TRS FAQs

Contents

  1. General
  2. Help & Training
  3. Submitting Hours
  4. Alternate Work Schedules
  5. Errors
  6. Overtime
  7. Vacation & Leaves
  8. Separations, Assignment Changes & Multiple Assignments
  9. DTAs and Supervisors

1. General

  • What employees are eligible to use the Time Reporting System?
  • The Time Reporting System is currently available to Represented and Non-Represented Monthly and Bi-Weekly employees. See the Eligible Employees Matrix for more information. 
  • What are the benefits to using the Time Reporting System?
  • The many benefits of the Time Reporting System are listed on the informational website.
  • When a new employee is hired, will they be automatically added to the Time Reporting System (TRS)?
  • The new employee's appointment will automatically load into TRS, using information from UCPath and from the university identity management system.
    Please be patient with this process. It will take approximately 3 business days for the process to complete after the new employee record has been entered in UCPath.
    In order for the new employee to use TRS, the Department Time Administrator (DTA) will first need to assign a Primary and Backup Supervisor to the new employee's record using the Manage Employee tab in TRS.
  • Are email notifications sent from the Time Reporting System?
  • Yes! E-mail reminders are sent to employees who have not submitted their timesheets near the submission deadline. If an employee has already submitted a timesheet, an e-mail reminder is not sent.
    E-mail reminders are also sent to supervisors near the approval deadline. If a supervisor has already approved all timesheets, an e-mail reminder is not sent.
    For more information, see TRS Email Notifications

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2. Help & Training

  • Where can I learn about the Time Reporting System?
  • Visit TRS, About for more information. 
  • What type of training is available for the Time Reporting System?
  • Visit TRS, Training for more information.
  • Where can I get step-by-step instructions on using the Time Reporting System?
  • Visit TRS, Resources for more information. There are guides for employees, supervisors, and Department Time Administrators (DTAs).
  • Who do I contact if I have a question regarding the Time Reporting System?
  • Submit a ticket through our TRS Help Request Form

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3. Submitting Hours

  • What is the difference between an exempt and a non-exempt employee?
  • An exempt employee is an employee who cannot claim overtime work hours. In the Time Reporting System, exempt employees do not enter their work hours, they enter only their non-work hours (vacation, sick leave, etc.)
    A non-exempt employee is an employee who can claim overtime hours. Non-exempt employees enter ALL work and non-work hours. The Time Reporting System will automatically calculate overtime based on the number of work hours entered by the non-exempt employee.
  • How does time reporting differ for Exempt (NOT eligible for overtime) versus Non-Exempt employees?
  • Exempt employees will only record leave (non-work) usage and can only take leave in full-day (8 hour) increments. 
    Non-exempt employees are required to account for all hours scheduled to work, including leave usage. Non-exempt employees record time in increments of a quarter hour.
  • How can I use the Repeat Work Hours functionality in the Time Reporting System?
  • You may be a non-exempt employee (eligible to claim overtime) who works the same shift everyday and would like to copy these hours across a selected date range. Repeat Hours is a copy function that allows you to record repeated time for a selected date range. For example, you may need to report two consecutive weeks (80 hours) of work for the pay period. To use the Repeated Hours function, make sure you have the timesheet opened: Click Add on the first date in the date range you want to repeat.

    1.  Select Repeated Hours from the drop down list.
    2.  A pop up screen will appear: 
            >  Click on Add and select from the drop down list the type of hours to be reported (work hours, vacation, sick, etc.)
            >  Click inside of the From Date box to generate a calendar for the pay period. Select the first date in the date range.
            >  Click inside of the To Date box to generate a calendar for the pay period. Select the end date in the date range. 
            >  Skip the Hour field. 
            >  A pop up screen will appear requesting the following information: 
                      >  Time In: Time you arrived at work
                      >  Lunch Out: Time you initiated a lunch break, if taken
                      >  Lunch In: Time you returned to work from lunch break, if taken
                      >  Time Out: Time the shift ended
    3.  Click Add to Time Sheet
    4.  Save the timesheet.

    TRS will populate the total hours per day for the selected date range to the timesheet.
  • Is there anything I have to do when a holiday occurs in a time period?
  • You should leave the holiday blank (no time entered) unless you worked on the holiday. If you worked on the holiday, you should enter the number of work hours on your timesheet. If you are eligible for holiday pay, you will receive it automatically on your earnings statement.
    If you are eligible for overtime or other pay for working a holiday, the Time Reporting System will automatically calculate it.
  • I am a monthly-paid employee. Do I have to enter my work time?
  • Monthly-paid exempt employees do not enter their work time. These employees only enter their leave time (vacation, sick, etc.). Monthly-paid non-exempt employees are eligible for overtime and must report their work time. These employees will enter both worked hours and leave time (vacation, sick, etc.).
  • I am an employee that would like to submit a timesheet early in the Time Reporting System, as I will be out of the office during the time it is normally submitted. Is this ok?
  • Yes. If you need to submit a timesheet early, you can do so in the Time Reporting System.
    If you are going to be out of the office and are submitting the timesheet early for the current pay period, make sure you project time for the full reporting period on your timesheet.
    You may submit a timesheet for a pay cycle that has not yet started. Select the pay period from the drop down list in Create Past/Future Timesheet section on the Manage My Time tab. Make sure to project your time for the full reporting period if submitting prior to the due date.
  • I heard that monthly employee reporting in TRS is done in arrears. What does this mean, and how does it relate to the vacation and sick leave balances I see in TRS and on my earnings statement?
  • Arrears is reporting for the period "behind" you.
    In TRS, monthly-paid employees report time worked for the previous month. Here's an example: In early August, monthly-paid employees report their time for July, including their vacation and sick leave usage in July. Their September earnings statement will reflect their July vacation and sick leave usage. In other words, the reporting is done in arrears, and the balances that appear in TRS and on the earnings statement are also in arrears.
    It is important for monthly employees to remember that the balances on their timesheet and earnings statement are in arrears. Monthly employees approaching their vacation maximum balance should work with their supervisor to develop a plan to use their vacation hours before they reach maximum accrual.
    Biweekly employees report their actual work and leave time for the current pay period (not in arrears). Biweekly employee vacation and sick leave accruals calculate every four (4) weeks or quadri-weekly cycle.

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4. Alternate Work Schedules

  • What is considered an 'alternate' work schedule?
  • In the Time Reporting System, an 'alternate' work schedule is either a 4 days a week, 10 hours a day work schedule (also known as a 4/40 schedule), 9 days of work, 1 day off every two weeks schedule (also known as a 9/80 schedule), temporary assignment or regular work schedule. 
    If you work one of these alternate work schedules, your alternate work schedule will display below each monthly timesheet. If you work one of these alternate work schedules and it does not display on your timesheet, please contact your supervisor for assistance.
  • I am approved to work a 9/80 alternate work schedule. Will I be able to record my work hours in the Time Reporting System?
  • Yes, approved 9/80 and 4/40 alternate work schedules can be recorded in the Time Reporting System by the Department Time Administrator (DTA) for eligible non-exempt employees. Exempt employees do not enter an alternate work schedule in TRS since they cannot claim overtime hours. The alternate work schedule functionality in TRS is primarily used for the calculation of overtime hours for non-exempt employees. (Exempt employees can add a note in the Comments section identifying their alternate work schedule, but are not required to do so.)
    If you are a non-exempt employee with an alternate work schedule, the information on your alternate work schedule will appear below your timesheet. If you work an alternate work schedule, and do not see it noted on your timesheet, please contact your supervisor for assistance. The supervisor can then contact the DTA and ask them to add your alternate work schedule to the Time Reporting System.
    The DTA should go to the Manage Employee tab, locate the employee record, click on the Work Schedule button, and select the appropriate alternate work schedule.
  • I have an Alternate Work Schedule set up in the Time Reporting System. Does this impact the Repeated Work Hours functionality?
  • If you have an alternate work schedule, you may not work on certain days. For example, you may have an alternate work schedule where you do not work on Fridays. However, if using the Repeated Work Hours functionality, the calendar will pre-populate hours in all days Monday through Friday. Before submitting your timesheet, be sure that you manually delete any hours for the days that you did not work.

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5. Errors

  • As an employee, can I delete a timesheet created in error?
  • It is not possible to delete a timesheet in TRS. If a timesheet was submitted in error and should not have been, it should be returned to the employee.
    1.  Employee should then resubmit the timesheet with 0 (zero) hours entered and add a comment that the timesheet is being resubmitted to clear a timesheet submitted in error.
    2.  Supervisor should then approve the timesheet and add a comment indicating that they are approving a timesheet submitted in error in order to clear the timesheet.
    3.  The DTA should then select the option to Submit Timesheet, Do Not Process, adding a comment that they are not processing but trying to clear the timesheet from TRS with no pay. This will clear the timesheets but not submit any time to the UCPath file. This will also create an audit trail with the timesheet.
  • When submitting my timesheet in the Time Reporting System, I am getting an error that a primary supervisor is not assigned. What should I do?
  • You cannot submit a timesheet if a primary supervisor is not assigned. You should contact your supervisor and they will need to work with the Department Time Administrator to ensure that a primary supervisor is assigned.
  • The primary and/or backup supervisor information in the Time Reporting System is incorrect. What do I do?
  • If you are an employee, please contact your supervisor for assistance. If you are a supervisor, please contact your Department Time Administrator (DTA) and let them know what the correct supervisor information should be. 
    If you are a DTA, do the following:
            >  Go to the Manage Employee tab
            >  Locate the employee
            >  On the General Information screen, click on the Assignments button on the left side of the screen to view and modify/add supervisor information for the employee.

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6. Overtime

  • Are there any special instructions for employees claiming overtime?
  • If you are claiming overtime, please add a comment indicating the days on which you are claiming overtime hours worked. This can be helpful for your supervisor. For example, "October 10: Claiming 2 hours overtime."
  • I am a non-exempt employee eligible for overtime compensation. How do I enter overtime on my timesheet in the Time Reporting System?
  • Non-exempt employees are required to enter ALL time WORKED and ALL LEAVE time in the Time Reporting System. This is in accordance with the Fair Standards Labor Act (FLSA). The Time Reporting System will automatically calculate any overtime based on the work hours entered.
  • How does TRS know which type of overtime to apply for an employee?
  • The UC Davis Time Reporting System (TRS) automatically applies the appropriate overtime (straight or premium) based on the work hours entered by the employee, the employee type and employee classification, per the applicable HR policies and union agreements. If you have questions on how overtime is calculated, we recommend that you refer to the appropriate employee contract, available on the UC Davis Human Resources website. When reviewing a specific contract, be aware that some of the information within the contract may not apply to ALL employees in that classification. For example, the contract for SX employees includes information on overtime calculation for healthcare and non-healthcare employees. Make sure that you are referring to the correct section of the policy for the employees that you supervise.
  • For overtime calculation in the Time Reporting System, how is the work week defined? What happens if the work week occurs in two different pay periods?
  • The standard work week is Sunday through Saturday for non-represented staff.
    For a monthly-paid employee you may have a situation where the work week may be split into two separate pay periods. For example, work time for Sunday 2/26 - Wednesday 2/29 would be entered for the Feb. pay period. The work time for Thursday 3/1 - Saturday 3/3 would be entered for the March pay period. In this case, TRS will check the previous timesheet (February) to calculate time and any applicable overtime (March). This will generate Overtime Straight (OTS) or Overtime Premium (OTP) transactions which will be sent to UCPath via TRS.

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7. Vacation & Leaves

  • Can I use the Time Reporting System to report vacation and sick time?
  • Yes. You can report leave time in TRS. Leave time includes sick, vacation, comp time off, Leave without Pay (LWOP), jury duty and voting time off.
  • As an employee, why is it important that I keep track of my vacation hours accrual?
  • The University of California provides vacation leave as a benefit to staff for rest and renewal throughout the year.
    If you do not regularly use your vacation leave, there is a possibility that you will reach maximum accrual and will not be able to accrue additional hours until you have used some of your vacation leave.
    The information on the Manage My Time tab includes your vacation balance. If you are nearing your maximum accrual, you should contact your supervisor and work with them to develop a vacation plan for using some of those vacation hours.
  • Where can I locate the current leave accrual rates for employees?
  • Employee Leave Accrual Rates (rates at which an employee earns vacation and sick leave) are available through your Service Channel payroll team.
  • How does an employee report time off that is part of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)?
  • In the Time Reporting System, there isn't a specific category for FMLA leave. FMLA leave can include Sick Leave, Vacation Leave, or Leave Without Pay (LWOP). You should select the appropriate option on your timesheet.
    In the Timesheet Comments section you should add a note indicating the dates on which FMLA was taken. For example, if the vacation you took on 9/22 was for FMLA purposes, you should add a comment indicating "9/22: Vacation time: FMLA."
  • If an employee transitions from one department to another in the middle of an active pay period, which department is responsible for the holiday/sick leave/vacation pay reported in that pay period?
  • The responsible department is the one for which the employee was officially working when the sick leave/vacation was reported or when the holiday occurred. For example, if Sam has an end date of 4/12 in Dept A and begins work in Dept B on 4/13, any sick leave/vacation or holiday on or after 4/13 is the responsibility of Dept B. The department may need to make adjustments on your timesheet to ensure that the leave and holiday times are reported correctly.
  • I need to enter leave time that is not available as a drop-down menu item in TRS. How do I do this?
  • You should always check with your supervisor first for guidance.
    You can also refer to the leave time policies and procedures that are posted on the UC Davis Human Resources website.
    In some cases, you may need to report the leave time using the sick or vacation option, but the resources on the HR website will help you in making the correct determination.

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8. Separations, Assignment Changes & Multiple Assignments

  • If my job changes (ending one position and starting a new one), what happens in the Time Reporting System?
  • BEFORE your previous job ends, you should complete and submit your timesheet, your supervisor should approve, and the Departmental Time Administrator should submit the timesheet to UCPath. Once your previous job ends, you won't be able to enter or modify the timesheet for that previous job.
    Your departmental payroll processor will enter an end date for the previous job in UCPath and enter a new job. A new timesheet will be automatically created for the new job in the Time Reporting System (TRS). Keep in mind that it will take 7 BUSINESS days before you can access the new timesheet from the day the new job is created in UCPath.
  • What happens in TRS when an employee separates from the university?
  • TRS retrieves active employee data from UCPath. If an employee record is inactivated in UCPath, they will no longer be be able to access and enter timesheets in TRS.
    Historical data (past timesheet information) on the separated employee will continue to be available in TRS.
  • When ending an employee's job in UCPath, how does it affect the information in the Time Reporting System?
  • An end date should be entered for the job that is ending. If an job is deleted, an employee will NOT be able to enter time for that assignment in the Time Reporting System.
  • What do I need to do in the Time Reporting System if I am ending one job assignment at UC Davis and starting a new job assignment at UC Davis?
  • Make sure you complete a timesheet for your current job assignment BEFORE it ends.
    Once your job assignment ends, it will no longer appear in the Time Reporting System. Once you begin your new job assignment, the new job assignment will appear in the Time Reporting System, but the previous one will no longer appear.
  • I am an employee with multiple job assignments in the payroll system. How do I record my time in the Time Reporting System?
  • If you have multiple job assignments, you will be required to complete a timesheet for each one. We recommend that you contact each of your supervisors and determine how your work and leave time should be entered for each assignment. Each supervisor will be required to approve the timesheet that is related to their assignment.
  • I am an employee with multiple job assignments with the same description (same title code). Is there a way that these assignments can be differentiated in the Time Reporting System?
  • A DTA can add a job nickname to the assignment title code. This is helpful if an employee has multiple assignments with the same title code. Adding a job nickname may assist the employee and the supervisor in easily identifying and reporting time to the proper job assignment. 
    The DTA can add a job assignment nickname by going to the Manage Employee tab and finding the employee under the Search Employee Profile. Under Assignments, select the Update Time Identifier icon. A pop-up window will appear. To add a job nickname, enter a job identifier name in the Timesheet Identifierfield. Save the update.

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9. DTAs and Supervisors

  • As a DTA, I see a Work Schedule option available for each employee. How does this option work and what are the situations in which it should be used?
  • On the Manage Employee tab, the data entered in the Work Schedule section is used to identify the total number of hours an employee works each day but it does NOT identify a shift (the start and end time) the employee is scheduled. The information on the Work Schedule is used for overtime calculation purposes for biweekly-paid employees. The biweekly employee is required to enter their actual work hours for each work day on their timesheet.
    For example, a DTA may enter a 4/40 Work Schedule for an employee who works 10 hours 4 days a week; the Work Schedule only indicates the number of hours that the employee works on the selected days of the week; for instance, the 4/40 Work Schedule may indicate that an employee works 10 hours on Monday, 10 hours on Tuesday, 10 hours on Wednesday, and 10 hours on Thursday. It does not indicate the start or end time for the hours worked; in other words, it does not identify the actual work shift and does not know if the hours are eligible for shift differential.
    When the employee completes their timesheet, they enter the actual start and end times they worked for each shift; for example, start time at 8 am, lunch out at 12 pm, return to work at 1 pm, and end time at 6 pm. If the employee works in excess of 10 hours on the assigned days (or on days not normally worked), TRS would calculate overtime as applicable per the specific labor agreement. TRS also calculates the shift differential based on the actual start and end times entered by the employee on the timesheet, but NOT based on the hours entered on the Work Schedule by the DTA.
  • I am a DTA and I want to set up an employee with a 9/80 schedule, but the employee works the 36 hour week PRIOR to the 44 hour week. How can I enter this in the Time Reporting System?
  • The 44 hour week does not have to be the first week of the pay period. If the user wants the 36 hour week to be the first week of the Biweekly pay period then the 9/80 work schedule needs to begin a week before the pay period.
    For example, in the 7/7/13 - 7/20/13 pay period, employee Telly Time works the 36 hour week the first week and the 44 hour week in the second week. The TRS 9/80 schedule would start on 6/30/2013 to ensure the 36 hour week falls into the first week of the pay period.
    For the 9/80 to work properly for a pay period, the 9/80 should not start in the middle of a pay period. 9/80 working hours should begin on the first week of the pay period. DTAs should make sure the 9/80 is set up at least a week prior AND make sure there are no timesheets already created prior to the work schedule effective date  that should be on the alternate work schedule for the employee .
  • As a DTA, how do I gain access to my employee if the funding is in a department other than a HR department in my Service Channel?
  • The two Service Channels must work together to agree on who will be responsible for the timesheets. The Service Channel requesting the access contacts the Service Channel that has the employee's timesheet, and that granting Service Channel then contacts the TRS Help Desk with the following information (see below) in order to be granted alternate DTA access:
            >  Confirmation of approval to assign alternate access to the requesting Service Channel
            >  Contact at requesting Service Channel (name and email)
            >  Employee name and UCPath ID for assignment to be updated
            >  Current department code (before change)
            >  Assignment number
            >  Alternate department code (within requesting Service Channel access)     
  • I am a Department Time Administrator (DTA) who is trying to submit a timesheet with more than 5 Earn codes. I keep getting an error message. What should I do?
  • The Time Reporting System only allows submission of timesheets with up to 5 Earn codes. If you are trying to submit a timesheet citing more than 5 Earn codes you will need to submit the timesheet data manually using the I-181 process.
  • As a supervisor, can I create timesheet on behalf of an employee?
  • Yes, a Supervisor is able to Create/Submit a timesheet on behalf of an employee. A supervisor should not regularly create a timesheet on behalf of an employee, but this option may be useful if an employee is unable to create and/or submit their own timesheet due to a medical/other situation. This option is available for Primary and Backup/Optional Backup supervisors. Under the Manage the Staff tab, there is a Manage Timesheets sub-tab. Under this tab there are two options, "Search Timesheets" and "Create Timesheet." 

    Click "Create Timesheet"
    1.  Enter either the Employee ID number or Employee Name, and Payroll Period Start Date; if more than one result appears, click on the icon for the employee for whom you wish to create a timesheet.
    2.  Once the timesheet has been created, click on the timesheet icon to open timesheet and then click on Edit Timesheet for Employee button.
    3.  Once changes have been made, click on the Save Changes for Employee button and then Approve Timesheet, add comments indicating why the timesheet was created on behalf of the employee, and confirm edit.
    4.  Comments will now appear on timesheet. Employee will receive an email notice advising that a timesheet has been created on their behalf with a link to the timesheet and an acknowledgement button.

    NOTE: The Supervisor can create the timesheet even if there is an existing timesheet in the employee's queue (SAVED, RETURNED BY SUPERVISOR, RECALLED BY EMPLOYEE). The existing timesheet will not be erased or replaced. 
    NOTE: Supervisor cannot create a timesheet for an employee if the employee has already completed a timesheet for the pay period with one of the following statuses: SUBMITTED_TO_SUPERVISOR SUBMITTED_TO_DTA SUBMITTED_TO_UCPATH SUBMITTED_TO_UCPATH COMPLETED
  • As a Supervisor, where can I get a report that will list the employees I supervise?
  • You should contact your Department Time Administrator (DTA) and request a copy of the Supervisor Assignment report.
  • I am a supervisor and inadvertently approved an employee's timesheet. How can I get the timesheet returned to me?
  • You should contact your Department Time Administrator (DTA) for assistance. They will be able to return the timesheet if it has not already been submitted to UCPath.
    Once the timesheet has been returned to you, you should return it to the employee if changes need to be made. If the employee is unavailable to make the needed changes to their timesheet, you may make the changes on their timesheet. The employee will receive an email indicating what changes were made.

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