Whether you're importing from a clock-in system or logging manually, timesheets play a central role in keeping project cost data, forecasts, and reporting aligned in real time.
This guide outlines how to create, manage, and interpret timesheets in Coreloops, including line item logic, contact linking, and downstream analytics.
1. What Timesheets Are Used For
Timesheets record work done by site operatives on a weekly basis, across projects, cost codes, and work types. Timesheet data powers:
Cost Reports – actual labour costs
Resource Reports – total hours, pay, supplier breakdowns
BoQ Actuals – direct linkage to cost codes and work packages
Each contact has one timesheet per week, made up of line items logged against different work types and projects.
2. Adding Timesheets
There are three ways to input timesheet data:
Upload a Timesheet File
Upload from a clock-in/clock-out sheet (CSV or XLSX format)
Supports bulk line item creation and mappings
OR
Download the Coreloops timesheet template
Populate contact, project, cost code, dates, and hours
Upload directly into the platform
Manual Entry
Navigate to Timesheets > select project > select week via calendar
Click Add Contacts to open the directory sidebar
Select one or more contacts to include in the weekly view
Each selected contact will now have a timesheet for that week
Uploading timesheets from a PDF or image
You can upload timesheets directly from a PDF, photo, or scanned document. Coreloops AI reads the file and pre-fills a new timesheet with the extracted line items for you to review.
On the Timesheets page, click Upload.
Select your PDF or image file.
The AI processes the file and creates a draft timesheet. You will see the upload source noted on the timesheet.
Review the extracted line items, adjust any values if needed, and approve when ready.
3. Editing Timesheets
Clicking a contact opens their Timesheet Detail Modal, which includes:
Left panel: line item input and editing
Right panel: timesheet totals (net pay, tax, gross pay, etc.)
You can:
Switch between projects and weeks
Click "Add New Item" to add:
Blank
Hours / Days
Overtime
Materials
Deductions
Add all weekdays
Add individual weekdays
Line items can be moved between:
Projects
Cost Codes
Suppliers
Quantity, unit, rates, and tax fields can be edited directly.
Navigating between timesheets sequentially (new section)
When reviewing timesheets in a filtered view, use the Previous and Next controls on the single timesheet view to move through the queue without returning to the list. The current position in the filtered queue is shown at the top of the view.
CIS on timesheet line items
You can apply CIS (Construction Industry Scheme) to individual timesheet line items. On the line item row:
Set the CIS % — the deduction rate (e.g. 20%, 30%, or 0% for Gross status)
The CIS Amount is calculated automatically
Material line items default to 0% CIS
CIS totals are included in the timesheet sidebar and timesheet summary export.
4. Line Item Logic & Automation
Units and Rates
Selecting hours uses the contact's hourly rate
Selecting days uses the daily rate
Rate logic is pulled from contact defaults, which can include region-based presets (e.g., "London Rates")
Overtime
Overtime is logged as a separate line item with different rates
Future functionality will support automated overtime rules (not yet live)
Smart Fields
When you add a weekday (e.g., "Monday"), the system:
Auto-fills the correct date based on week selected
Auto-fills quantity if a default rate/unit is set for the contact
5. Defaults & Project Settings
In Timesheet Settings for a project, you can define:
Default Start and End Times – used to auto-calculate hour totals
Break Times – paid/unpaid minutes per day
These are project-specific and help maintain consistency in hourly calculations across contacts.
Note: Overtime rules will be configurable in Organisation Settings in future releases.
6. Comments, Audit Trail & Collaboration
Each contact timesheet supports:
Comments with @mentions (sends email notifications)
History tab showing who changed what and when
Assignment to a team member (for accountability)
7. Approval Workflow
Timesheets follow a Draft → Approved workflow:
All edits are saved automatically
Admins or assigned users can approve a timesheet once verified
Approved timesheets contribute to cost/resource reports immediately
Timesheets can be edited at any time—even after approval—and changes reflect in reporting automatically.
Note: There is no edit locking at this stage.
Reporting Impact
Approved or saved timesheets immediately feed into:
Cost Reports (actual labour costs by cost code/project)
Resource Reports (hours worked, supplier totals)
BoQ Actual Costs (based on cost code assignment)
Cost code assignments override contact or supplier defaults.
9. Best Practices
Maintain clean contact records with default suppliers and rates
Assign accurate cost codes for line items – drives all analytics
Use “Add All Weekdays” for quicker entry on standard shifts
Keep comments detailed and use mentions for team accountability