In NetSuite, the Lock Timesheet Period Preference helps organizations strengthen time-tracking controls by preventing users from creating or editing timesheets for closed or restricted periods. Enabling this preference ensures that timesheet entries remain aligned with payroll, project accounting, and approval timelines, reducing the risk of late changes, reporting discrepancies, and compliance issues. This topic explains how the preference works, why it is important, and what to consider before enabling it.
To use the Lock Timesheet Period preference, you must first enable the Weekly Timesheets feature.
To enable the Weekly Timesheets feature:
- NetSuite:
1. Navigate to Setup > Company > Enable Features.
2. Go to Employees tab. Under Time & Expenses, enter checkmark on Weekly Timesheets and then save.
- NetSuite Next:
1. Open Explore (hamburger icon on the bottom left corner beside the Home button). In the menu, go to Setup > Company > Enable Features.
2. Go to Employees tab. Under Time & Expenses, enter checkmark on Weekly Timesheets and then save.
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After the Weekly Timesheets feature is enabled, the Lock Timesheet Period preference becomes available.
- NetSuite:
1. Navigate to Setup > Accounting > Accounting Preferences.
2. Go to Time & Expenses tab. Under Time Tracking, the Lock Timesheet Period preference and Grace Period (in days) field are now available.
- NetSuite Next:
1. Open Explore (hamburger icon on the bottom left corner beside the Home button). In the menu, go to Setup > Accounting > Accounting preferences.
2. Go to Time & Expenses tab. Under Time Tracking, the Lock Timesheet Period preference and Grace Period (in days) field are now available.
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Users can select the period after which time entries are locked:
- None – Time entries are always allowed.
- Closed Fiscal Period – Time entries are no longer allowed once the accounting period is closed.
- Weekly – Time entries are no longer allowed after the current week ends.
- Monthly – Time entries are no longer allowed after the current month ends.
If you select Weekly or Monthly, enter the number of days that time entries should remain open in the Grace Period field. The grace period depends on the day your timesheet period begins. For example, if timesheets are set to close weekly and you enter 2 in the Grace Period field, timesheets that begin on Monday will be locked on Wednesday each week.
A single timesheet may include both locked and unlocked time entries when the timesheet covers dates that fall across different locking periods. For example, entries from a closed or restricted period may be locked, while entries from an open period remain editable.
Period locking is determined solely by the time zone of the subsidiary associated with the logged-in user. If employees work in a different time zone than their subsidiary, the actual locking time may vary and could differ by as much as 26 hours.
To avoid unexpected lockouts, consider setting the subsidiary time zone to the location where employees typically work. You can also adjust the Grace Period to give all employees enough time to submit or update their timesheets.
For global or distributed teams, it is recommended to review subsidiary time zone settings carefully and communicate the expected lock schedule to employees before enabling this preference.
Administrators have additional flexibility when managing locked timesheets. They can unlock previously locked timesheets for a specific employee when corrections are required. They may also create or edit time entries within a locked timesheet, depending on their assigned permissions.
This capability helps organizations maintain control over finalized time periods while still allowing authorized users to make necessary adjustments for payroll corrections, project billing updates, or administrative exceptions. To preserve data accuracy, these changes should be reviewed carefully and limited to users with the appropriate administrative access.Related SuiteAnswers you may check:
For those new to NetSuite, there's a dedicated category called 'New to NetSuite > Basic Accounting' where you can find a wealth of informative articles. It's a great resource to enhance your understanding and navigate the platform with confidence.
