Setting min/max hours that must be entered in a timesheet

This topic applies to the Standard and In/Out timesheet formats. If you are using the Configurable timesheet format, refer to Setting up timesheet validation rules.

Validation rules in our legacy products can define the minimum or maximum number of hours that must be entered in a timesheet before it can be submitted. Each validation rule can include multiple conditions that must all be met before timesheet submission. Each condition can apply to either a day, a week, or an entire timesheet period.

For example, you require employees to work:

  • A minimum of eight hours each work day, and
  • A maximum of 60 hours in a week

You can set up a validation rule that prevents users from submitting any timesheets that do not meet those two conditions.

Validation rules are assigned to users on the Timesheets page in user profiles.

Adding a validation rule

To add a validation rule:

  1. Go to Administration > Timesheets > Timesheet Validation Rules.
  2. Click Add Validation Rule.
  3. Enter a name for the rule.
  4. Click the Add button next to the Conditions field.

An Add New Condition dialog displays.

  1. Select the time frame for which hours worked will be validated – either Day, Week, Work Week, or Timesheet Period.
  2. Enter a number of hours to validate hours worked against, and select whether hours worked must be greater than, less than, or equal that value before the timesheet can be submitted.

For example, if a user needs to enter at least 40 hours in a timesheet before they can submit it, select Greater than or equal to 40 hours in these fields.

  1. Add additional conditions, if required, and then click Save.

About the condition time frame options

Time frame

Validates hours entered for the condition against…

Day

Hours worked each day, of the types of days you select. You can choose to validate all days, work days, weekly days off, or holidays.

Select an option and then click the >> button to apply that type of day to the condition.

Week

Hours worked each seven-day span of a timesheet period, beginning from the first day of each new timesheet period

Work week

Hours worked during the user’s assigned work week, which may not correspond to their timesheet period

Timesheet period

Hours worked during the timesheet period.

For the timesheet period time frame, you can create a custom formula that calculates the hours to validate against based on the number of days of a given type during the period and the hours worked on each type of day.

Don’t use a week-type or work week validation condition if your timesheet period will contain partial weeks

If a timesheet period ends partway through a full week, the condition will still be applied. During these partial weeks, users are unlikely to enter enough hours to pass validation, and will be unable to submit their timesheets.

Therefore, only use the week-type condition if your timesheet period is BiWeekly, Weekly, or a Manual period set to a weekly schedule.

Creating a custom timesheet period validation rule

You can create a custom formula that calculates the value that hours entered in a timesheet will be validated against. The formula can be based on the number of days of a given type during the timesheet period or the hours worked on each type of day. Therefore, the maximum or minimum value users are required to enter can change from one timesheet period to the next, depending on how many days of each type occur during the period.

For example:

During a typical week, you require a user who works 8 hours per day to enter a minimum of 40 hours per week in a weekly timesheet period. But, in weeks when holidays occur, you want holidays to be excluded from that 40 hour value.

You could create a custom condition, as follows:

Hours entered in timesheet period must be greater than or equal to TotalPeriodWorkDayHours

In this case, if a holiday occurs leaving only 4 work days in a week, the user would only have to enter 32 hours (4 days * 8 hours per day) in their timesheet.

Adding a custom rule

To create a custom rule:

  1. When creating a validation rule, select the Timesheet Period time frame option.
  2. Select whether hours worked must be greater than, less than, or equal that value calculated using the custom formula.
  3. Select the icon. The formula edit field will display.
  4. Create a formula using the available fields and operators (for example, +, -, *, and /).

  1. You can add fields by typing their names into the formula field or by placing your cursor in the position where you would like the field to display, and clicking the field name link.
  2. Click OK.

Fields available for use in custom validation rules

Field name

Description

PeriodWeekDays

Total number of weekdays in period

PeriodWorkDays

Total number of work days in period

PeriodWeeklyDaysOff

Total number of weekly days off in period

PeriodHolidays

Total number of holidays in period

TotalPeriodWeekDayHours

Sum of hours per day for all weekdays in period

TotalPeriodWorkDayHours

Sum of hours per day for all work days in period

TotalPeriodWeeklyDaysOffHours

Sum of hours per day for all weekly days off in period

TotalPeriodHolidayHours

Sum of hours per day for all holidays in period

FAQs

Do validation rules include time off hours?

Validation conditions do include time off hours. That is, time off hours are counted as part of the total hours required for successful timesheet validation.

For example, Jill's validation rule requires her to enter at least 40 hours per week. If she enters 32 working hours, and 8 time off hours in a week, that timesheet would meet her validation rule.

Is it possible to approve timesheets that don’t meet a the owner's validation rule?

Cost, billing and payroll managers with Force Approve/Reject permission for timesheets can submit and approve timesheets that do not meet the validation rules assigned to the user.

Why aren't minimum hours validation options (Greater than, Greater than or equal to, or Equal to) available for work week rules?

Since work week validation is relative to the user's work week, and not their timesheet period, the timesheet period may begin or end part-way through the validation work week. The restriction against validating for minimum hours helps prevent failed validations during partial weeks, when users are unlikely to enter enough hours to pass minimum hours validation.

Related links

Standard and In/Out timesheet template options
How Replicon timesheets work
Creating overtime rules
Overtime rule examples
Setting up timesheet validation rules