Time Card Management

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Time Card Management

    Time Card Management in ServiceNow enables task assignees to report and track time spent on various task types such as projects, incidents, problems, and change requests. This feature integrates with the Task table to facilitate recording, submitting, and approving time cards and time sheets, streamlining time tracking and labor cost management.

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    Key Features

    • Time Recording and Submission: Users can record time worked via time cards and time sheets and submit them for approval.
    • Approval Process: Time cards and sheets are routed for approval based on configured approvers in user time sheet policies, including Non-project and Project time approvers. Managers with the time card approver role can submit time sheets on behalf of their resources.
    • Approver Capabilities: Approvers can review, approve, reject, or recall submissions for correction. They can also delegate approval authority, though delegation applies globally and cannot be further delegated.
    • Role Management: The roles projectmanager and resourcemanager include the timecardapprover role by default, but timecardapprover can be used independently.
    • Administration: Time card admins manage time sheet policies, approve or reject by exception, and can edit or create time cards in Pending or Rejected states.
    • Domain Separation: Data isolation is supported at the Data only level to ensure domain-specific user access and security.
    • Time Sheet Policies and Rate Types: Policies govern time sheet adherence, while rate types define labor cost rates.
    • Project Time Categories: Admins or project managers can create subcategories for detailed project activity tracking.
    • Time Sheet Portal: Users can view and manage all assigned tasks for the week, record time daily, and submit time sheets efficiently.
    • Cost Management Integration: When enabled, time cards contribute to labor cost tracking in the Cost Management application.
    • Analytics and Dashboards: Project and user managers have access to dashboards with time card and time sheet exception reports, and category-wise time reporting. These dashboards require Performance Analytics licensing.
    • Mobile Access: The ServiceNow Mobile Timesheets app allows users and managers to access and manage time sheets on iOS and Android devices via the Now Mobile app.

    Activation and Requirements

    Administrators must activate the Time Card Management plugin (com.snc.timecard), which also activates related Performance Analytics content for project portfolio dashboards. Some procedures require the Project Management feature, which enables time cards automatically. A Performance Analytics license is necessary to use dashboards.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Streamlined time tracking aligned with task assignments across multiple task types.
    • Automated and role-based approval workflows improve accuracy and accountability.
    • Comprehensive reporting and analytics that support project and resource management decisions.
    • Enhanced data security and segregation through domain separation compliance.
    • Mobile capabilities increase flexibility and accessibility for users and managers.
    • Integration with cost management enables better financial oversight of labor expenses.

    The Time Card Management feature enables time card users such as task assignees to report and track their time for the assigned tasks.

    Watch this three-minute video to learn about setup of the time tracking feature, entering time and approvals.

    Time Card Management works with the Task table to record time worked on various task types, such as projects, incidents, problems, and change requests.

    With the Time Card Management feature:

    • The time card users can record the time worked on a task using time cards and time sheets. They can submit their time cards and time sheets for approval.
    • Time cards and time sheets are routed for approval based on the Non-project time approver and Project time approver fields in the user time sheet policy. User managers with time card approver role can also log time and submit the time sheet of their resources
    • The time card approvers can perform the following tasks:
      • Review and approve or reject the time cards in a submitted time sheet.
      • Recall the approved time sheets or time cards to return them to the users for corrections.
      • Use dashboards to view reports of time card and time sheet exceptions, and categorize time reported by the users.
      • Delegate another time card approver to process time sheets from your resources when you might not have time or will be unavailable. Note the following points for delegation:
        • You cannot delegate approval only for an individual resource.
        • The delegated time card approver cannot further delegate your time sheet approvals.

      The project_manager and the resource_manager roles contain the timecard_approver role in the base system. However, the timecard_approver role can also be used independently without these roles.

    • The time card admin can create and manage time sheet policies, and can also approve or reject by exception and process the time sheets. Time card admin can also create or edit time cards of any users if the time cards are in Pending or Rejected state.
    Note:
    The Time Card Management plugin is required to use time cards. Some of the procedures require the project management feature, which activates time cards automatically. For more information, see Project Management (com.snc.financial_planning_pmo).

    Domain separation in Time Card Management

    Domain separation provides complete data isolation for domain-specific users. Time card Management is domain separation compliant at the Data only level.