Timesheets

Several of Imperial’s major research funders - including UKRI, the European Commission, and the National Institutes of Health - require staff working on their grants to complete a timesheet each month. Imperial’s Timesheet Template must be used to meet this requirement. It provides funders with assurance that grants are being used appropriately, supports audits alongside absence records, and confirms that salary charges reflect the actual time worked on each award.

Timesheets must: 

• Account for all contracted hours in the month, including absences 
• Record actual hours worked per award or funding source (no budgeted hours or estimates) 
• Be completed and signed by the staff member and authorised by their supervisor within 30 days of month-end, or sooner if required for reporting 
• Be supported by a separate absence record e.g. TeamSeer

The Principal Investigator of the award is ultimately responsible for ensuring timesheet compliance. Non‑compliance carries reputational and financial risk: timesheets form the basis for salary claims and may be audited to ensure costs are correctly stated. Failure to comply with funder terms on timesheets may lead to sanctions, including withholding payments or restrictions on future applications.

Once a timesheet has been finalised by the staff member and their supervisor, Departmental Administrators are responsible for collating, checking, and submitting it to Faculty Research Services for financial reconciliation. Because timesheets are a funder requirement, Imperial cannot claim salary costs without compliant documentation. To prevent delays and unnecessary administrative burden, late or non-compliant timesheets will not be accepted, and Faculty Research Services will query any timesheets that repeatedly mirror budgeted hours.

If you need to complete, sign, review, or reconcile a timesheet, the template and role‑specific guidance are available on the relevant webpages. For details of your funder’s specific requirements, refer to the award’s terms and conditions, visit the dedicated guidance page, or contact your Faculty Research Services team.