Time Reporting FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
If an employee has a dual appointment, who should sign and retain the time sheet?
Answer – As a general rule, the time sheet should be signed and retained by the supervisor that approves and retains the employee’s vacation and sick leave slips.
Does an employee’s time sheet have to reconcile to their fringe benefit report and absence request forms?
Answer - All time away from work during regular working hours should be recorded on the time sheet and should be backed up by appropriate absence slips (vacation, sick leave, other absence with pay, absence without pay, etc.)
Why does the time sheet require that time be recorded in hours, while absence request forms for A/P utilize days or portions of days?
Answer – The time sheets are a requirement of the Illinois Ethics Act and, as such, time must be recorded on a daily basis to the nearest quarter-hour. When recording absences from work on the time sheet the A/P employee should convert the days (or partial days) as shown on the absence form to hours based on a 7.5 hour day. For example, .5 days of vacation time on a time off slip would convert to 3.75 hours vacation on the time sheet.
If an employee’s appointment is part faculty and part A/P (or exempt civil service), do they still have to complete a time sheet?
Answer – Yes, the employee should complete a time sheet for at least the non-faculty portion of their appointment.
What if an employee puts in more than 7.5 hours in a day, or works additional time at night or on weekends?
Answer – As required by the Illinois Ethics Act, all time spent on university business should be recorded as such on the time sheet for the day that the work was performed.
What if an employee works more than 7.5 hours in one day (or performs additional work on the weekend) and then takes time off on another day to make up for the extra time worked?
Answer – Exempt employees are not automatically entitled to compensatory time off. Any time away from work during regular working hours should be authorized by the employee’s supervisor in advance (if possible) and appropriately recorded on a absence request form as vacation, sick leave, other absence with pay, or absence without pay. If authorized by the employee’s supervisor, time away from work to compensate for extra time previously worked should be recorded as other absence with pay on an absence request form and on the time sheet.
Does recording my time on a daily basis jeopardize my status as an exempt employee?
Answer – No. The time reporting for exempt personnel, as required by the Ethics Act, is not a function of the payroll process. Since working less than the required number of hours does not result in an automatic reduction in pay, this time reporting does not violate the “salary test” under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
How should travel time be recorded on the time sheets?
Answer – The information in the Time Reporting FAQ should be used as a guideline for recording travel time on the required time sheets. The guidelines were developed to promote consistency in travel time reporting for all employees (both exempt and non-exempt). Because hours reported by exempt employees for purposes of compliance with the Ethics Act are not part of the payroll function, and do not result in either reduced or additional pay, the attached information does not constitute a hard and fast rule.