> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.fieldtime.gaitools.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How FieldTime's Three-Tier Approval Workflow Works

> FieldTime routes every submitted timesheet through three sequential tiers — Project Manager, Supervisor, and Payroll — before payroll processing.

Every timesheet submitted in FieldTime travels through three sequential approval tiers before it can be processed for payroll. Each tier serves a distinct purpose: the Project Manager validates individual time entries line by line against project records, the Supervisor confirms the employee's full week, and Payroll gives the final sign-off that locks the timesheet for export to Deltek Vantagepoint. No tier can be skipped — the workflow advances automatically only when the preceding tier is complete.

## The Three-Tier Flow

<Steps>
  <Step title="Employee Submits Timesheet">
    The employee completes and signs off on their weekly timesheet, then submits it. FieldTime immediately resolves the Project Manager for each time entry by looking up the charged project, phase, or task in Vantagepoint. The timesheet status advances to **Pending PM Review** and each entry lands in the responsible PM's approval queue.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tier 1 — Project Manager Approval">
    The Project Manager reviews each time entry charged to their projects, approving or rejecting individual lines. A rejection sends the affected entry — and the timesheet — back to the employee for correction. Once every entry on the timesheet carries a PM approval, FieldTime automatically advances the timesheet to **Pending Supervisor Review**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tier 2 — Supervisor Approval">
    The Supervisor reviews the complete weekly timesheet, including the week summary, hour totals, and any compliance findings. They approve the timesheet as a whole or send it back with a revision note. After supervisor approval, the timesheet advances to **Pending Payroll Final Approval**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tier 3 — Payroll Final Approval">
    A Payroll staff member or Admin reviews all supervisor-approved timesheets. Any timesheet with unresolved **Missing Approver** entries is flagged and blocked until an Admin resolves the PM assignment gap. Once Payroll clicks **Final Approve**, the timesheet is locked, a final audit timestamp is recorded, and the data is ready for export to Vantagepoint.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Rejections and Revisions

At every tier, the approver can reject a timesheet or request a revision instead of approving it. When that happens:

* The timesheet status is set to **Rejected** or **Needs Revision**.
* The employee receives the rejection reason or revision note.
* The employee corrects and resubmits, which restarts the approval sequence from Tier 1.
* Every rejection, revision request, and resubmission is written as an immutable record in the approval audit log — nothing is overwritten or deleted.

## Audit Records

FieldTime records every state change in the approval audit log: submission, each PM line decision, supervisor decision, payroll final approval, rejection, revision request, and any approval reset caused by an edit. The audit log captures the actor, their role, the previous status, the new status, and any comments. This record is permanent and supports California wage-and-hour compliance requirements.

## Reopening a Locked Timesheet

Once Payroll gives final approval, employees and managers cannot edit the timesheet. If a correction is genuinely required after locking, an **Admin** can reopen the timesheet. Reopening resets the payroll approval status and writes an audit record, returning the timesheet to the employee for correction before the three-tier workflow runs again.

## Tier Quick Reference

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Project Manager Approval" icon="list-check" href="/approvals/pm-approval">
    Approve or reject individual time entries for projects you manage. Understand the Missing Approver status and how entries advance to Supervisor review.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Supervisor Approval" icon="user-check" href="/approvals/supervisor-approval">
    Review full weekly timesheets for your direct reports after all PM lines are approved. Check compliance findings before signing off.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payroll Approval" icon="lock" href="/approvals/payroll-approval">
    Give final approval to supervisor-reviewed timesheets, lock them, and export to Deltek Vantagepoint for payroll processing.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Timesheet Lifecycle" icon="circle-info" href="/time-tracking/timesheets">
    Review how timesheets move from Draft through each approval tier to Final Approved, and what each status means for your queue.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>