# Approve, return or reopen a week

> Approve a submitted timesheet to lock it, return it with feedback when something needs fixing, or reopen an approved week.

Source: https://docs.moodiri.com/time-tracking/approve-a-timesheet

## Why use it

Approving timesheets is your check that the hours are right before they are billed.
Once approved, a week is locked, so invoices and reports are built on hours that
cannot quietly change.

## When to use it

- **Approve** when the hours and projects look right.
- **Return for changes** when an entry is on the wrong project, missing, or looks off.
- **Reopen week** when an approved week needs a late correction.

## Before you start

- You need to be the owner, an admin with the **Time tracking** permission, or the person's assigned approver.
- Set approvers in [People and approvers](https://docs.moodiri.com/time-tracking/time-settings#people-and-approvers).

## Steps

![Sophie Martinez's submitted week open in Timesheet approvals, with Return for changes and Approve 19h 30m buttons above her totals and three billable entries.](https://docs.moodiri.com/shots/time-tracking--approve-a-timesheet-1600.webp)
Same screen with numbered callouts: https://docs.moodiri.com/shots/time-tracking--approve-a-timesheet-annotated.webp
1. Open **Time**, then **Approvals**. The **Awaiting** tab lists weeks waiting for your decision.
2. Choose a teammate's week in the queue to open it on the right.
3. Check **Items to check**, such as long entries without notes, before you decide.
4. Choose **Approve** with the week's hours, for example **Approve 19h 30m**. The week locks and its billable time is ready to invoice.
5. To send it back, choose **Return for changes**, write your **Feedback**, and choose **Return for changes** again.
6. To approve several weeks at once, tick them in the queue and choose **Approve selected**.
7. To unlock an approved week, open it from the **Approved** tab and choose **Reopen week**.

## What happens next

- **Approve:** the week shows **Approved** and is locked. Its billable time appears in [Unbilled time](https://docs.moodiri.com/time-tracking/invoice-unbilled-time).
- **Return for changes:** the week shows **Returned** and the person sees your feedback under **Week returned with comments**. They fix it and choose **Resubmit**.
- **Reopen week:** the week unlocks so it can be changed and submitted again.
- The person is notified when you approve or return their week.

## Limits

- Nobody approves their own week through **Approve**. Self-approval happens only on submit.
- Feedback when returning a week must be between 2 and 1,000 characters.
- Only the owner and admins with the **Time tracking** permission can reopen an approved week here.

## Questions

### Can I edit someone's entries before approving?

Return the week with comments instead. The person fixes their own entries and resubmits, so the record shows who changed what.

### What happens to billing when I reopen a week?

The week goes back to the person to change. Its time needs approving again before it is ready to invoice.