# What is a period lock?

> A period lock freezes hours after payroll has run, so nothing changes afterwards. Why it matters and how corrections work after a lock.

URL: https://timetracking.tech/glossary/period-lock
Language: en
Last updated: 2026-10-24

**Definition:** A period lock closes a pay period after its hours have been exported to payroll, so the recorded and approved hours can no longer be changed. Corrections go into an open period instead.

## Why lock a period

Once payroll has run, the hours behind the payslips must stay exactly as they were. If someone edits a shift in a closed week, the time tracking system no longer matches what was paid, and the next export or audit shows differences nobody can explain.

A period lock prevents that. The hours of a locked period are read-only for everyone. When a mistake is found later, for example a missed hour, the correction is entered in the current open period with a reference to the original day, and it is paid in the next run.

## Period lock in TimeTracking

In TimeTracking, hours move through a fixed flow: draft, submitted, approved, exported and locked. Exported and locked hours never change; this is enforced in the application and by the database itself. Every change before that point is recorded in the audit log.

- [Payroll export](https://timetracking.tech/glossary/payroll-export)
- [Audit trail](https://timetracking.tech/glossary/audit-trail)
- [Payroll exports feature](https://timetracking.tech/features/payroll-exports)