To correct a timesheet after payroll is closed and the employee has been paid, preserve the original paid record, verify the time change, and have payroll review the resulting adjustment through to payment. In TimeTrex, the documented Post Adjustment workflow lets an authorized administrator correct a historical timesheet and, when using TimeTrex payroll, carry forward the pay difference. Finish by checking the adjustment was handled once and closing the historical period again.
The useful output: one correction record connecting the hours that changed, what was already paid, and the adjustment actually processed.
First confirm what “closed” means
The supervisor should send payroll the employee reference, affected work dates and time zone, original and proposed entries, reason, and supporting review. Payroll should then establish whether a pay stub was generated, whether a payment was released, and whether the receiving payroll system accepted an export. These are separate facts.
This guide covers a historical correction after payment. If the employee has not yet been paid, ask the payroll owner to choose the appropriate correction procedure for that run. A closed time period alone does not prove that money moved.
If payroll is processed elsewhere, correcting TimeTrex time records does not establish that the other provider updated a payment. Use the receiving provider’s authorized adjustment process and retain its confirmation. Avoid resending a full file until payroll has established how it handles replacement and duplicate rows.
Connect three records before changing the historical period
Save the original timesheet totals and paid pay stub before editing. Record relevant pay categories, rates, policy settings and allocations. Use the same employee, work period and earnings categories on both sides of the comparison.
The point is to reconcile the difference, not treat all corrected earnings as additional pay. Keep the correction reference on the review record and the authorized payroll handoff. These record fields are an organizational review convention, not a claim that TimeTrex automatically creates a correction case.
Follow the documented TimeTrex Post Adjustment workflow
Have an administrator with the appropriate permissions and a payroll reviewer perform this work. Confirm your edition and configuration, and use the current Adjusting a Closed Pay Period guide beside the record.
- Open the specific period for adjustment. Under Payroll → Pay Periods, select the historical period, edit its status to Post Adjustment, and save. Confirm the employee and period before proceeding.
- Apply the verified time correction. Review recalculated daily and period totals, earnings categories and allocations. The guide warns that policy changes since the original payroll can affect the adjustment. Investigate an unexpected result before generating anything.
- Review authorization again. TimeTrex documents that changes after verification or authorization clear the authorization and require employee reverification. Check the configured process and complete the required follow-up; see TimeSheet Authorizations.
- Generate and inspect the difference, where TimeTrex processes payroll. From the employee’s timesheet, use More → Generate Pay Stub and choose Post-Adjustment Carry-Forward. Set Carry Forward Adjustments To to an appropriate date in the current or next pay period selected by payroll. The documented wizard compares existing paid pay-stub line items with the adjusted result and creates amendments for positive or negative differences.
- Review amendments before processing payment. Match employee, earnings account, amount, sign and effective date to the correction record. The closed-period guide specifically calls for reviewing non-earning amendments because tax calculations can otherwise be doubled. Have payroll resolve which entries are appropriate; do not assume every generated line is ready to use.
- Close the historical period again. After the adjustments are finished, return the period status to CLOSED and save. Track the receiving-period payment separately until its result is verified.
Under the Pay Stub Amendments guidance, an amendment’s effective date must be within an open pay period, and added or modified amendments require pay-stub recalculation to take effect. A saved amendment alone is not evidence of a completed payment.
Two missing hours create a $50 gross difference
One employee was paid for 30 regular hours at $25 per hour. A verified correction changes the total to 32 regular hours at the same rate. For this illustration, all hours are regular and there are no overtime, premium, leave, benefit or rate changes. Taxes and deductions are outside the example.
| Record | Calculation | Gross regular earnings |
|---|---|---|
| Original paid earnings | 30 hours × $25/hour | $750 |
| Corrected earnings | 32 hours × $25/hour | $800 |
| Difference to review | $800 − $750 | +$50 |
If payroll already processed $20 gross toward this same correction, the remaining illustrative difference is $50 − $20 = $30. Link that prior payment before creating another adjustment. If no payment has been released, retain the approved $50 item as pending rather than marking the correction paid.
Exceptions that need a separate decision
- A changed policy or rate: the revised pay-stub difference may include more than the time edit. Separate those causes and have payroll approve the calculation basis.
- An overtime or premium boundary: do not multiply every added hour by the base rate. Review the affected workweek, categories and applicable pay treatment.
- A negative difference: a generated negative amendment does not itself authorize recovery from an employee. Escalate the recovery method and timing for appropriate review.
- No gross-pay change: a department or job correction may still change allocation or reporting. Confirm the downstream records even when the earnings difference is zero.
- An export was already accepted: retain the original export and receiving-system reference. Confirm the provider’s adjustment route and whether the correction was already processed.
A common mistake is closing the request when the time edit is saved. Another is leaving the old period open after the work is finished. Use separate checks for corrected time, the reviewed payroll action and the actual payment outcome.
Use a closure checklist and handoff record
The supervisor checks the facts; payroll owns the payment decision and reconciliation. Assign a reviewer and follow-up date to any unresolved item. For request intake and approval wording, use the separate timesheet correction policy template.
Selections stay only in this page visit. Copy the record below into your approved internal system; do not enter employee or payroll information into this public page.
Review the whole time-to-pay handoff
When evaluating TimeTrex, bring a representative correction case and ask how your configured permissions, time review and payroll process handle it. Request a demonstration using your correction workflow.
Scope and sources
Primary TimeTrex documentation reviewed November 9, 2026. The linked product procedures depend on edition, permissions and configuration. The three-record bridge, checklist and handoff fields are editorial review conventions. The example uses fictional gross regular earnings in USD and determines neither net pay nor statutory timing, taxes, overtime eligibility or permission to recover an overpayment.
