Timesheet Introduction

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Why Time Study Buddy?

Time Study Buddy often hears from county employees that they wish they did not have to enter their time into multiple systems. We designed timesheets within Time Study Buddy to meet this need. It offers counties the best of both worlds. Fiscal teams can manage time studies and optimize revenue, while workers can complete timesheets and time studies simultaneously.

Timesheet Codes and Categories

While having both timesheets and time studies on the same page is very convenient, it's important to distinguish between the two types of documents. Time studies are used to track reimbursable activities and help fund government organizations. Timesheets are used to track employee work hours and time off, and are also used to calculate paychecks, available vacation time, and other relevant information. They are both important for different reasons, and making it easy for workers to complete both is our job.

Codes are grouped into categories, which control how they are treated and appear on the time study. Many timesheet codes, such as Vacation, Sick Leave, and Holiday Pay, are treated as non-allocable time for time study purposes and should be grouped in a Non-allocable category. Other codes, such as Unpaid Leave, are entirely ignored in time studies altogether and should be grouped under Exempt categories.

Managing timesheet codes and their corresponding categories is a crucial aspect of establishing an effective time study system. In Time Study Buddy, administrators can customize which codes appear on the timesheet, how they're grouped, and how they're treated for reporting purposes. Each code should be assigned to a category that reflects how it should behave in the time study. Categories themselves are grouped into different classes that determine how they work with the time study:

• Allocable codes are included in the study and help determine funding proportions.
• Non-allocable codes appear on the timesheet but don’t contribute to reimbursable activity.
• Exempt codes are excluded entirely from the time study calculation.

When setting up your timesheets, you'll determine which codes apply to which categories. This ensures consistent reporting and reduces confusion for staff when entering their time. You can edit existing codes or create new ones directly from the admin dashboard. Changes are applied instantly, so your team will always have the most up-to-date list when filling out their timesheets.

Working with Timesheet Codes and Categories

Here you can see a great example of categories and codes. Regular Hours, Time Off, and Other are categories, while the codes are inside them. In this scenario, regular hours would be the only hours allocable in the time study. Time-off would be non-allocable, and others might be exempt. Working with these codes is straightforward; simply input your hours worked or time off for each day.

Timesheets and Time Studies

A worker's timesheet is consolidated in the top section, while their time study is below. Each worker's normal work week, timesheet codes, and time study codes are set up per worker. As workers complete their time study, they can easily adjust their timesheet from the same screen. When timesheets are due, workers can switch to the timesheet, review it in expanded form, and electronically sign it.

How does this Benefit You?

By using Time Study Buddy’s built-in timesheet feature, your team can save time and reduce frustration by avoiding double entry. Instead of juggling multiple systems, employees can record both timesheet and time study data in one place — accurately, efficiently, and without missing a beat. It’s a smarter, streamlined approach that helps your staff focus on their work, while ensuring your county gets the reimbursement it deserves.