How timesheets and invoices work when you book agency staff
Published 2026-10-21
In short
Hours are recorded for each shift, and you check them against what you booked. Approving the timesheet each week is your chance to correct mistakes before they reach an invoice. The invoice should match the approved hours exactly, which makes it easy to check and to keep for your accounts.
Who records the hours
With most agencies, the worker's hours are recorded for each shift, either by the worker signing in and out or by a digital record. Your site may also keep its own signing-in sheet, which is useful for checking.
Agree at the start which record counts. If your site and the agency both keep records, decide which one is used for approval so there is no argument later.
- How hours are recorded for each shift
- Whether your site keeps its own record
- Which record is used for approval
Checking hours against the booking
Each week, compare the recorded hours with what you booked. Look for shifts that ran longer or shorter than planned, missing breaks and any shift that does not match your own records.
Small differences are normal, such as a shift that ran fifteen minutes late because a task took longer. Larger gaps are worth a question before you approve anything.
It helps to check little and often. Looking at the hours each week, while the shifts are fresh in your supervisor's memory, is far easier than trying to reconstruct a month of shifts when the invoice arrives.
- Recorded hours against booked hours
- Breaks deducted as agreed
- Any shift missing from your own records
Approving the timesheet each week
Approval is the step that turns recorded hours into billable hours. Name one person to approve each week, and make sure they know the deadline, so approvals do not pile up.
Approve only what you are satisfied with. If something is unclear, query it first; it is much simpler to correct a timesheet than an invoice.
- One named approver
- A weekly deadline for approval
- Queries raised before approving
What to do if hours look wrong
If hours look wrong, contact the agency with the shift date, the worker's name and what you believe the correct hours are. Include your own record if you have one.
Most mistakes are simple: a missed sign-out, a break not deducted or a shift entered on the wrong day. A clear query usually resolves them quickly.
- Date, worker and the hours you expected
- Your own record as evidence
- A reply before you approve
How the invoice relates to approved hours
The invoice should be built from the approved hours, multiplied by the agreed hourly charge, with VAT added where it applies. If the hours match what you approved, the invoice is straightforward to check.
Check that the invoice lists each worker and shift, or at least the total hours per week. A summary that cannot be traced back to approved hours is hard to verify.
- Invoice built from approved hours
- Hourly charge as agreed in the booking
- Hours traceable to each shift
Keeping records for your own accounts
Keep approved timesheets alongside the matching invoices. Your accounts team, or your accountant, will want to see that every invoice was checked against hours.
A simple folder per month, with timesheets and invoices together, is enough for most businesses and makes year-end much easier.
- Timesheets kept with invoices
- One folder per month
- Records available for your accountant
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Questions
Who approves agency timesheets?
A named person at your site, usually the manager who supervises the workers. Approval confirms the hours that will be invoiced.
What happens if I do not approve the timesheet on time?
It can delay the invoice and make queries harder to resolve. Agree a weekly deadline with the agency and keep to it.
Can I query hours after approving them?
It is possible but harder. The best time to raise a question is before approval, while the shift is still fresh in everyone's memory.
Should the invoice match the timesheet exactly?
Yes. The hours on the invoice should match the approved hours, with the agreed charge and VAT where it applies.