---
title: "How to reopen an approved timesheet in Timesheets for Jira"
canonical: "https://support.appfire.com/space/SUPPORT/3467378697/How%20to%20reopen%20an%20approved%20timesheet%20in%20Timesheets%20for%20Jira"
format: markdown
---
This article explains how to reopen a timesheet that has already been approved, even if it falls outside the standard "Duration after which approved timesheets cannot be reopened" setting.

## Summary

In **Timesheets for Jira**, once a timesheet is approved, it becomes locked and cannot be edited. While there is a global setting to define how long an approved timesheet remains "reopenable," you may encounter situations where you need to modify a timesheet from a much earlier period (for example, several months ago) that is currently locked.

## Problem

You need to reopen and edit a timesheet from a previous period (for example, May 2025), but the system prevents this because:

1. The timesheet is already in **Approved** status (locked).
2. The global setting **Duration after which approved timesheets cannot be reopened** is active (for example, set to 8 weeks), and the target timesheet is older than this limit.
3. You're unable to remove or bypass this value to allow the reopening.

## Root cause

The **Duration after which approved timesheets cannot be reopened** setting acts as a hard lock. If a timesheet was approved more than the specified number of weeks ago, the "Reopen" option is hidden to maintain data integrity and prevent accidental changes to historical records.

## Solution

To reopen a timesheet that is older than the configured limit, you must temporarily adjust the global settings.

### Step 1: temporarily increase the reopening duration

1. Navigate to **Administration** > **Time Tracking Settings** > **Timesheet Approval**.
2. Locate the field **Duration after which approved timesheets cannot be reopened**.
3. Note the current value (for example, `8`).
4. Increase this value to a number large enough to cover the period you need to reopen.
  - *Example:* If you need to reopen a timesheet from 6 months ago, set this value to `26` or higher.
  - *Note:* If you leave this field **blank**, there will be no locking based on time, allowing any approved timesheet to be reopened.
5. Click **Save**.

### Step 2: reopen the timesheet

1. Go to **My Area** > **Timesheet Approval Queue**.
2. Navigate to the *Past Approvals* tab.
3. Find the specific timesheet for the user and the period (for example, May 2025).
4. Click **Reopen**. The timesheet status changes from **Approved** to **Submitted** or **Rejected** (depending on the version), unlocking it for editing.

### Step 3: revert the global settings

Once the necessary changes have been made and the timesheet has been re-processed:

1. Return to **Administration** > **Time Tracking Settings** > **Timesheet Approval**.
2. Change the **Duration after which approved timesheets cannot be reopened** back to its original value (for example, `8`).
3. Click **Save**.


## Related articles

- [https://support.appfire.com/space/ART/1581482471](https://support.appfire.com/space/ART/1581482471)
- [https://support.appfire.com/space/ART/1581482059/Timesheet+Overview](https://support.appfire.com/space/ART/1581482059/Timesheet+Overview)