ENTERING AND EDITING TIME WORKED POLICY (HR2418) 08-21-2019.PDF

MARICOPA COUNTY INTERNAL POLICY
Policy Title:
Policy Number: HR2418
ENTERING AND EDITING TIME
WORKED Current Adoption Date: 08-21-2019
Current Implementation Date: 08-21-2019
Approved by: Board Agenda Number: C-31-12-007-6-02
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Original Adoption Date: 05-06-2013
I. PURPOSE
To outline the requirements for recording, tracking, and approving employee time and attendance in
the County’s payroll system and to identify the process for editing time by a person other than the
employee.
II. AUTHORITY
This Policy is authorized by the Board of Supervisors pursuant to A.R.S. § 11-251.
III. APPLICATION
This Policy applies to all employees of Maricopa County elected offices and appointed departments
as well as the Flood Control District of Maricopa County and the Maricopa County Library District
(Special Districts). The Board of Supervisors is authorized to jointly adopt policies applying to the
Special Districts under the Intergovernmental Agreement, C-06-18-393-6-00, approved on April 11,
2018.
IV. DEFINITIONS
A. Comment: A system function that allows information to be noted when adjustments are made
to time cards. Approved Comments and the instances they are to be used shall be set by County
Payroll. Comments can be used on punches, pay codes, durations, historical edits, and labor
level transfers.
B. County Payroll System: The official system of record for time and attendance for all
Employees.
C. Employee: A person paid a wage, salary, or stipend in accordance with official County payroll
entries. For purposes of this Policy, this includes all classified, contract, temporary, and
unclassified employees as well as non-County employees who are paid by the County Payroll
System. Maricopa County Elected Officials, as identified in A.R.S. § 11-401(A)(1) – (7), are NOT
Employees for purposes of this Policy.
D. Exception Time: A method of paying Employees for non-work hours as described and
permitted by HR2415 Employee Leave (e.g., vacation time, sick leave, bereavement leave, civic
duty pay, etc.).
E. Exempt Employee: An Employee who is exempt from overtime pay based on duties performed
and compensation as established by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
F. Human Resources (HR) Liaison: An Employee within a department who acts as the
communication link between the Human Resources department and a department.
G. Manager Delegation: A method for supervisors to select another supervisor (anyone with direct

Policy Title: Policy Number: HR2418
ENTERING AND EDITING TIME WORKED
Current Adoption Date: 08-21-2019
reports) in their department to approve time cards, time-off requests, etc. for their employees
during an absence.
H. Non-Exempt Employee: An employee who is not exempt from the overtime provisions of the
FLSA and therefore entitled to overtime pay.
I. Note: A freeform system function that allows additional detailed information to be noted about a
Comment.
J. Pay Period: A recurring biweekly period beginning on Monday and ending on Sunday over
which Employee time is recorded and paid.
K. Payroll (PR) Liaison: An Employee within a department who acts as the communication link
between the County Payroll division and a department.
L. Real-Time Collection Method: A method by which time and attendance is recorded in the
County Payroll System as close to real-time as possible (e.g, time clock, time stamp, and phone
login).
M. Timekeepers: An Employee designated in the County Payroll System to maintain and assist
other Employees in recording their hours worked.
V. TIME ENTRY
A. Schedules:
1. All full-time Exempt Employees are required to have a schedule in the County Payroll System
which will be used to auto populate their timecards.
2. While not required, it is recommended that Non-Exempt Employees have a schedule in the
County Payroll System.
B. Entering Time:
1. At no time shall Employees permit another individual, except their supervisor or Timekeeper
as outlined in this Policy, to enter their time in the County Payroll System (e.g., allowing
someone to log/clock in or out on their behalf).
2. Non-Exempt Employees are required to clock in and out for time and attendance purposes
in accordance with all County policies, including HR2471 Hours Worked and Overtime, and
applicable law. Where possible, Non-Exempt Employees shall enter their time through a
Real-Time Collection Method.
3. Non-Exempt Employees may only enter their time and perform any work related function
while they are in an “hours worked” status and are not permitted to do job-related work
without making sure the time worked is recorded in the County Payroll System.
4. Non-exempt Employees who miss a time entry in the County Payroll System must notify their
supervisor or Timekeeper within 24 hours where possible.
5. The County uses a seven (7) minute rounding for shift in/out punches, excluding the lunch
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Policy Title: Policy Number: HR2418
ENTERING AND EDITING TIME WORKED
Current Adoption Date: 08-21-2019
punches.
C. Exception Time:
1. Employees are required to enter all Exception Time into the County Payroll System.
2. Exception Time must be entered in quarter hour (.25) increments.
D. Time and Attendance Approvals:
1. Regardless of the method used to input the time and attendance (e.g., Real-Time Collection
Method or manual entry), Employees must verify that their time entered into the County
Payroll System is accurate and free from errors before approving it. Employees regularly
failing to approve their time may be disciplined, up to and including dismissal from
employment.
2. Supervisor approval is required after Employees approve their time. As an exception, and
only on a limited basis, supervisors may approve their Employees’ time without the
Employees’ prior approval (e.g., Employees are out sick and unable to approve their time).
3. Supervisors should complete a Manager Delegation prior to their scheduled absences that
would prevent them from approving their employees’ time. When an unscheduled absence
or limited access to the internet occurs, a Timekeeper may approve the time on behalf of the
supervisor as an exception. This should not occur because the supervisor is too busy.
4. Employees or supervisors should not approve time before the end of the Pay Period unless
all time for that Pay Period has been worked and recorded in the County Payroll System.
VI. EDITING TIME
A. Supervisors and Timekeepers are prohibited from altering Employees’ time, including Exception
Time, without notifying the Employees or their supervisors. Written approval is preferred.
B. Where practicable, any adjustment of the time, including Exception Time, must be approved in
the County Payroll System by the Employee before the timecard is submitted for payment.
C. Adjustments to Employees’ time must be documented in the County Payroll System by the
individual making the edit with a Comment and a Note which clearly state the reason and who
authorized the edit.
D. At no time shall supervisors or Timekeepers alter Employees’ time as discipline or to avoid
overtime.
E. Adjustments to a timecard received after payroll closes will be processed the following pay
period. If employees are missing pay for eight (8) hours or more of their base pay a manual
warrant will be processed as soon as possible. Both Employees and supervisors are required to
sign the adjustment sheets requesting the correction before it can be processed.
F. Concerns Regarding Time Edits:
1. Employees that believe an error occurred regarding the reporting of their hours worked must
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Policy Title: Policy Number: HR2418
ENTERING AND EDITING TIME WORKED
Current Adoption Date: 08-21-2019
immediately report it to their HR or Payroll Liaison. This includes any belief that a supervisor
or Timekeeper inappropriately altered the time after it was approved by the Employee.
2. HR Liaisons are required to report any concerns regarding the inappropriate entering,
approval or recording of time to the Central Payroll immediately. Reports of error will be
promptly investigated.
3. The County Human Resources Department can audit Employee time and attendance at any
time. Departments with Employees out of compliance with this Policy will be notified.
Revision History
Revision
Version Date Description of Revision
1 05/09/2012 Initial version (C-31-12-007-6-00)
2 02/06/2013 Eliminated the list of permitted comments and directed County Payroll to develop
the comment list. (C-31-12-007-6-01)
Updated definitions, format, and language for consistency throughout policy. (C-
3 08/21/2019
31-12-007-6-02)
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