Timesheet Posting

Converts validated timesheets into accounting journal entries for direct labor cost allocation. Adds a review queue where accounting can select unposted timesheet lines and generate balanced journal entries.

Direct Labor Only

This module posts timesheets to a Direct Labor GL account. It is not used for overhead labor (time not tied to a customer project).

Payroll is not run through Odoo. Payroll runs through QuickBooks (or a future payroll provider).

Why This Exists

Nugget needs to allocate direct labor costs to projects and tasks for gross profit reporting. Timesheets capture hours, but hours alone don't hit the GL. This module bridges that gap: it takes validated timesheets, multiplies hours by the employee's hourly rate, and creates journal entries with the correct analytic distribution so costs show up in client-level P&L reports.

How It Works

The posting flow

FSE/employee logs time on a project task
  → EVERY WEEK Manager validates the timesheet (Timesheets app > To Validate)
    → EVERY MONTH Accounting navigates to review queue (Accounting > Review > Projects > Timesheets)
      → Selects validated, unposted timesheet lines
        → Clicks "Create Journal Entry"
          → Module validates: all lines validated? all employees have hourly cost?
            → Balanced JE created in Timesheet Posting journal (DRAFT)
              → Timesheets linked to JE, removed from queue
                → Accounting reviews draft JE and clicks "Post" to finalize to GL

Three gates before posting

The module enforces three checks in order before creating a journal entry:

1. Validation gate — All selected timesheets must be validated by a manager. Unvalidated timesheets are rejected with an error that directs the user to Timesheets > To Validate.
2. Hourly cost gate — All employees on the selected timesheets must have an hourly cost configured. Missing rates are rejected with an error naming the specific employees.
3. Journal gate — The Timesheet Posting journal must exist and have a default account set.

Journal entry structure

For each timesheet line, two journal entry lines are created:

Line	Account	Amount	Analytic
Debit	Expense account (see hierarchy below)	Employee hourly cost x hours	Yes — from timesheet's analytic distribution
Credit	Timesheet Posting journal's default account (clearing/contra)	Employee hourly cost x hours	No

The entry is balanced (debit = credit). The analytic distribution on the debit line is what captures the cost allocation for client-level reporting.

The credit side hits a clearing account — this represents labor costs recognized in Odoo but paid through the payroll system (QuickBooks or successor). When payroll costs are journaled into Odoo, the clearing account nets out.

Journal entries are created in Draft

The module creates the JE in draft state. Accounting must click Post on the journal entry to finalize it to the GL. This gives a chance to review before it becomes permanent.

Hourly Cost Required

Every employee must have an hourly cost configured before their timesheets can be posted. The module will reject posting with a clear error naming the employees who are missing rates. Set hourly costs in Employees > [Employee] > Settings tab > Hourly Cost.

How the debit account is determined

The module checks for an expense account in this order:

1. Employee's hourly_cost_product_id → product's expense account
2. Product category's expense account
3. Employee's direct account_id field
4. Config parameter: account_timesheet_posting.timesheet_posting_account_id (set in Settings)
5. Fallback: Timesheet Posting journal's default account

Simplification opportunity

Steps 1-3 (product-based account lookup) were built by J2E and may be more complexity than Nugget needs. For most employees, the debit account will come from step 4 (the Settings default). Evaluate whether the product-based hierarchy is worth keeping before launch.

How the cost amount is determined

The cost comes from the amount field on account.analytic.line, which is computed at timesheet creation from:

Employees > [Employee] > Settings tab > Hourly Cost x hours logged

Changing an employee's hourly cost affects future timesheets only. Existing unposted timesheets keep their original rate. This is intentional — it prevents retroactive cost changes from silently altering pending entries.

Analytic distribution

The debit line uses the timesheet's own analytic_distribution field. This means task-level analytic overrides from nugget_task_analytics flow correctly through to journal entries.

If the timesheet has no analytic distribution set, the module falls back to the project's analytic account.

Reversal behavior

When a posted journal entry is cancelled or reset to draft, the module automatically clears the timesheet_move_id link on all associated timesheets. This means:

• The timesheets reappear in the review queue
• They can be re-posted to a new journal entry
• No manual database intervention is needed

The Review Queue

Location: Accounting > Review > Projects > Timesheets

This is a custom list view (not a standard Odoo view) that shows all timesheets with a project. It includes:

Columns: Date, Employee, Customer, Project, Task, Description, Hours, Cost, Validated, Journal Entry

Search filters:

• Unposted (default on) — timesheets not yet linked to a JE
• Posted — timesheets already linked to a JE (toggle this to see what's been processed)
• Validated (default on) — timesheets approved by a manager
• Draft — timesheets not yet validated

The default view opens with "Unposted" + "Validated" active, showing the accounting team exactly what's ready to post.

"Validate" vs "Create Journal Entry": Both buttons appear in the review queue. "Validate" is standard Odoo (manager approval of hours). "Create Journal Entry" is this module (posting to the GL). Validate first, then post.

Configuration

Setting	Location	Notes
Timesheet Posting journal	Created automatically at install (code: TSPOST)	Must have a default account set — this is the credit (clearing/contra) account for all entries
Default debit account	Settings > Accounting > Timesheet Posting	Fallback debit account when no product or employee account is configured
Employee hourly cost	Employees > [Employee] > Settings > Hourly Cost	Required. Determines the dollar value per hour. Must be set for every employee who logs time.

Key Files

File	Purpose
models/account_analytic_line.py	Core posting logic, validation gates, review queue field
models/account_move.py	Reversal logic — clears timesheet links on cancel/draft
models/res_config_settings.py	Default debit account setting
views/account_analytic_line_views.xml	Review queue list view, search filters, menu
data/account_journal_data.xml	Auto-creates TSPOST journal
data/server_action_data.xml	"Create Journal Entry" button binding

Open Questions

1. Product-based debit account hierarchy — J2E built a 5-level account lookup that starts with the employee's hourly cost product. Nugget may not need this. Evaluate whether a single default debit account is sufficient.
2. Success notification — The "Create Journal Entry" action shows a generic Odoo server action toast ("timesheet created successfully") which is misleading. Cosmetic fix needed.

Test Plan

Core flow

#	Test	Expected Result	Status
01	Log timesheets on a project, navigate to review queue	Unposted timesheets appear in the list	PASS
02	Select an unvalidated timesheet and click Create Journal Entry	Error: "Cannot post unvalidated timesheets" with directions to Timesheets > To Validate	PASS
03	Validate the timesheet, then click Create Journal Entry	Balanced JE created in Timesheet Posting journal with correct debit/credit	PASS
04	Verify posted timesheets disappear from review queue	Posted lines no longer appear (toggle "Posted" filter to see them)	PASS

Cost and accounts

#	Test	Expected Result	Status
05	Verify journal entry amounts match employee hourly cost x hours	Dollar amounts are correct	PASS
06	Employee with no hourly cost set — post timesheet	Error naming the employee(s) with missing rates, with directions to fix	PASS
07	Verify debit account comes from correct source (product → employee → default → journal)	Correct account hierarchy is followed	Deferred

Analytic distribution

#	Test	Expected Result	Status
08	Post timesheet for project with analytic account (no task override)	Debit line has analytic distribution matching project account	PASS
09	Post timesheet for task with task-level analytic override	Debit line uses task's analytic account, not project's	PASS
10	Post timesheets across multiple projects in one batch	Single JE with correct per-line analytic distribution	PASS
11	Post timesheets with mixed task-level analytic overrides	Each debit line gets its own analytic distribution	Skipped (variation of 09/10)
12	Post timesheet with no project analytic and no task analytic	Debit line has no analytic distribution, no crash	Skipped

Hourly cost propagation

#	Test	Expected Result	Status
13	Change employee hourly cost, log new timesheet	New timesheet uses new rate	PASS
14	Change employee hourly cost, check existing unposted timesheets	Existing timesheets keep old rate	Skipped

Edge cases

#	Test	Expected Result	Status
15	Post a timesheet, then check review queue	Posted timesheet no longer appears	PASS
16	Cancel or reset a posted JE to draft	Timesheet link is cleared, timesheet reappears in review queue and can be re-posted	PASS
17	Post 50+ timesheets in one batch	Single JE created, no errors or timeouts	Skipped (perf test)

Results: 12 PASS, 1 Deferred, 4 Skipped

Cross-Module Dependencies

Module	Relationship
nugget_task_analytics	Provides task-level analytic overrides that flow through to the debit line's analytic distribution
nugget_per_diem	Separate module — per diem journal entries are NOT created by this module
timesheet_grid	Provides the validated field used by the validation gate

Changes Made by Nugget (vs. original J2E code)

1. Validation gate — Added check requiring timesheets to be validated before posting
2. Hourly cost gate — Added check requiring all employees to have hourly cost configured
3. Reversal logic — Added account_move.py to clear timesheet links on JE cancel/draft
4. Review queue filters — Added Unposted/Posted and Validated/Draft search filters
5. Journal Entry column — Made timesheet_move_id visible in the review queue
6. Validated column — Added to review queue for at-a-glance status
7. Form view link — Added timesheet_move_id to the analytic line form (ACCOUNTING section)
8. Removed amount filter — $0 timesheets now visible in queue so missing rates are surfaced
9. Added timesheet_grid dependency — Required for the validated field
10. Analytic distribution fix — (Previous session) Fixed bug where distribution was read from project instead of timesheet line