How timesheet sign-off works
A timesheet does not go straight from a person to the pay run. It passes through two separate sign-off stages, usually handled by two different people. Once you can tell the stages apart, it is clear why a timesheet can be approved and still not paid.
The two stages
- Stage 1: a manager approves the hours. Someone with the Approve timesheets permission reviews what a person registered and approves it. This confirms the hours are correct. See Approve or reject a timesheet.
- Stage 2: payroll gives the final sign-off. Someone with the Run payroll permission signs the approved hours off for the period. This is what readies them for the pay export.
These are usually different people. A team manager checks that the hours are right, and payroll makes the final call on releasing them for payment. The two-stage split is why a timesheet's state can read as approved but not yet paid: it has cleared stage one but is still waiting on stage two.
A nuance worth knowing
Being able to open and manage the payroll months for a period does not, on its own, let someone run the final sign-off. That is a separate right. To give the final sign-off and prepare the export, a person needs the Run payroll permission specifically. So it is possible to see and organise a period without being able to release it for payment.
Why it is split this way
Keeping the two stages apart means the person who knows the work is correct is not necessarily the person who controls the money. A manager close to the team confirms the hours, and payroll keeps a single, deliberate final gate before anything reaches the pay export. It also gives you a clear audit point: you can always tell whether a timesheet is waiting on its manager or waiting on payroll.