A client says the hours on the invoice are wrong. With NextCrew, you answer with the record, not with a phone call and someone's memory.
Summary
Every hour on a NextCrew invoice has a trail behind it. Crew can only clock in and out at the job site, and those locations are kept on the timesheet. The client can approve or decline each timesheet in their portal before you bill. Every correction your team makes carries a note, and the Timesheet Audit History report shows what changed. The invoice keeps its own copy of the timesheets, and the backup can go with it. Most disputes come from two gaps: hours billed before the client had a chance to approve them, and corrections made without a note.
How to do it
- Open the timesheet in Operation › Timesheet and check the clock-in and clock-out times and locations.
- Check its status: Client Approved means the client already approved those hours in their portal.
- Read the notes on the timesheet for any change and the reason for it.
- For the full history, run the Timesheet Audit History report under Reports › Audit Trail.
- Send the client the invoice with its timesheets attached.
- If the client is right, set the timesheet to Under Review, correct it with a note, and correct the invoice.
That's the hours proved, or put right. Everything below is for setting things up so the next dispute is settled before it starts.
On this page
- Why it matters
- Where it usually breaks
- The proof you already have
- The right way, before the dispute
- When a client questions the hours
- Who owns what
- What runs on its own
- Where CrewPilot AI helps
- Numbers to watch
- A worked example
- You're set up when…
- If something isn't working
- Questions people ask
- Other ways people ask this
- Related guides
Why it matters
- Clients trust you when every hour they pay for has a record behind it.
- Crew stay loyal when their hours are paid as worked, without a client knocking time off on a hunch.
- Your team builds relationships instead of arguing about who was where at 7 a.m.
Where it usually breaks
- Hours are billed before the client has looked at them, so the first time they check is when the invoice arrives.
- A time is fixed without a note, so months later nobody knows why it changed.
- Timesheets are approved in a rush and the mistake turns up after payroll.
- Hours come in by text or on paper, so there's nothing to show.
- The invoice goes out without the timesheets the client wants to see.
The proof you already have
| Proof | What it shows | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| Clock-in at the job site | Crew can only clock in and out inside the job's geofence, so the punch happened at the site | The clock-in and clock-out locations on the timesheet |
| A photo at each punch | Who clocked in, if your agency requires a photo at clock-in and clock-out | The timesheet |
| Supervisor Approved | An on-site supervisor clocked the Crew Member in or approved the time | The timesheet status. See Make a Crew Member the Supervisor on an Order |
| Client Approved | The client checked and approved the hours in their portal | The timesheet status. See Approve or Decline Timesheets |
| Notes on the timesheet | Why a time or rate was changed | The Notes section of the timesheet |
| Timesheet Audit History | The history of changes to timesheets | Reports › Audit Trail |
| The invoice snapshot | The timesheets exactly as they were when the invoice was created, even if one changes later | The invoice. See Create Invoices in a Batch |
| Message tracking | Whether a message about the job was delivered | Reports › Audit Trail › Email, Push and SMS Tracking (2.0). See Email, Push and Text Tracking |
The right way, before the dispute
Get the hours into NextCrew the right way.
- Crew clock in and out in the app, at the job site. See Run Today's Jobs: Start Here.
- At events and busy sites, make a Crew Member the supervisor on the order, so the team is clocked in at the door rather than written on a sheet.
Let the client approve before you bill.
- Give the client's approver portal access and walk them through approving once. See Orient New Clients to Use NextCrew.
- Their approval marks the timesheet Client Approved. A decline comes back to your team with the reason.
- Your team still gives the final approval. See Approve Timesheets: Start Here.
Write down every change.
- When you correct a time, add a note under Notes saying what changed and why. See Add, Clone or Fix a Timesheet.
- Use Under Review while you look into something, so the Crew Member can't change it in the meantime.
- Use Not Completed for a no-show instead of deleting the timesheet, so the record stays.
Send the backup with the invoice.
- For clients who want it, turn on Attach timesheets when you create the invoices.
When a client questions the hours
- Ask which hours. Get the Crew Member, the date and what the client thinks is wrong.
- Open the timesheet. Check the clock-in and clock-out times and locations, the break, and the status.
- Check who approved it. Client Approved means their own approver signed off. Supervisor Approved means someone on site did.
- Read the notes and the history. The notes say why anything changed. The Timesheet Audit History report shows the changes.
- Answer with the record. Send the invoice with its timesheets, and point to the approval.
- If they're right, fix it properly. Set the timesheet to Under Review, correct it, add a note and approve it again. Then correct the invoice so it picks up the change. If payroll has already run, see Fix Pay After Payroll Has Run.
Who owns what
| Step | Usually owned by | What has to be true |
|---|---|---|
| Clock-in and clock-out | Crew, or the on-site supervisor | Done in the app, at the job site |
| Client approval | The client's approver | They have portal access and know how to approve |
| Corrections | Your timesheet team | Every change has a note |
| Final approval | Your timesheet team | Done before payroll cut-off |
| The invoice and its backup | Billing | Timesheets attached for clients who want them |
| The client conversation | The account manager | They can open the timesheet and the history |
What runs on its own
These are workflow automation, not AI. See What NextCrew Automates for You.
- The geofence check on every clock-in and clock-out.
- The timesheet, built from the clock times, with the locations kept on it.
- The Invoiced mark on each timesheet once it's on an invoice, so it's never billed twice.
- The copy of the timesheets saved with each invoice.
Where CrewPilot AI helps
- Check timesheets before you approve. Select up to 100 timesheets on Admin Timesheets and ask CrewPilot to check them. It shows which are ready and which need attention, such as a missing clock-out or unsaved edits. Nothing changes until you choose to apply the approval.
- Ask in plain words. Ask CrewPilot about a Crew Member's hours or a client's timesheets, and open the records it shows. See Ask CrewPilot.
- Ops Intelligence AI watches timesheets, and what it flags shows in the AI Command Center and the AI Ticker. See How CrewPilot AI Works.
Numbers to watch
| Number | What it tells you | Where to see it | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timesheets that need a second look | Problems to fix before payroll and billing | The Timesheet Exception report, under Reports › Timesheet & Payroll | Before every payroll |
| Client approvals | How many hours the client has signed off before you bill | The timesheet list filtered to Client Approved | Weekly |
| Mobile clock-in | How many punches carry a job-site location | The Mobile Clock-In counter on Daily Pulse | Weekly |
| Timesheet changes | Which timesheets were changed, and how often | The Timesheet Audit History report | Monthly, or when a client disputes hours |
A worked example
A client questions eight hours on last week's invoice. An example, not a real client.
- Monday, 10:00. The client emails: one Crew Member "left at 3, not 7" on Thursday.
- 10:05. Your billing lead opens the timesheet. The clock-out was at 7:02 p.m., at the job site. The status is Client Approved: the client's own supervisor approved it on Friday.
- 10:10. The notes show one change: the break was corrected from 60 to 30 minutes on Friday, with the reason.
- 10:15. She replies with the invoice and its attached timesheets, and the approval date.
- 10:40. The client confirms. No credit, no phone call, and the Crew Member is paid as worked.
You're set up when…
- ☐ Crew clock in and out in the app, not on paper.
- ☐ Your top clients approve timesheets in their portal.
- ☐ Every correction has a note saying why.
- ☐ No-shows are set to Not Completed, never deleted.
- ☐ Invoices go out with timesheets attached for clients who want them.
- ☐ Your account managers know how to open a timesheet and the history.
If something isn't working
| What you see | Most likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No location on a timesheet | The time was entered by hand, not clocked in from the app | Add a note saying how the time was confirmed |
| The client says they never approved | The status shows who last checked it | Check the timesheet's status and their portal access |
| The invoice doesn't match the timesheet | The timesheet changed after the invoice was created | The invoice keeps its copy. Correct the invoice if the change is right |
| Nobody knows why a time changed | It was changed without a note | Check the Timesheet Audit History report, and add notes from now on |
Questions people ask
Can a Crew Member clock in from somewhere else? No. They can only clock in and out inside the job's geofence, and the locations are kept on the timesheet.
Does the client's approval mean we can't be challenged? It means their own approver checked those hours before you billed them, which is usually the end of the question.
If I change a timesheet after invoicing, does the invoice change? No. The invoice keeps a copy of its timesheets as they were. Correct the invoice if the change should be billed.
Should I delete a timesheet that's wrong? No. Correct it with a note. For a no-show, set it to Not Completed so the record stays.
Where do I see every change to a timesheet? In the Timesheet Audit History report, under Reports › Audit Trail.
Can the client change the hours? Only if your agency lets them. Otherwise they decline the timesheet and say what's wrong.
Other ways people ask this
- How do I prove a Crew Member worked those hours?
- The client disputes the invoice. What do I send?
- How do I stop buddy punching?
- Where can I see who changed a timesheet?
- How do I attach timesheets to an invoice?
Related guides
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