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CHM HR - How to Enter Time & Leave on a Timesheet (Hourly Non-Exempt Employees)

This document gives a step-by-step walkthrough of how to enter your time through the MyUW Time & Absence portal using a timesheet (Academic Hourly Staff (Non-Exempt); Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited Appointee (Non-Exempt); University Staff (Non-Exempt), University Staff Temp Appointment and Student)


Please view the Time and Absence video.

Non-Exempt (hourly) employees are paid on a biweekly pay cycle.

Enter your hours into HRS and SUBMIT them daily (or at least once per week).

Do final entry and submission by 4:00 p.m. the Friday at the end of the pay cycle.

If you enter your hours after the deadline (or after your supervisor has done their approval of your timesheet), it is probable that your pay for the late-entered hours may be delayed by 2 weeks.


How to Log Hours

  1. Go to MyUW (my.wisc.edu) and log in with your NetID/password 
  2. Click on the "Time and Absence" tile
  3. Click on "Timesheet'
    Screenshot of the Time and Absence app with an arrow pointing at the Timesheet button
  4. Add the time you came in, and time you had for lunch, and the time you left for the day. Then click submit.
     
    1. Note:
      1. Make sure to enter your times in the following format: 0:00:00AM 
      2. Please use the very first "in" box for the time you started your shift 
      3. please use the very last "out" box for the time you left (only use the middle boxes for logging breaks)
      4. Don't forget to click submit or your recorded time won't save!! 

Entering Breaks

If you work 6.0 hours or more, HRS expects you to take an unpaid lunch break of 30 or more minutes in the middle of the day, see policy for more information (it is between you and your supervisor to determine when you'll take your lunch break and for how long, but HRS expects to see it in the middle of the day). 

For example, if you work 9:00AM-3:30PM and take a 30-minute lunch break at noon, you will enter your hours as pictured: 

Entering Breaks
IN OUT  IN  OUT 
9:00:00AM 12:00:00PM 12:30:00PM  3:30:00PM


If, however you work less than 6 hours, you do not need to enter any time for a lunch break. For example, if you work from 9:00Am until 2:00PM (for 5 hours, no lunch break), you can enter your time in HRS like this: 

IN  OUT IN OUT 
9:00:00AM 2:00:00PM

 
Rounding 

HRS rounds times up (or down) to the nearest 15-minute mark. For example, if you put in your start time as 8:33 AM, HRS will round that down to 8:30 AM. If you put in your start time as 8:44 AM, HRS will round it up to 8:45 AM. If you put in hours to the minute that add up to exactly 80 hours, HRS may round them up to over 80 hours, and thus cause some of your time to be considered overtime. The labs do NOT pay overtime . So, just round your start and stop times down or up to the nearest 15-minute mark. 

Copy from Previous Button

Depending on the timesheet view you are using, the Copy from Previous button will allow you to copy time and absences from the previous period, week, or day. Once the time is copied, you are able to make any changes necessary before submitting your time. 

  • Copy from Previous will pull in timesheet data which may include schedule variations and absences from the previous period. Therefore, it is important that you are checking the time entered is correct. 
  • If there is un-submitted time on the current timesheet, when the button is used, the un-submitted time will be overwritten. Make sure you are submitting your time every time you enter it.

If there is submitted time on the timesheet when the Copy from Previous button is pushed, a warning will appear asking if you wish to continue.

this shows an arrow pointing toward the copy from previous period button

"Blocked" Days on Your Timesheet

If one or more days on your Timesheet are "blocked" (greyed out so that you can't enter times for them), try this: 

  • At the top of the screen, you should see the words "View By" or "Time Period." This is a drop-down menu, of which "Day" is one of your Options.
  • Select "Day"
  • Enter the date that you want to record hours for
  • Hit "Refresh" 
  • Then you should be able to enter the hours
  • **Note: IF you are logging more than one day into your Timesheet, make sure you repeat this process for EACH day


Multiple Hourly Appointments

For employees with multiple appointments: 

  1. You will have a separate time sheet for each of your UW Jobs
  2. If you have more than one job, will you be taken to a page requiring you to choose which job you want to enter time for. You should look at the Job Description, Working Title and Department Description columns to determine which job to pick. When you have found the job you want, click on the Job Title to enter into the appropriate Timesheet. To see additional information to assist in selecting the appropriate job to report time, click on the Select Job tab. 
  3. Each appointment will have a separate Employee Record Number (0,1,...) and title. On many screens in HRS< this number and title are the ONLY indicator of which appointment and keep a close eye on them so you don't enter your hours in the wrong appointment. 
  4. The Employee Record Number (or your Empl ID) is a special number assigned by payroll; it is not your campus ID or Social Security Number. 
  5. Best practice is to enter all time as you are working, waiting until the end of the pay period to enter your hours is not suggested. 


Troubleshooting

If you can't access your timesheet, or if anything seems odd to you in HRS or on your paycheck, contact Lisa Wesley (Center for Healthy Minds, Human Resources) at lawesley@wisc.edu


Keywords:
time administration, payroll, timesheet, time sheet, paid time, pay period 
Doc ID:
130122
Owned by:
Lisa W. in Center for Healthy Minds
Created:
2023-08-03
Updated:
2024-02-27
Sites:
Center for Healthy Minds
Policies and procedures related to HR at CHM.