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How to roll back timesheets

Audience

Payroll administrators and payroll managers who use Roubler to review, authorise, and export timesheets for payroll, and sometimes need to move timesheets back to an earlier status for corrections.

Description

This guide explains how to roll back timesheets in Roubler (for example from Payrolled → Committed → Authorised → Approved → Completed) so you can fix errors before payroll is finalised. It also explains what to do when a timesheet has already been included in a finalised pay run and changes must instead be handled by payroll adjustments in the pay engine (Employment Hero/KeyPay, SimplePay, Payspace, etc.).

Steps: How to roll back timesheets

1. Understand the timesheet statuses

In a typical Roubler payroll workflow, a timesheet moves through these statuses:

  • Completed – BLUE dot status - created but not yet approved.
  • Approved –  GREEN dot status - checked and approved by the line manager.
  • Authorised –  YELLOW dot status - checked for payroll readiness (rates, locations, exceptions).
  • Committed –  ORANGE dot status - confirmed as the final dataset for the pay period.
  • Payrolled –  BLACK dot status - has been added to a pay run / exported or synced to the payroll engine.

You can usually roll back to an earlier status as long as the timesheet’s hours have not yet been fully processed in a finalised pay run in the payroll engine.

2. Check what you’re allowed to roll back

  1. Go to Time & Attendance / Timesheets.
  2. Filter by:
    • Date range (pay period in question).
    • Status (e.g. Payrolled, Committed, Authorised).

  3. Confirm you have the required permissions (for example Authorize Timesheets for Payroll and Payroll / Payroll Management) to change timesheet statuses.

If a timesheet’s hours have already been included in a finalised pay run, your primary correction should be a payroll adjustment in the pay engine (and, if needed, mirroring changes in Roubler for history and reporting).

3. Roll back Payrolled timesheets (if pay run not finalised)

If the pay run is still open or you are allowed to remove/rebuild it:

  1. Open the Timesheet in Roubler that needs to be rolled back
  2. Note the pay run that the Timesheet was added to and click on the name to open the pay run
  3. Ensure that the Pay run is Un-finalized
     
    1. An Unfinalized pay run will have the option to "Finalise"
    2. If you only see can only see the options to export the payrun, then it has been finalized

      If you do not see an option to "Roll back to Draft" , please contact your Roubler Administrator and request them to roll it back.  Only Users with Administrator permissions are able to roll back a Finalized pay run

  4. Remove the timesheet(s) from the pay run
    1. To remove a singe timesheet, click on the Trash bin for that timesheet
    2. To remove multiple



  5. Return to Timesheets and refresh. The timesheets should drop back from Payrolled to Committed.

Once the timesheets are no longer Payrolled, continue rolling back further if needed (see next step).

4. Roll back Committed / Authorised / Approved timesheets

  1. In Time & Attendance / Timesheets, filter to the affected:
    • Date range,
    • Employees, and
    • Current status (Committed, Authorised, or Approved).
  2. Select the timesheets you need to adjust (you can select individually or use the page-level checkbox for bulk actions).
  3. From the Bulk actions or Status menu (names vary), choose the option to move them back one or more levels, for example:
    • Committed → Authorised, or
    • Authorised → Approved, or
    • Approved → Completed.
      This unfortunately cannot be done in bulk.
      You will need to click on the cog for each timesheet and select "Set to Unapproved"

       

After rollback, you can edit the timesheet(s) (times, breaks, locations, work types, notes, etc.), then push them forward again through Approved → Authorised → Committed → Payrolled when ready. 

5. When a timesheet has already been in a finalised pay run

Once a timesheet’s hours have been included in a finalised pay run in the payroll engine, Roubler recommends:

  1. In the payroll engine (Employment Hero/KeyPay, SimplePay, Payspace, etc.):
    • Make a payroll adjustment in a subsequent pay run (for example, add or reverse hours, correct rates or leave, adjust tax).
  2. In Roubler (optional but recommended for audit/history):
    • If needed, roll back the timesheet to correct the recorded hours.
    • Add clear notes explaining the correction and how it was handled in payroll.

This keeps Roubler’s timesheet history aligned with actual pay outcomes while ensuring the official financial records remain with the payroll engine.

Troubleshooting

“I can’t change a timesheet’s status”

  • Possible causes:
    • You do not have the necessary Authorise / Payroll permissions.
    • The timesheet is linked to a pay run that is already finalised in the payroll engine.
  • What to do:
    • Ask your internal Payroll / HR or Roubler administrator to:
      • Confirm your permissions.
      • Confirm whether that period’s pay run has been finalised.

    • If pay is already final, correct via a payroll adjustment rather than changing the historical status only.

“I rolled back a timesheet but the pay export still looks wrong”

  • Checks:

    • Confirm the updated timesheet is now at Committed (or your pay-ready status) with the correct times and details.

    • Make sure you have re-added the corrected timesheet to the pay run or re-exported the updated dataset.
  • What to do:
    • Fix the timesheet, push it back up the workflow, then regenerate the export or re-build the pay run so the corrected data is included.

“Unassociated shifts / exceptions keep coming back after rollback”

  • Possible causes:

    • Underlying issues with clockings, rosters, or pay conditions are not resolved, so when timesheets are re-created or recalculated, the same exceptions appear.

  • What to do:
    • Review the underlying clocks and rosters.
    • Correct the source issue (for example, missing break, wrong location, unmatched shift) before re-approving timesheets.

Who to contact for help

  • Internal Payroll / HR / Finance

    • Decide when to use roll-back vs payroll adjustments, and how to handle back pay or reversals correctly for compliance.

  • Internal Roubler / System Administrator or IT
    • Issues with permissions, timesheet/status behaviour, or inconsistencies between what documentation says and what you see in your environment.

    • Questions about how timesheets interact with pay conditions and exports.

  • Payroll engine vendors (Employment Hero/KeyPay, SimplePay, Payspace)

    • Errors or questions inside the pay engine (for example, pay run errors, tax/leave calculations, inability to reopen a pay run).

  • Roubler / MYOB Support (via authorised admins only)
    • When timesheet statuses or pay-run exports don’t behave as documented (for example, Payrolled status not updating, inability to un-payroll when configuration suggests you should be able to).

    • Complex issues where rolling back timesheets and re-exporting still does not correct the data in the payroll engine.

When escalating, include: business name and region, pay period, affected employee(s), timesheet IDs/statuses, and screenshots of both the Timesheets screen and relevant pay runs. This helps teams quickly identify whether the problem is with timesheets, pay conditions, or the payroll integration.