FAQ - Time & Attendance Advanced Settings & Special Cases

The FAQ addresses advanced configurations for BambooHR Time & Attendance, targeting HR administrators and payroll managers. It includes topics such as adding salaried employees, timesheet rounding, and compliance with labor laws. Key questions cover the ability to edit time-off hours during timesheet approval, the verification process for employees, and the locking of timesheets after pay periods. Compliance with Department of Labor standards and California's break requirements is also discussed. The article emphasizes that while BambooHR supports accurate record-keeping, users must manage compliance aspects independently. Related articles provide further insights into time tracking and approvals. This resource serves as a comprehensive guide for optimizing Time & Attendance settings.

  • May 13, 2026
  • Knowledge

Title
FAQ - Time & Attendance Advanced Settings & Special Cases
Article Text
Time & Attendance (formerly Time Tracking) is available as an add-on.

What are the most frequently asked questions about BambooHR Time & Attendance advanced settings?

FAQs

Can I add a salaried employee to Time & Attendance without changing their pay type?

Yes. BambooHR Time & Attendance works the same for salaried and hourly employees. You can add salaried employees to a Time & Attendance group without changing their pay type. If you use BambooHR Payroll, their hours will still appear in the payroll run, but their pay will not fluctuate based on hours worked.

Can I make timesheets round up to the nearest 15 minutes?

No. Time rounding (rounding to the nearest 5, 10, or 15 minutes) is not currently supported in BambooHR. Employees' exact clock-in and clock-out times are recorded as entered.

Can I edit time off hours while approving a timesheet?

Time-off entries can't be edited directly in a timesheet. To correct time off while approving, go to the employee's Time Off tab, edit the entry, and save. The change will immediately appear on the timesheet even if it's already approved.

Does BambooHR make employees verify their timesheet before approval?

BambooHR sends employees an email reminder before timesheets are approved, but there's no required employee verification step. Managers and admins remain responsible for reviewing and approving timesheets.

Can I add timesheet information for pay period before an employee's start date?

No. Time Tracking only records hours beginning on the date an employee is enabled. To capture past hours for reporting or payroll, import hours worked instead. These imported hours appear in the Approved Hours Report, not on the timesheet.

Do timesheets lock after a pay period ends?

Employees can continue editing their timesheets after a pay period ends, until the timesheet is approved. After approval, the timesheet locks, and only full admin users can make edits.

Are there exceptions to waiting until the next pay period for Time & Attendance changes?

Yes. If an employee's timesheet is empty when you switch Time & Attendance methods (e.g., from Start/Stop times to Total Hours), the change applies immediately. If hours already exist on the timesheet, the change applies at the start of the next period.

Is BambooHR Time & Attendance compliant with the Department of Labor (DOL) standards?

Yes. BambooHR Time & Attendance follows DOL timekeeping requirements for accurate hourly record keeping. This includes visibility into total hours, daily breakdowns, and administrator edit trails.

Does meal and rest break tracking comply with California's break requirements?

The meal and rest break tracking feature does not naturally support all of California' break requirements.

The feature complies by:

  • Tracking actual start/end timestamps
  • Providing configurable timing rules for eligibility windows
  • Detecting and surfacing all violation types (late, early, short, missed)
  • Providing an audit log
  • Reporting break-by-break compliance analysis with custom reporting

The feature does not automatically comply in the following areas:

  • No California premium pay calculation
  • No max-per-day penalty
  • No payroll integration
  • No break waivers
  • No enforcement of "middle of work period" rest break placement

How can I achieve interim compliance?

BambooHR is not responsible for maintaining meal and break compliance. If you choose to use BambooHR Time & Attendance for this purpose, you can do the following:

  1. Configure your own California-like rules in break policies
  2. Use and monitor the break violation fields in custom reporting
  3. Export reporting data to a spreadsheet
  4. Calculate penalties manually
  5. Enter premiums manually into payroll
URL Name
2005770