Why can't I enter my worker's hours for a past week?

Last updated: October 6, 2026

Applies to: Staffing Partners and client users who enter hours in the Ascen platform on behalf of workers in the US and Canada. International employees working outside the US and Canada have their time handled through their in-country HR contact, so this lock does not work the same way for them.

Summary: Each week's time locks at that week's timesheet deadline. After the deadline nobody can add hours for that week in the platform, including partner and client users entering time for a worker, and the platform shows the message Cannot enter time after the deadline, please contact support. Email the hours to timesheets@ascen.com and we will enter them for you. They then go through approval as normal.

What the message means

  • It is the weekly lock, not a problem with your account or your permissions. The same lock applies whether the worker enters their own time or someone enters it on their behalf.

  • Most weekly assignments are due by 11:59 PM ET on the Sunday that ends the workweek. Some assignments are set up with a different workweek or deadline. See What is the timesheet approval deadline?

  • Approved time is locked too. Once a timesheet has been approved it can no longer be edited in the platform, so a correction to approved hours also comes to us.

How to get the hours in

Email timesheets@ascen.com with the following for each worker and each day:

  • The worker's full name and the client or assignment

  • The date worked

  • Clock-in and clock-out times

  • Unpaid break start and duration, if any

  • A screenshot of the message, if you have one

We enter the hours against the dates they were actually worked. The timesheet then moves to Awaiting approval, and the approver on the assignment approves it in the platform as usual. You can also reply "Approved" on the email thread. For more on this route, see Emailing timesheets to us: where to send them and what happens next.

Do not move the hours into the current week

Enter or send the hours against the days they were worked, not on a date in the current week. Hours are paid and billed by the date they were worked, and adding them to this week can push it over 40 hours and create overtime that cannot be waived. See Hours submitted in the wrong week: why overtime can’t be waived, and how we fix it.

When the worker will be paid

Late hours are paid once they have been entered and approved. The later they reach us, the more likely they are to miss that week's payroll and be paid in the following run instead. See Your worker's hours are approved: when do they get paid, and can a payment be expedited?.

If your worker sees the same message

Workers who enter their own time hit the same lock. They can send their hours to timesheets@ascen.com themselves (see How to Submit a Timesheet After Missing the Deadline), or send them to you to forward to us.

Avoiding it next time

Who to contact

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