Question 1

What is TimeSubmit?

Accepted Answer

TimeSubmit is a comprehensive SaaS platform designed for consultancies to manage their entire workflow - from client organisations and projects to consultant timesheets, approval workflows, and invoice generation. It streamlines the process of tracking billable hours, getting approvals from clients, and generating professional invoices. The platform supports multiple user roles including consultancy admins, consultants, and external timesheet approvers.

Question 2

Who is TimeSubmit designed for?

Accepted Answer

TimeSubmit is built specifically for consultancies that provide services to multiple client organisations. Whether you're a small consultancy with a few consultants or a large firm managing dozens of projects across multiple clients, TimeSubmit scales with your needs. The platform is designed for consultancy admins who manage operations, consultants who track their time, and client approvers who review and approve submitted work.

Question 3

How do I get started with TimeSubmit?

Accepted Answer

Getting started is simple: sign up for a free account (no credit card required), complete your consultancy profile during onboarding, and immediately start creating client organisations and projects. Once set up, you can invite consultants via email who will receive a magic link to complete their profiles. You can also invite external timesheet approvers from your client organisations to approve consultant work before invoice generation.

Question 4

What's the difference between Organisations and Projects?

Accepted Answer

Organisations represent your client companies - the businesses you provide services to. Projects are specific work engagements under those organisations. For example, if "Acme Corp" is your client (organisation), you might have multiple projects like "Website Redesign" and "Marketing Consulting" under Acme Corp. Each project can have different consultants assigned, different rates, and different approval workflows.

Question 5

How do I accept my consultant invitation?

Accepted Answer

When a consultancy admin invites you, you'll receive an email with a secure magic link. Click this link to access the sign-up page where you'll set your password and complete your profile. The onboarding process includes adding your personal details, bank information for payments, and configuring your invoice customisation preferences (logo, terms & conditions, footer text).

Question 6

What information do I need to provide as a consultant?

Accepted Answer

You'll need to provide your full name, email address, phone number (optional), and bank details for receiving payments (account name, account number, sort code, IBAN, SWIFT if applicable). You can also upload a profile image and configure invoice customisation settings including your logo, custom terms & conditions, and footer text that will appear on your invoices.

Question 7

How do I submit my first timesheet?

Accepted Answer

From your consultant dashboard, navigate to "My Timesheets" and click "Create Timesheet." Select the project you're working on, add time entries for each day worked (including date, hours, description, and billable/non-billable status), and click "Submit for Approval." Once submitted, the assigned timesheet approver will receive a notification to review your work.

Question 8

Can I work on multiple projects at the same time?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Consultants can be assigned to multiple projects across different client organisations. In a single timesheet period, you can log time entries for different projects on different days. For example, Monday could be 8 hours on Project A, Tuesday could be 4 hours on Project A and 4 hours on Project B. The system automatically tracks billable hours per project.

Question 9

What happens after I submit a timesheet?

Accepted Answer

Once you submit a timesheet, it moves to "Submitted" status and the assigned timesheet approver receives a notification. The approver will review your time entries and either approve or reject the timesheet. If approved, you can then generate an invoice from those hours. If rejected, you'll receive comments explaining the reason, and you can edit and resubmit the timesheet.

Question 10

How do I know when my timesheet is approved?

Accepted Answer

You'll receive an email notification when your timesheet is approved or rejected. You can also check the status in your "My Timesheets" dashboard, where each timesheet shows its current status (Draft, Submitted, Approved, or Rejected). Approved timesheets will have a green status badge and can be used to generate invoices.

Question 11

How do I accept my timesheet approver invitation?

Accepted Answer

When a consultancy admin invites you as a timesheet approver, you'll receive an email with a secure magic link. Click this link to set your password and complete a brief profile (name, email, department). You'll then have immediate access to your timesheet approver dashboard where you can review and approve submitted timesheets for the projects you're assigned to.

Question 12

What projects can I see as a timesheet approver?

Accepted Answer

You can only see projects that you've been explicitly assigned to by the consultancy admin. This is project-specific access - you won't see other projects within the same organisation or any financial details like consultant rates or invoice amounts. Your access is limited to reviewing and approving/rejecting timesheets for your assigned projects only.

Question 13

How do I approve or reject a timesheet?

Accepted Answer

From your timesheet approver dashboard, you'll see a list of pending timesheets. Click on a timesheet to view detailed time entries including dates, hours worked, and descriptions. Review each entry carefully, and then click either "Approve" to accept the work or "Reject" to send it back to the consultant. If rejecting, you must provide comments explaining what needs to be corrected.

Question 14

Can I add comments when approving or rejecting timesheets?

Accepted Answer

Yes! When approving a timesheet, you can optionally add positive feedback or notes. When rejecting a timesheet, you must provide comments explaining why it was rejected and what the consultant needs to change. These comments are visible to the consultant and help them understand what corrections are needed before resubmitting.

Question 15

How does the timesheet approval workflow work?

Accepted Answer

Consultants create weekly or monthly timesheets logging their hours per project with detailed descriptions and billable/non-billable tracking. Once submitted, the assigned timesheet approver (typically from the client organisation) receives a notification to review the work. Approvers can either approve the timesheet or reject it with comments. Once approved, consultants can generate invoices from the approved hours. Consultancy admins can also manually override approvals if needed.

Question 16

What are the different timesheet statuses?

Accepted Answer

Timesheets can have four statuses: Draft (consultant is still working on it), Submitted (sent to approver for review), Approved (approver accepted the work, can now generate invoice), and Rejected (approver sent back with comments for corrections). You can track the status of each timesheet in your dashboard, and the system sends email notifications when status changes occur.

Question 17

Can I edit a timesheet after submitting it?

Accepted Answer

Once a timesheet is submitted, you cannot edit it directly. However, if the approver rejects it with comments, the timesheet returns to Draft status and you can make the requested changes before resubmitting. If you realize you need to make changes to a submitted timesheet before approval, contact your consultancy admin who can send it back to you.

Question 18

What is sequential approval and how does it work?

Accepted Answer

Sequential approval is a workflow where multiple approvers must approve a timesheet in a specific order. For example, a junior approver might review first, then a senior approver must approve second. The timesheet only moves to "Approved" status after all approvers in the sequence have approved it. This is useful for organisations with hierarchical approval requirements.

Question 19

Can consultancy admins override timesheet approvals?

Accepted Answer

Yes, consultancy admins have full visibility into all timesheets and can manually approve or reject any timesheet, even if it's already been approved or rejected by a timesheet approver. This override capability allows admins to handle special cases, resolve disputes, or expedite invoicing when necessary. Any admin overrides are logged in the timesheet history.

Question 20

How do I generate an invoice from approved timesheets?

Accepted Answer

Navigate to "My Invoices" in your consultant dashboard and click "Generate Invoice." Select the client organisation, then choose which approved timesheets to include (you can combine multiple approved timesheets into one invoice). Review the invoice preview, customise any details, then save as Draft or mark as Sent. You can download the invoice as a PDF to send to the client.

Question 21

Can I customise my invoice templates?

Accepted Answer

Yes! In your profile settings, you can configure invoice customisation options including uploading your logo (appears in invoice header), custom terms & conditions (legal text at bottom), custom footer text (additional notes or payment instructions), and complete bank details (account name, number, sort code, IBAN, SWIFT). These customisations apply to all invoices you generate.

Question 22

How do I add my company logo to invoices?

Accepted Answer

Go to your consultant profile settings and navigate to "Invoice Customisation." Click "Upload Logo" and select your image file (PNG, JPG, or SVG recommended). The logo will appear in the header of all invoices you generate. For best results, use a transparent PNG with your company logo in a horizontal layout.

Question 23

How do I send invoices to client organisations?

Accepted Answer

After generating an invoice, you can mark it as "Sent" which records the sent date and updates the invoice status. Download the invoice PDF and send it via email to the client's billing contact. Some consultancies prefer to send invoices themselves, so check with your consultancy admin about your organisation's invoicing process. The platform integrates with Stripe for optional payment processing.

Question 24

How do I track invoice payment status?

Accepted Answer

In your "My Invoices" dashboard, each invoice displays its current status with a colour-coded badge: Draft (grey - not yet sent), Sent (blue - sent to client, awaiting payment), Paid (green - payment received and confirmed), or Overdue (red - past due date without payment). You can filter invoices by status and sort by date to manage your receivables effectively.

Question 25

Can consultants work on multiple projects simultaneously?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Consultants can be assigned to multiple projects across different client organisations. In a single timesheet, consultants can log time entries for different projects on different days. For example, Monday could be 8 hours on Project A, Tuesday could be 4 hours on Project A and 4 hours on Project B. The system tracks billable hours per project automatically.

Question 26

What invoice features does TimeSubmit offer?

Accepted Answer

TimeSubmit generates professional invoices automatically from approved timesheets. Consultants can customise invoice templates with their own logo, custom terms & conditions, footer text, and bank details. Invoices show itemised time entries with dates, descriptions, hours, and amounts. The system tracks invoice status (Draft, Sent, Paid, Overdue) and integrates with Stripe for payment processing. You can download invoices as PDFs and send them directly to client organisations.

Question 27

Does TimeSubmit support different billing rates?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! Each project can have its own hourly rate, and you can configure consultant rates individually (daily or hourly). When assigning a consultant to a project, you can specify a custom rate for that engagement. The system automatically calculates invoice amounts based on the project rate and approved hours. This flexibility allows you to have different pricing for different clients or project types.

Question 28

What reporting and analytics are available?

Accepted Answer

TimeSubmit provides comprehensive reports including Consultant Hours Reports (utilisation tracking), Project Status Reports (project health and completion), Invoice Summary Reports (revenue and payment status), and Timesheet Approval Reports (approval bottlenecks). The Analytics dashboard offers Project Performance, Consultant Performance, Financial Analytics, and Time Tracking Analytics with visual charts. All reports can be exported to CSV for further analysis in Excel or other tools.

Question 29

What are the different user roles in TimeSubmit?

Accepted Answer

TimeSubmit has four distinct roles: System Admin (TimeSubmit staff with platform-wide access), Consultancy Admin (your account owner who manages organisations, projects, consultants, and subscriptions), Consultant (team members who submit timesheets and generate invoices), and Timesheet Approver (external stakeholders, usually from client organisations, who approve submitted work). Each role has a custom dashboard tailored to their responsibilities and permissions.

Question 30

How do I invite consultants and approvers to TimeSubmit?

Accepted Answer

From your dashboard, navigate to the Consultants section and click "Invite Consultant." Enter their email address, and they'll receive a magic link to complete their profile and set a password. For timesheet approvers, go to a specific project's detail page, click the "Timesheet Approvers" tab, and invite them via email. Approvers don't need full accounts - they get secure, limited access to review timesheets for only the projects they're assigned to. Both consultants and approvers complete a simple onboarding flow with visual guides.

Question 31

What can timesheet approvers see and do?

Accepted Answer

Timesheet approvers have limited, project-specific access. They can only see timesheets for projects they're assigned to - they cannot see other projects, financial details like consultant rates or invoice amounts, or any consultancy-wide data. Their role is focused solely on reviewing time entries and approving/rejecting submitted timesheets with comments. They cannot generate invoices or modify project settings.

Question 32

What is the difference between a consultancy and an organisation?

Accepted Answer

A consultancy is YOU - the SaaS customer who subscribes to TimeSubmit, employs consultants, and manages operations. Organisations are your CLIENTS - the companies you provide services to. For example, if you run "Smith Consulting Ltd" (consultancy), your clients might include "Acme Corp" and "Beta Industries" (organisations). Projects belong to organisations, consultants are employed by consultancies, and invoices flow from consultants to organisations.

Question 33

What subscription tiers does TimeSubmit offer?

Accepted Answer

We offer four tiers: Free (1 organisation, 1 project, 2 consultants, 1GB storage - perfect for getting started), Starter at £49/month (1 organisation, 3 projects, 5 consultants, 5GB storage - ideal for small consultancies), Professional at £99/month (5 organisations, 15 projects, 25 consultants, 25GB storage - for growing businesses), and Enterprise with unlimited organisations, projects, consultants, and 100GB storage. No credit card required for the free plan.

Question 34

Can I upgrade or downgrade my subscription plan?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You can upgrade or downgrade your subscription at any time from the Settings page. When you upgrade, the change takes effect immediately and you'll be charged a prorated amount for the remainder of the billing cycle. When you downgrade, the change takes effect at the end of your current billing period, so you continue to enjoy your current tier's features until then. The system will alert you if you're approaching the limits of your current tier.

Question 35

What happens if I exceed my subscription limits?

Accepted Answer

If you reach the limits of your subscription tier (e.g., maximum number of projects or consultants), the system will prevent you from adding more resources and prompt you to upgrade. You won't lose any existing data, and all current projects and consultants continue to function normally. You simply need to upgrade to a higher tier to add more. We'll also send you warning notifications as you approach your limits so you can plan accordingly.

Question 36

How secure is my data on TimeSubmit?

Accepted Answer

Security is our top priority. TimeSubmit uses enterprise-grade security with Supabase PostgreSQL and Row-Level Security (RLS) policies ensuring complete data isolation between consultancies. We enforce multi-tenant isolation at the database level with over 100 security policies. All data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest. Authentication uses secure token revalidation (no cached sessions), and we implement role-based access control so users only see data they're authorised to access. Our infrastructure is hosted on Vercel and Supabase with industry-standard compliance.

Question 37

Who can access my consultancy's data?

Accepted Answer

Access is strictly controlled by role: Consultancy Admins have full access to their consultancy's organisations, projects, consultants, and financial data. Consultants can only see their own timesheets, assigned projects, and personal invoices - they cannot see other consultants' data. Timesheet Approvers have limited access to only the specific projects they're assigned to approve - they can't see financial details or other projects. System Admins (TimeSubmit staff) have access for platform maintenance but are bound by strict data privacy agreements.

Question 38

Does TimeSubmit integrate with other tools?

Accepted Answer

Currently, TimeSubmit integrates with Stripe for payment processing and subscription management, and SendGrid for transactional emails (invitations, notifications, invoice delivery). We use Supabase for database and authentication, which provides a robust API for future integrations. While direct integrations with accounting software (Xero, QuickBooks) and project management tools (Asana, Trello) are on our roadmap, you can currently export all data to CSV for manual import into other systems.

Question 39

I can't log in - what should I do?

Accepted Answer

First, check that you're using the correct email address and password. If you've forgotten your password, click "Forgot Password" on the login page to receive a password reset email. If you're a new user, check your email inbox (and spam folder) for your invitation link. If you still can't access your account, contact your consultancy admin or reach out to our support team at support@timesubmit.com.

Question 40

My invitation link expired - how do I get a new one?

Accepted Answer

Invitation links expire after 7 days for security reasons. Contact the consultancy admin who invited you and ask them to resend the invitation. They can do this from the Consultants or Timesheet Approvers section by finding your email and clicking "Resend Invitation." You'll receive a new email with a fresh magic link that's valid for another 7 days.

Question 41

I'm getting a "permission denied" error - why?

Accepted Answer

This typically means you're trying to access a resource you don't have permissions for. Consultants can only see their own data and assigned projects. Timesheet Approvers can only see projects they're assigned to. If you believe you should have access, contact your consultancy admin to verify your role and project assignments. For security reasons, TimeSubmit enforces strict role-based access control.

Question 42

I've reached my subscription limit - what now?

Accepted Answer

If you've hit your tier's limits (projects, consultants, or storage), you'll see a notification prompting you to upgrade. Navigate to Settings → Billing to view available plans and upgrade. Existing data remains safe, but you won't be able to add more resources until you upgrade. The Professional tier offers significantly higher limits (5 organisations, 15 projects, 25 consultants), or consider Enterprise for unlimited resources.

Question 43

How do I reset my password?

Accepted Answer

Click "Forgot Password" on the login page and enter your email address. You'll receive an email with a password reset link. Click the link, enter your new password (minimum 8 characters), and confirm. You'll be automatically logged in with your new password. For security, password reset links expire after 1 hour.

Question 44

Who do I contact if I encounter a technical issue?

Accepted Answer

For technical issues or bugs, contact our support team at support@timesubmit.com or use the contact form at /contact. Include details about the issue (what you were doing, error messages, screenshots if possible) and your account email. Our team typically responds within 2-4 hours during business hours (Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM GMT). For urgent issues affecting multiple users, we offer priority support for Professional and Enterprise plans.

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

Consultant Onboarding

Timesheet Approver Onboarding

Timesheet Workflows

Invoice Management

Features & Functionality

User Roles & Permissions

Billing & Subscriptions

Security & Data Privacy

Troubleshooting Common Issues

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