Overview: Time and Leave Reporting

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Requirements for Reporting Time and Leave

All Stanford staff members (part-time and full-time) are required to report time (hours worked) and/or leave (time off) each pay period.

This includes:

  • Exempt employees: Report any leave taken and approve your timecard each pay period
  • Non-exempt, temporary, casual, or hourly-paid student employees: Report hours worked and/or leave taken
  • Bargaining Unit employees: Report hours worked and/or leave taken

This does NOT include:

  • Faculty, postdoctoral scholars, or graduate students receiving assistantships (see Sick Time policy)
  • Students on financial aid / stipends (unless they are working in a separately-paid position)
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Pay Periods and Pay Dates

Hours worked and/or leave (time off) is reported for the following pay periods:

  • Beginning the 1st and ending the 15th of the month
  • Beginning the 16th and ending the last day of the month

Pay dates are the 7th and the 22nd of each month, or the nearest preceding business day if the pay date falls on a weekend or holiday.

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Time Reporting Methods Used at Stanford

Time and leave reporting methods are determined by each school or department. Most departments use the online timecard application in Axess to report time and/or leave taken. Other methods are mentioned below. Ask your supervisor which method is used in your school or department.

Axess Timecard
The University's primary system for recording time and/or leave taken is the Axess Timecard online application. To use Axess Timecard:
  • Staff members enter time and/or leave records online for each pay period
  • Staff members electronically approve their own timecard upon completion
  • Supervisors and/or department / school Time and Leave Administrators review and approve employee time and leave records
  • Payroll is run based on the approved records

See Instructions and Training for more information on how to use Axess Timecard.

Time Clocks

Some departments use a time clock for employees to enter "In" and "Out" times. You must have an active University ID card to use a time clock. Employees "swipe" the ID card through the time clock when they report to work and when they leave work. Time clock information is automatically transferred to the online timecard application in Axess for the payroll run. For assistance using the time clock, reference Time Clock Basic Function Keys.

Local Manual Process

A very few departments use a paper form or rely on email for employees to report hours worked and/or leave taken. Typically paper forms or emails are submitted for approval and then entered into the online timecard application in Axess by each department's Time and Leave Administrator. Payroll is run based on the approved timecard records entered into Axess.

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Reporting Time Worked and Leave

(for Non-Exempt, Temporary and Casual Employees, and Hourly-Paid Student Workers)

Federal and state laws require non-exempt employees to keep an accurate daily record of hours actually worked, including actual start and stop times. Any overtime worked must be pre-approved.

Stanford policy requires that employees eligible for leave also record leave taken (time off).

For an overview of policies related to vacation, sick leave, overtime, working during University holidays and closures, etc., please review Policy Notes: Time and Leave.

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Reporting Leave

(for Exempt Employees)

Exempt employees do not report time worked. However, they are required to report leave (time off) or approve their blank timecard if they do not have leave to report for the pay period. Leave is normally reported as follows:

  • Vacation, floating holiday and personal time off (PTO) are reported in four-hour increments
  • Sick leave may be reported in hourly increments

For an overview of policies related to vacation, sick leave, personal time off, etc., please review Policy Notes: Time and Leave.

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Instructions and Training


Viewing Leave Accruals
There are two ways to view accrued leave balances:

Reporting Time Worked and Leave
For help reporting time worked and leave (including viewing accruals) using the online timecard application in Axess, review:

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