      • Authorize Timesheets for Payroll (to move timesheets to/from Authorized).
      • Payroll Management (to Commit and Payroll timesheets).
  2. Know your organisation’s pay rules
    • Which pay conditions apply (ordinary vs overtime, penalties, allowances, breaks, etc.).
    • Whether employees are paid:
      • Directly from timesheets; or

      • Mainly from standard hours, with timesheets only for exceptions.

  3. Understand your payroll integration

    • Which payroll engine is used and whether Roubler connects directly (Employment Hero/KeyPay) or via middleware (SimplePay, Payspace).

    • When in your process you:
      • Export / submit timesheets to payroll.

      • Lock / commit / payroll timesheets so they are no longer editable.

  4. Rosters and clocking are in place

    • Rosters are published and clocking methods (mobile, kiosk, employee‑submitted timesheets) are configured and in use.

How Timesheets work in Roubler (payroll view)

1. What a timesheet represents

A timesheet is the authoritative record of what an employee actually worked and is the basis for pay and costings, not the roster alone. It typically includes:

  • Start, finish, and break times.
  • Location, position / work type, and cost centre.
  • Links to:
    • A published roster shift (if any).
    • Clockings (mobile or kiosk).
  • A status indicating where it is in the payroll workflow.

Pay conditions (ordinary vs overtime, penalties, allowances) are calculated from Approved / Authorized / Committed timesheets depending on your process.

2. How timesheets are created

Timesheets can be created from several sources:

  • Roster + clockings (most common)
    • Published shifts appear in Time & Attendance as unassociated shifts.
    • When employees clock in/out, Roubler links clockings to shifts and creates/updates the timesheet.
  • Clockings without a rostered shift
    • Clock entries appear without a linked shift; managers/payroll must:
      • Link them to a suitable shift; or
      • Treat them as ad‑hoc time; or
      • Correct/ignore them per policy.
  • Manual / manager‑created timesheets
    • Used when staff forget to clock, work unscheduled hours, or corrections are needed.
    • Always add notes for audit.
  • Employee‑submitted timesheets (if enabled)

    • Employees submit times via the app or web; managers then review and approve them like any other timesheet.

3. Timesheet statuses (payroll workflow)

In a typical Roubler payroll workflow, timesheets move through these statuses:

  1. Completed – Created but not yet approved
    • Timesheet exists (via roster+clock, manual entry, or employee submission) and has all required data.
    • Still pending review by the line manager or payroll.
  2. Approved – Typically by the line manager
    • The manager has reviewed the timesheet for accuracy and policy compliance and approved it.

    • It is ready for payroll review/authorisation but not yet authorised for payroll processing.

  3. Authorized – Typically by a Manager with Finance or payroll permissions
    • Indicates the timesheet has been checked for payroll readiness (rates, classifications, locations, exceptions).

    • Requires the Authorize Timesheets for Payroll permission; often used by finance/payroll to gate what can be paid.

  4. Committed – Typically by a Manager with Payroll permissions
    • The payroll‑responsible role confirms that all timesheets for the period are final.
    • Committed timesheets are “locked in” as the dataset for the pay run.
    • Requires both:
      • Authorize Timesheets for Payroll; and

      • Payroll Management (to commit/submit).

  5. Payrolled – Timesheet has been added to a pay run
    • The timesheet has been sent to the payroll engine and included in a pay run (exported or synced).
    • Typically actioned by a Payroll Administrator or Payroll Manager using Payroll Management + Authorize Timesheets for Payroll permissions.

    • At this point, any corrections must usually be handled via payroll adjustments, not just timesheet edits.

Exact button labels and icons may vary slightly by region/tenant, but the underlying workflow is the same.

4. From roster and clocks to payroll

The chain from planning to payment is:

  1. Rosters – what was planned.
  2. Clockings – what was recorded.
  3. Timesheets – what is Completed → Approved → Authorized → Committed as the true record of work.
  4. Payroll – the pay engine consumes Committed / Payrolled timesheets to calculate earnings, overtime, penalties, and allowances.

Recent improvements allow pay runs to optionally consider timesheets just outside the strict pay period boundary where your configuration allows, which is helpful for overnight shifts.

Rolling back timesheets to Completed for corrections

Sometimes, an issue is only found after a timesheet has been Approved, Authorized, Committed, or even Payrolled. How far you can roll back depends on your permissions and your internal process.

Important: Once a timesheet’s hours have been included in a finalised pay run, corrections should normally be done via payroll adjustments in the pay engine, even if you also roll back the timesheet in Roubler, to keep records aligned.

1. Who can roll back, and from which status?

  • To roll back from Authorized / Committed / Payrolled to Approved or Completed, you typically need:

    • Authorize Timesheets for Payroll (to un‑authorise).
    • Payroll Management (to un‑commit / un‑payroll where your configuration allows).

Line managers without these permissions can generally only move timesheets between Completed and Approved, not undo payroll‑level statuses.

2. Typical rollback pattern

High‑level pattern (exact buttons and labels may vary slightly):

  1. From Payrolled → Committed (or Authorized/Approved)
    • If your configuration allows un‑payrolling:
      • Use the relevant “un‑payroll” or revert action (or cancel/remove the timesheet line in the pay run, depending on integration).

      • This step is usually restricted to Payroll Admins with Payroll Management.

  2. From Committed → Authorized
    • With Payroll Management + Authorize Timesheets for Payroll, locate the timesheet(s) and use the action to un‑commit or move them back from Committed to Authorized/Approved status.
  3. From Authorized → Approved
    • With Authorize Timesheets for Payroll, use the action to unauthorise the timesheet so it is no longer flagged as ready for payroll.

    • The timesheet will usually revert to Approved state (line‑manager‑approved but not authorised for payroll).

  4. From Approved → Completed
    • Either:
      • A manager (or payroll user with the right access) un‑approves the timesheet; or
      • Edits the timesheet, which may automatically move it back to Completed so it can be re‑approved.
    • Once in Completed status, you can safely:
      • Edit start/finish/breaks, location, work type, etc.
      • Add or update notes and cost centre information.

After corrections:

  1. Re‑apply your workflow in order:
    • Completed → Approved (line manager)
    • Approved → Authorized (finance/payroll)
    • Authorized → Committed → Payrolled (payroll)
  2. Where pay has already been processed, apply an appropriate adjustment in the pay engine (e.g. extra hours, reversal, or correction) so the financial side matches the corrected timesheet history.

Because rollback can impact payroll and audit trails, you should:

  • Restrict Authorize Timesheets for Payroll and Payroll Management to trusted payroll/finance roles only.

  • Follow your internal change‑control process (e.g. log why the rollback was required and who authorised it).

Frequently asked questions and troubleshooting

1. “There’s no timesheet for a shift that was definitely worked.”

Check in order:

  • Roster: was there a published shift for that employee/date/location?
  • Clockings: did the employee clock in/out correctly; are there clock entries in history?
  • Timesheets: in Time & Attendance, look for:
    • Unassociated shifts (scheduled but not linked).
    • Clock entries without shifts.

If needed:

  • Manually create or edit a timesheet with the correct times and link it to the rostered shift.
  • Add a note explaining the adjustment for audit.

2. “What are unassociated shifts and do I need to fix them?”

  • Unassociated shifts are published shifts not yet linked to any timesheet.

  • They usually indicate:
    • No clocking, or
    • Shifts were modified/unpublished after associations, or
    • Mismatched or missing clocks.

You should:

  • Review unassociated shifts regularly.
  • Either:
    • Link them to the appropriate timesheets; or
    • Confirm they were not worked and clear them per your process.

Ignoring them risks missing pay or incorrect attendance reporting.

3. “The timesheet doesn’t match the roster – what should we pay?”

This is common and not automatically wrong.

  • Compare rostered vs actual:
    • Was the change authorised (e.g. early start, extra hours)?
    • Does it drive different pay conditions (overtime, penalties)?
  • If the extra/changed time should be paid, leave the actual times and add notes.
  • If not, adjust the timesheet back to the agreed hours, adding notes to explain.

Only approve/authorise/commit timesheets that reflect what should be paid.

4. “Employees say they clocked, but nothing appears in Timesheets.”

Investigate:

  • Device/app issues:
    • Kiosk: check connectivity, restart the Roubler Clock app if the screen is blank/frozen.
    • Mobile: confirm latest app version and required permissions (location / camera) are granted.
  • Clock behaviour:
    • Ask for screenshots of clock confirmations.
    • Frequent missing clock‑outs can disrupt automatic timesheet creation.

If no clocks can be found:

  • Build or adjust the timesheet manually using reliable information and remind staff of clocking expectations.

5. “I can’t see or edit timesheets for some employees.”

Usually a permissions or primary‑location issue:

  • Employee:
    • Check that their primary location and location access are correct.
  • You:
    • Confirm you have a manager/payroll‑level permission group with Time & Attendance access at that location.

If it still looks wrong, your internal Roubler/admin or IT team should adjust permissions and reporting hierarchy.

Who to contact for help

  1. Internal payroll / HR / finance
    • For:
      • Questions about overtime, penalties, allowances, and pay rules.

      • Decisions on how to handle edge‑case timesheets (multi‑day shifts, boundary shifts, missing breaks).

  2. Internal Roubler/system administrator or IT
    • For:
      • Issues with timesheet permissions, locations, alerts, or unassociated shifts.

      • Clocking device/app setup and Time & Attendance configuration (rounding, break rules, pay‑condition mappings).

  3. Roubler / MYOB Support (vendor)

    • Should only be contacted by authorised internal administrators after internal checks.

    • Escalate when:
      • Timesheet statuses (Authorized, Committed, Payrolled) behave inconsistently with documentation.
      • Bulk actions (Approve, Authorize, Commit, Payroll) fail unexpectedly or performance issues affect large timesheet sets.

When escalating (internally or to Roubler Support), include:

  • Company name and environment.
  • Pay period and pay run reference.
  • At least one example timesheet with:
    • Employee ID, date, expected vs actual status and times.
    • Screenshots of:
      • Roster entry.
      • Clock history (if relevant).
      • Timesheet detail with status and any error messages.

This ensures faster diagnosis and helps keep your timesheet‑driven payroll accurate, auditable, and aligned across Roubler and your payroll engine.