Batch timesheets: set up several weeks in one go
Batch timesheet creation sets up a timesheet for every week or month in a date range in one action. Swiftly Workspace asks for a From and a To date and shows a preview, then creates them all; if your role allows, you can include teammates in the same batch.
Creating timesheets one period at a time is fine in a normal week. It gets tedious after two weeks away, at the start of a quarter, or when three colleagues forgot to start theirs. Batch creation handles the setup, so the time you spend goes into the hours themselves.
What batch creation does, and what it doesn't
| It does | It doesn't |
|---|---|
| Create one draft timesheet per week or month in your range | Fill in any hours for you |
| Skip periods that already have a timesheet | Duplicate an existing timesheet |
| Include teammates, if your role allows it | Submit anything for approval |
| Report the outcome for every member and period | Undo the rows that worked if one row fails |
Whether a period is a week or a month follows your company's setting, so everyone's timesheets line up with the same periods.
How to create timesheets in a batch
- Open the timesheets list. On a Mac, click Projects in the sidebar, then Timesheets, and click + (Add Timesheet). On iPhone or iPad, open Projects, then My Timesheets, and tap +. Either way, New Timesheets opens.
- Set the range. Under Period Range, choose From and To. The screen shows the earliest and latest week (or month) of the range and how many periods it covers.
- Pick members, if you see them. If your role lets you create timesheets for others and your company has more than one member, a Members list appears with Search members. You are selected already; add the teammates you are covering for.
- Check the preview. Preview lists every member and period as Will create or Already exists, so you see what will happen before anything is saved.
- Create them. Click or tap the checkmark (Create timesheets).
- Read the result. Result shows each row as Created, Already existed or Failed, with a reason for a failure. Cancel turns into Done when you are finished.
One batch creates up to 200 timesheets, counting every member times every period. If a range is larger, split it in two.
Choosing a sensible range
A batch is easy to create and a little tedious to clean up, so a minute of thought about the range pays off:
- Match how far ahead people really log. If your team fills in time weekly, a month or a quarter ahead is plenty. Empty timesheets far in the future add clutter to everyone's list without saving any work.
- Backfill exactly the gap. When you are catching up, set From to the earliest week you missed and To to last week. The preview shows which weeks already exist, so nothing is created twice.
- Check the count before you commit. The screen shows how many weeks or months the range covers. If the number surprises you, the dates are probably off.
- Agree on it as a team. If a lead creates timesheets for others, tell them. A timesheet that appears without warning is easy to ignore.
When it saves the most time
- Back from leave. Set up the weeks you missed in one go, then fill them in from your calendar.
- Start of a quarter. Create the next thirteen weeks ahead, so the timesheet is waiting whenever you want to log something.
- Covering for the team. A team lead creates last week's timesheet for the people who haven't started theirs, so nobody is blocked when the week closes.
- New hires. Create a new colleague's timesheets for the month, so the habit starts on day one.
Filling in the hours
Each new timesheet is a draft that belongs to its member. Hours go in the usual way: open the timesheet and add an entry per block of work with its project, as the guides for submitting a timesheet on a Mac and on iPhone or iPad describe.
Batch creation also pairs well with logging time by asking Apple Intelligence. The on-device assistant adds lines to a timesheet you already have, and it doesn't create one. With the weeks set up in advance, a sentence like "two hours on the website project yesterday" always has somewhere to land.
When a week is complete, submit it for approval. How timesheet approval works covers what happens next, and weekly timesheet basics covers the habits that keep the numbers right.
Frequently asked questions
Does batch creation fill in my hours?
No. It creates empty draft timesheets for each period. You add the hours afterwards, by hand or with the on-device assistant, and submit each week when it is complete.
What happens if a week already has a timesheet?
The preview marks it Already exists, and the batch skips it. The existing timesheet and its entries stay as they are.
Can a manager create timesheets for the whole team?
Yes, if their role allows creating timesheets for others. The timesheets belong to each teammate, who fills in and submits their own hours. More on this in entering time on behalf of a colleague.
Is there a limit to how many timesheets one batch creates?
Up to 200 per batch, counting members times periods. Ten people over twenty weeks fits; for more, run two batches.
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