Can this form be signed electronically?

Yes. Electronic signatures are legally valid under the federal ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. §7001) and UETA where adopted, provided intent, consent, attribution, and retention requirements are met.

Is notarization required for approval?

Not usually. Notarization is uncommon for routine time reporting; require it only when local law or contractual terms demand notarized attestations.

What happens if reported hours are incorrect?

Correct errors promptly with documented adjustments and approver sign-off. Maintain both original and corrected records so auditors can trace changes and approvals.

How long should I keep completed forms?

Follow retention rules: at least 3 years for IRS purposes (IRC §6501(a)), 6 years for HIPAA-related records (45 CFR §164.530(j)), and longer where state law or contracts require.

Who is authorised to sign the form?

Authorized signers typically include the employee or contractor and a designated manager or approver. Use role-based permissions in electronic systems to enforce who can sign.

How do I amend a submitted form?

Establish an amendment workflow that records the reason, the approver, and timestamps. Keep the original and the amendment together to preserve an unbroken audit trail.

Electronic Signature
Templates
Finance
Finance Hours Form

Finance Hours Form

This template is fully customizable. Edit the text, fill out the fields, and send it for signature. Give it a try!

FINANCE HOURS FORM

Employee and Billing Information

Employee Name:

Employee ID: Department:

Supervisor:

Company / Billing Entity:

Reporting Period

Period Start: Period End: Default Hourly Rate:

Detailed Time Entries (Enter each day or task separately)

Date	Project / Client	Task Description	Start	End	Hours	Billable	Amount

Totals and Accounting

Total Hours (sum of Hours column) Total Billable Hours Total Amount (sum of Amount column) Billing Account / GL Code Cost Center

Notes, Adjustments and Terms

Adjustments (explain any manual adjustments applied to totals)

Terms and Conditions: By submitting this Finance Hours Form, Employee certifies that the hours recorded are accurate and were personally worked by Employee for the dates and tasks listed. Times reported as billable have been performed in accordance with contract and company rate schedules. Deliberate falsification of time records is grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination and recovery of improperly billed amounts. Finance reserves the right to audit supporting documentation and require substantiation of time entries.

Finance Use Only

Reviewed By (Finance Analyst) Billing Method / Payment Terms Finance Notes

Certification: I declare under penalty of company policy that the foregoing is true and complete to the best of my knowledge and that I understand any billing or payroll consequences that may result from inaccurate reporting.

Employee Printed Name:

By:

Date:

Approver Printed Name:

By:

Date:

What the Finance Hours Form Is and when organizations use it

The Finance Hours Form is a standardized record used to capture, approve, and reconcile billable or chargeable hours for employees and contractors. It typically records dates, start and end times, total hours, billing or cost-center codes, hourly rates or fee categories, project identifiers, and approver details. Organizations use the form to support payroll, client invoicing, internal chargebacks, and audit documentation. The form can be a paper template or an electronic, auditable record; when electronic, ESIGN and state UETA rules determine execution and retention requirements.

Why a consistent Finance Hours Form matters for finance operations

A consistent Finance Hours Form reduces disputes, improves accuracy in billing and payroll, and creates a reliable audit trail for internal controls and external reviews. Clear fields and approval workflows also speed invoice processing and support compliance with tax and labor recordkeeping obligations.

Who completes and relies on the Finance Hours Form

Typical users include payroll staff, finance managers, project managers, and contractors who submit time for billing or reimbursement.

Payroll and HR teams validate hours for pay runs, tax withholding, and benefits calculations.
Project managers confirm hours against project budgets and authorise chargeable time for client invoices.
Contractors and consultants submit hours for payment and provide backup for billing disputes or client inquiries.

Departments use the completed form for payroll runs, client invoicing, month-end close, and as supporting documentation during audits and tax reporting.

Step-by-step: completing the Finance Hours Form

Follow this simple sequence to complete and submit the form accurately for processing.

01

Record Time: Enter date, start/end, and hours for each work day.
02

Assign Codes: Add project, task, or cost-center codes per policy.
03

Review: Verify totals and confirm rates before signing.
04

Approve & Submit: Approver signs, dates, and routes to payroll or billing.

Setting up an online Finance Hours Form workflow

Typical online configurations ensure data validation, routing, and secure storage to fit payroll and billing processes.

Field	Configuration
Date fields	Require MM/DD/YYYY validation and calendar pickers
Numeric fields	Limit to two decimals and positive values
Conditional fields	Show cost-center only when project billed
Notifications	Email approver on submission; reminder after 48 hours

How electronic completion and routing typically works

An electronic Finance Hours Form follows a standard digital signing workflow to capture intent, attribution, and audit data.

Upload: Sender uploads form and adds form fields.
Assign Signers: Add employee and approver with email addresses.
Authenticate: Signer verifies identity using email or SMS code.
Archive: Signed form and audit trail stored securely for retention.

Technical considerations for eSubmission and integration

Ensure the chosen solution supports your SSO, retention policies, and any industry compliance needs before deploying at scale.

File formats: PDF and DOCX are standard for storage and signing.
Authentication: Email/SMS verification or stronger methods available.
Integrations: Connectors for HR and accounting systems recommended.

Key elements to include on a professional Finance Hours Form

Design the form so it captures authorising data, billing attributes, and an auditable approval path to support payroll and invoicing controls.

Detailed time entries

Include date, start/end times, and hours with clear rounding rules so payroll and billing calculations are reproducible and auditable.

Billing codes

Provide project and cost-center fields so charges are posted correctly to client invoices and the general ledger without manual re-keying.

Rate specification

Capture hourly or flat rates and any multiplier (overtime) so invoicing and payroll calculations use approved pay rates for each entry.

Expense tags

Allow optional expense fields linked to time entries when time-based expenses must move to client billing or cost accounting.

Approver block

Design a clearly labelled signature line with approver name, title, and date to demonstrate supervisory review and authorization.

Audit metadata

Record who submitted, IP address, timestamps, and any edits to maintain a tamper-evident history for audits and disputes.

Essential fields and secure-data practices to include

Full Legal Name: Enter as on payroll records.

Employee ID: Use internal identifier.

Date/Time: MM/DD/YYYY plus hours.

Hours: Two-decimal numeric value.

Project Code: Exact billing code.

Approver: Name, title, signature.

Common mistakes to avoid when preparing the Finance Hours Form

Entering hours in inconsistent formats (hours versus decimal) causes payroll calculation errors and requires time-consuming corrections.
Using generic or incorrect project codes misallocates labor costs and can delay client invoicing or internal reconciliations.
Missing approver signatures or electronic attestations prevents timely processing and may result in payment delays or rejected invoices.
Failing to retain the signed form with an audit trail undermines internal controls and can increase exposure during financial or tax audits.

Risks and potential consequences of incorrect forms

Payroll errors: Underpayments or overpayments occur.

Tax exposure: Incorrect reporting can trigger penalties.

Client disputes: Unclear records may delay collections.

Audit findings: Weak documentation leads to liabilities.

Compliance gaps: Missing retention violates policies.

Fraud risk: Unsigned or altered forms increase abuse.

Typical deadlines and processing expectations

Establish submission and approval windows to align hourly reporting with payroll and billing cycles.

Daily or weekly cutoff:

Employees submit hours within one business day or weekly by policy.

Payroll submission:

Approved forms must reach payroll by the payroll cutoff date each pay period.

Invoice batching:

Finalize client billable hours before the monthly invoice run.

Quarterly review:

Managers reconcile project hours and costs each quarter.

Annual audit support:

Retain approved forms for audit and tax purposes per retention policy.

Comparing eSignature vendors for Finance Hours Form workflows

Basic vendor capabilities and pricing affect the cost and scalability of electronic Finance Hours Form workflows; compare starting prices, sending limits, and compliance features.

	signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign	PandaDoc	HelloSign
Starting Price	$8/user/mo	$15/user/mo	$14/user/mo	$19/user/mo	$15/user/mo
Free Trial	7-day trial	Varies	Varies	Varies	Varies
Bulk Send	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Audit Trail	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
HIPAA Compliant	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Envelope Cap	No cap	100 envelopes/user/yr	Varies	Varies	Varies

Real-world examples of Finance Hours Form use

These short cases show how the form supports billing, payroll, and audit workflows in practice.

Professional Services Firm

A mid-size consulting firm standardized its form to capture matter numbers and rates

Reduced invoice disputes by centralizing time capture
After adoption, monthly billing cycles shortened, collections improved, and auditors found complete time trails for sampled client engagements.

Healthcare Billing Department

A clinic appended HIPAA authorizations to time entries

Ensured protected health information handling
This allowed the finance team to reconcile clinician time to patient accounts while preserving required privacy controls and retention for audits.

Frequently asked questions about the Finance Hours Form

Answers to common implementation and compliance questions for digital and paper Finance Hours Forms.

Need help? Contact support

Can this form be signed electronically?
Yes. Electronic signatures are legally valid under the federal ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. §7001) and UETA where adopted, provided intent, consent, attribution, and retention requirements are met.
Is notarization required for approval?
Not usually. Notarization is uncommon for routine time reporting; require it only when local law or contractual terms demand notarized attestations.
What happens if reported hours are incorrect?
Correct errors promptly with documented adjustments and approver sign-off. Maintain both original and corrected records so auditors can trace changes and approvals.
How long should I keep completed forms?
Follow retention rules: at least 3 years for IRS purposes (IRC §6501(a)), 6 years for HIPAA-related records (45 CFR §164.530(j)), and longer where state law or contracts require.
Who is authorised to sign the form?
Authorized signers typically include the employee or contractor and a designated manager or approver. Use role-based permissions in electronic systems to enforce who can sign.
How do I amend a submitted form?
Establish an amendment workflow that records the reason, the approver, and timestamps. Keep the original and the amendment together to preserve an unbroken audit trail.

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