Master Your Work Hours & Project Time with SharePoint Timesheet

Track employee hours, manage project timelines, and handle time-off—all within a centralized and easy-to-use SharePoint-based timesheet system.

Best Way to Build a Timesheet in SharePoint (2025 Guide)

SharePoint is trusted by over 200M users worldwide for its powerful collaboration and productivity capabilities. Beyond document management and team sites, SharePoint can also be used to build a custom SharePoint timesheet system to track employee hours, manage project time, and monitor resource allocation.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to create a SharePoint timesheet that improves visibility, enhances time tracking accuracy, and helps your team stay organized and accountable.

What is a SharePoint Timesheet System?

A SharePoint Timesheet System is a customized solution built within Microsoft SharePoint that allows employees to log work hours, track project time, and submit timesheets for approval. Instead of using third-party tools, organizations can leverage SharePoint’s native features—like lists, workflows, and automation—to manage timesheet entries, approvals, and reporting in one centralized workspace.

This system not only helps improve time tracking accuracy but also integrates seamlessly with your existing SharePoint environment, making it ideal for internal resource planning and payroll processing.

Steps to Set Up Your SharePoint Timesheet System

Create a SharePoint Site
Begin by creating a dedicated SharePoint site for managing timesheets. You can choose a Team Site for internal collaboration or a Communication Site if the content needs to be shared more broadly. This site will serve as the central hub where all timesheet-related activities will take place. Keep the layout clean and simple so it’s easy for employees to use. Make sure to include a short welcome message or overview section. This helps new users quickly understand the purpose of the site.
Name the Site Clearly
Give the site a relevant and descriptive name such as “Timesheet Portal” or “Work Hours Tracker.” This improves navigation and makes it easier for employees to find. Avoid generic names that could cause confusion with other sites. A strong, clear title sets the tone for the purpose of the site. You can also include the current year or department if needed. Add a favicon or site logo to brand it properly.
Add a Site Description and Logo
Write a brief description for the site that outlines its purpose—for example: “Submit and manage weekly timesheets for time tracking processing.” Upload your company logo or a relevant icon to visually differentiate the site from others. This helps build familiarity and improves the user experience. The description can also be helpful when searching or linking internally. Make sure the logo looks good on both desktop and mobile views.
Set Up a Timesheet List
Click on “New” > “List” to create a new SharePoint list where employee work hours will be stored. Give the list a clear name like “Employee Timesheets” to avoid confusion. You’ll use this list to capture all time entries submitted by team members. This list will act as the core structure of your timesheet tracking system. Make sure the list is visible from the homepage. This makes it easy to access.
Add Core Columns
Start by adding essential fields that every timesheet needs. These should include Employee Name, Date, Project or Task, and Hours Worked. Use appropriate field types like “Person” for names and “Date” for dates. This ensures consistency and prevents formatting issues later. You can also add formatting rules to highlight missing or unusual entries. These columns lay the foundation for reports and approvals.
Include Optional Fields
To enhance the flexibility of your timesheet system, include additional columns such as Department, Work Location, Notes, or Overtime. These optional fields help capture more context around the work. Dropdowns and Yes/No choices help standardize inputs. Including these fields can help in finance during audits or project analysis. Remember to keep the form user-friendly—don’t overload it with unnecessary fields.
Create a Status Field
Add a “Status” column to track the approval stage of each timesheet. Common statuses include Submitted, Approved, and Rejected. This makes it easy for both employees and managers to know where each entry stands. You can use formatting rules to color-code each status. This adds visual clarity for managers scanning multiple entries. The status field also works well with workflows.
Customize the Entry Form
Use SharePoint’s form editor or Power Apps to enhance the user experience. Group related fields together and label them clearly. Use dropdowns for project names, date pickers for dates, and tooltips for guidance. A clean form encourages accurate entries and reduces the time needed to fill out each submission. Make mandatory fields stand out with asterisks. Customize the form to match your company’s workflow and branding.
Use Dropdowns and Predefined Choices
Instead of free-text fields, use choice fields with predefined options for things like project names, departments, and work types. This improves data consistency and makes it easier to filter and report on entries. Dropdowns also help reduce spelling errors and variation in input. You can update the choices over time as new projects or teams are added. Well-structured choices improve long-term usability.
Apply Required Fields
Mark critical fields—like Date, Hours Worked, and Project Name—as required to prevent incomplete timesheet submissions. This ensures you always capture the minimum data needed for approvals and reporting. Required fields reduce back-and-forth between employees and managers. Make sure users are aware of which fields are mandatory. You can use validation messages to guide them when fields are left blank.
Create a Timesheet Submission Button
Add a button or link on the homepage labelled “Submit Timesheet” that directs users to the new item form. This simplifies the process and saves employees from digging through the site. You can add it using a web part or a quick link. Consider pairing the button with a short guide or tooltip. Making submission easy encourages better adoption of the system.
Set Up an Approval Workflow in Power Automate
Use Power Automate to create a workflow that sends an email to the employee’s manager whenever a timesheet is submitted. Include options to Approve or Reject the entry directly from the email. Update the Status field automatically based on the action taken. This adds structure to your process and reduces delays. You can also log timestamps for when approvals are made.
Add Reminders for Pending Approvals
Configure Power Automate to send reminder emails if a manager has not approved a timesheet within a set period (e.g., 3 days). This helps maintain timely approvals and avoids payroll delays. You can add reminders to appear on a SharePoint dashboard too. These notifications help keep everyone accountable. Make sure reminders are sent only to relevant users to avoid email overload.
Enable Role-Based Permissions
Set up SharePoint permissions so employees can only see and edit their own timesheet entries. Managers should have access to view and approve entries for their teams. Admins or HR teams can be given full access to manage and report on all data. This protects sensitive employee data while giving the right level of access to stakeholders. Review and test permission settings carefully before going live.
Create Role-Specific Views
Design different list views for different user roles. For example, “My Timesheets” for employees, “Pending Approvals” for managers, and “All Approved” for HR. Use filters like [Me] to automatically show user-specific data. Grouping entries by Project or Status helps with visual clarity. You can pin the most useful views, so they appear by default. This helps everyone find what they need faster.
Enable Grouping and Sorting
Use grouping features to cluster entries by Employee Name, Project, or Week. Sort data by Date or Status to make it easier to review timesheets briefly. You can also collapse and expand groups as needed. These visual features reduce scrolling and make large lists more manageable. Sorting also helps when exporting or auditing data.
Integrate with Power BI (Optional)
If you want advanced analytics, connect your SharePoint list to Power BI. This allows you to create dashboards showing total hours worked, project-wise time breakdown, or department-level productivity. Visual reports can help leadership teams spot trends or resource issues. Refresh data on a schedule to keep reports updated. Power BI adds a visual, data-driven layer to your time tracking process.
Export Data to Excel or CSV
Allow HR or Finance teams to export approved timesheet data to Excel for further use—whether for payroll, billing, or audit purposes. SharePoint makes it easy to export filtered views directly. You can also create scheduled flows to back up data weekly. Make sure exported files are stored securely, especially if they contain sensitive information. Excel integration helps bridge SharePoint with existing finance tools.
Archive Old Entries Periodically
To keep your main list fast and uncluttered, move older timesheet entries to an archive list every 3–6 months. You can automate this using Power Automate or do it manually on a schedule. Archiving helps reduce load time and makes it easier to focus on current data. Keep archived data in a read-only format if needed. Always notify stakeholders before deleting or moving records.
Add a Knowledge Base Section
Create a Knowledge Base within your SharePoint site to answer common questions and guide users. Use SharePoint Pages or a Document Library to host how-to guides, FAQs, approval flow diagrams, and short video tutorials. Include articles like “How to Submit a Timesheet,” “What to Do if Hours Are Rejected,” and “Approval Workflow Overview.” This reduces support requests and helps employees solve problems on their own. Organize content with folders, tags, or a simple search bar for quick access.
Train Your Team
Provide a short training session, video tutorial, or user guide to show employees how to submit timesheets, view approvals, and handle errors. Training ensures consistent usage and reduces confusion. Keep the documentation simple and use screenshots for clarity. Offer a FAQ section on the SharePoint site. Ongoing support helps build confidence in using the system correctly.

How to Manage Timesheets and Workflows in SharePoint

Managing employee timesheets and workflows effectively is essential for ensuring accurate payroll, project billing, and team accountability. While SharePoint provides a flexible platform to build a basic timesheet system, managing the full lifecycle from submission to approval requires careful planning and workflow automation.

Tracking and Approving Timesheets

Efficient tracking and approval are at the heart of a functional timesheet system. In SharePoint, you can use custom views and filters to keep track of timesheet entries by project, employee, week, or status (e.g., Submitted, Approved, Rejected).

Create filtered views for:

Timesheets awaiting approval
Approved entries for payroll
Rejected timesheets needing revision
Use the “Created by” and Status filters to let employees see only their entries, while managers can view their team’s submissions.

To reduce manual effort, use Power Automate to notify managers when a new timesheet is submitted. Once reviewed, they can approve or reject the entry directly from email, and the status gets updated in real time.

Automating Approval and Escalation Workflows

Just like in a ticketing system, timely processing is key. You can create escalation workflows using Power Automate to flag unapproved timesheets after a certain period. For example:

Send a reminder to managers if a timesheet remains pending after 3 days.
Escalate overdue approvals to HR or senior managers for action.

Similarly, when a timesheet is approved, workflows can:

Notify payroll or finance teams.
Log time entries into reports or external systems.
Trigger status changes and create audit trails automatically.

This reduces delays, increases visibility, and improves accountability across departments.

Is a SharePoint Timesheet System the Right Choice?

While SharePoint allows you to build a basic timesheet tracker, it may not offer the level of automation, user-friendliness, or analytics required by growing organizations. Some common limitations include:

Manual process dependency with limited workflow depth
No built-in calendar or time visualization
Basic reporting that lacks real-time insights
No mobile interface or offline time capture
Challenging integration with payroll or billing tools
No reminders or recurring entry options
Limited role-based dashboards

If your team handles dozens—or hundreds—of time entries weekly, managing it all via SharePoint can quickly become overwhelming.

Why Choose Timesheet 365?

Timesheet 365 is a modern, user-friendly timesheet solution built to overcome the limitations of SharePoint-only setups. It enhances your time tracking process with features like:

Automated approval workflows with smart escalations
Calendar view to track time visually by day or week
Real-time reminders for submissions and approvals
Advanced dashboards and reporting for HR, payroll, and managers
Mobile-friendly interface for employees on the go
Integrations with Microsoft Teams

With Timesheet 365, you get a ready-to-use solution that eliminates manual overhead, enhances visibility, and simplifies compliance.

Final Thoughts

While SharePoint is a solid foundation for creating a basic timesheet system, it may fall short when scalability, automation, and analytics become essential. That’s where Timesheet 365 makes a measurable difference offering a robust, flexible, and fully managed alternative.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a SharePoint timesheet?

A SharePoint timesheet is a time tracking system built within the Microsoft SharePoint platform. It allows employees to log their working hours, project time, and leave details in one centralized location. Organizations use it to streamline attendance tracking, project billing, and resource allocation directly within their existing SharePoint environment.

Can I create a custom SharePoint timesheet without coding?

Yes, you can create a custom SharePoint timesheet without any coding by using SharePoint lists, forms, and workflows. You can also enhance it using Microsoft Power Automate for approval workflows and notifications. However, for advanced features like reporting, overtime calculation, or payroll sync, you may need third-party integrations.

How does SharePoint timesheet help with project tracking?

A SharePoint timesheet helps track employee hours against specific tasks or projects. This ensures better visibility into project timelines, resource usage, and budget control. By analyzing logged hours, managers can make more informed decisions on deadlines and staffing needs.

What are the limitations of using a native SharePoint timesheet?

While SharePoint timesheets are great for basic time logging, they may lack built-in advanced features like automatic overtime calculation, calendar sync, mobile access, or visual dashboards. Organizations often supplement it with external tools or choose specialized solutions like Timesheet 365 for better accuracy and efficiency.

How does Timesheet 365 improve the SharePoint timesheet experience?

Timesheet 365 integrates with SharePoint and Microsoft 365 to offer a more modern, intuitive, and feature-rich time tracking solution. It supports multi-project logging, custom approval workflows, real-time reports, and seamless integration with payroll or billing systems. It enhances compliance and reduces manual errors in timekeeping.

Is SharePoint timesheet suitable for remote or hybrid teams?

A SharePoint timesheet can be used by remote or hybrid teams if hosted on SharePoint Online or Microsoft 365. However, usability and flexibility might be limited without customization. Tools like Timesheet 365 offer mobile access, notifications, and dashboard views that are more suitable for today’s distributed workforce.