Time Card Management

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Time Card Management

    Time Card Management enables users assigned to tasks to report and track time spent on those tasks, such as projects, incidents, problems, and change requests. The feature integrates with the Task table and supports time entry through time cards and time sheets, which can then be submitted for approval. It requires activation of the Time Card Management plugin and may also involve the project management feature for automatic activation of time cards.

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    Key Features

    • Time Entry and Submission: Users can log time worked on tasks via time cards and time sheets and submit them for approval.
    • Approval Workflow: Time cards and sheets are routed for approval using designated approvers based on user time sheet policy fields. Approvers can review, approve, reject, or recall submissions.
    • Delegation: Approvers can delegate approval responsibilities to others, though delegation cannot be limited to individual resources or further delegated.
    • Role Flexibility: The timecardapprover role can be assigned independently or inherited via projectmanager and resourcemanager roles.
    • Administration: Time card admins manage time sheet policies, approve by exception, and can edit or create time cards in Pending or Rejected states.
    • Domain Separation: Supports data isolation at the Data only level to ensure domain-specific user privacy and control.
    • Time Sheet Policies: Define rules that time sheets and cards must follow for compliance and processing.
    • Project Time Categories: Allows creation of subcategories for detailed activity tracking within projects.
    • Rate Types: Enable defining different labor rates for accurate cost management.
    • Time Sheet Portal: Provides a consolidated weekly view of assigned tasks to facilitate daily time entry and submission.
    • Cost Management Integration: When enabled, time cards support labor cost tracking within the Cost Management application.
    • Analytics and Dashboards: Preconfigured dashboards provide project and user managers with insights into time card exceptions and time reporting by category, requiring a Performance Analytics license for dashboard use.
    • Mobile Access: The ServiceNow Mobile Timesheets app allows users and managers to view and manage time sheets on iOS and Android devices via the Now Mobile app.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Streamlines time tracking and approval processes for task-based work across various IT and business functions.
    • Improves visibility and control over labor costs and resource utilization through integration with cost management and analytics.
    • Enables efficient time sheet submission and approval workflows with role-based access and delegation capabilities.
    • Supports organizational compliance and data privacy through domain separation.
    • Facilitates mobile workforce productivity by providing mobile access to time sheet management.

    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.