> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.visualcare.com.au/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Bulk variation approval

> How to approve or reject multiple timesheet variations at once

When you have multiple variations to review across a pay period, the bulk approval workflow in **Timesheets** → **All Timesheets** lets you handle them together rather than one at a time.

## Filtering to variations only

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open All Timesheets">
    Go to **Timesheets** → **All Timesheets** and set the date range to the pay period you're reviewing.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Show variation columns">
    Use the column chooser to display the **Variation**, **Variation Quantity**, and **Comment** columns if they aren't already visible.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Filter to shifts with variations">
    Click the filter on the **Variation** column and select only ticked entries. This narrows the list to shifts where workers flagged a change.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Approving variations in bulk

<Steps>
  <Step title="Review each variation">
    Work through the filtered list. For each shift, check the **Variation Quantity** and **Comment** to understand what changed.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Decide how to handle each variation">
    For each variation, choose one of these approaches:

    * **Adjust the time** (recommended): Update the **Start Time** or **Finish Time** to reflect what actually happened, then click **Save Changes**. This keeps invoice times accurate
    * **Approve the variation**: Tick the **Approve Variation** checkbox to add the variation quantity to total hours without changing the shift times
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add office notes">
    Add an **Office Note** to each reviewed shift so other staff know it's been handled.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save all changes">
    Click **Save** to apply all your changes at once.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>Approving a variation without adjusting times means the invoice shows the original rostered times but charges for the updated total hours. For shifts where the time difference matters on the invoice, adjust the start or finish time directly instead.</Warning>

<Tip>Reviewing variations daily takes five to 10 minutes. If you leave them until pay run day, you'll need to review the entire period at once. Daily reviews are faster and reduce the risk of missing something.</Tip>

## Running into issues?

See [Timesheet troubleshooting](/troubleshooting/timesheet-issues) for common errors and fixes.

## Related articles

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