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Manage Lock Dates for Time Cards
Christi Fabela avatar
Written by Christi Fabela
Updated over a week ago

Companies can have varying levels of comfort when giving users access to other employee's time cards. A good example of this might be that Supervisors have permission to edit time cards until the employee signs off on that time card. Or simply that the time entries that have already been processed as payroll cannot be edited, ensuring time keeping records and payroll records remain accurate.

To accomplish this, busybusy allows Admins (and others who have been granted permission) to enable and manage lock dates, giving everyone the sense of security that comes from knowing that those time entries haven't been edited after the fact. Lock Dates can be set for the company as a whole, or for each employee to prevent time entries from being edited while locked. Users who have permission to edit time cards will not be able to edit locked time cards without also having permission to Manage Lock Dates.

There are two ways Lock Dates are set in busybusy. Time cards can be set (company wide) to lock once the user has digitally signed and approved the time card, after the pay period is complete. You can also set lock dates to be set as of a certain date for employees individually.

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NOTE: If enabled, all time entries are locked leading up to the date shown for the lock date. For example, if you are on a weekly pay period and you are trying to unlock a time entry for an employee's past pay period, your lock date should be any day before the past pay period you are trying to edit.

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Managing Lock Dates From the Web

Enable Locked Time Cards upon Digital Signature Approval

This feature, once enabled, locks the time card against further edits once the employee has digitally signed the time card. You can enable this feature from the web only, you cannot enable it from a mobile device.

  1. From the Left Navigation Menu select Settings

  2. Select Time Card Approval

  3. Click on Digital Signatures

  4. Select the box Lock Time Card on Approval

  5. Click on Update

Set a Specific Lock Date For an Employee

Unlike the Signature Approval lock, this feature allows you to lock edits to an employee's time card as of a particular date.

  1. From the Left Navigation Menu, select Management Lists

  2. Select Employees

  3. Click on the Employee's name

  4. In the OTHER box, click on Lock Date

  5. Click on the date field and select the desired date from the calendar that pops up, or you can choose Today from the bottom of the calendar

  6. Select Update

All of the time entries leading up to the date you've chosen as the lock date will not be editable unless you change the lock date for that employee.

How to Unlock a Time Card from the Web

  1. From the Left Navigation Menu, select Management Lists

  2. Select Employees

  3. Click on the Employee's name

  4. In the OTHER box, click on Lock Date

  5. Choose last day of previous pay period, and select Update

All time entries after the date you choose will be unlocked and editable. All time entries on and before that date will now be locked.

To See a Summary of Lock Dates for All Employees

  1. From the Left Navigation Menu, select Management Lists

  2. Select Employees

  3. Select the three column icon in the top right corner of the screen

  4. From the Table Columns menu, select Lock Date and drag it to the position you'd prefer

  5. Moving forward, the Management List - Employees main screen will continue to display the current lock date set for each employee

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Managing Lock Dates From an iOS Device

How to Set a Lock Date

  1. From your Main Menu, go to Employees

  2. Select the Drop Down Menu (3 dot icon)

  3. Select More

  4. Select Edit Lock Date

  5. Select the employees you will lock dates for or Select All

  6. Select Next

  7. Select Lock Date

  8. Choose Date and select Done

All of the time entries leading up to the date you've chosen as the lock date will not be editable unless you change the lock date for that employee.

How to Unlock a Time Card

  1. From your Main Menu, go to Employees

  2. Select the Drop Down Menu (3 dot icon)

  3. Select More

  4. Select Edit Lock Date

  5. Select the employees you will unlock dates for or Select All

  6. Select Next

  7. Select Lock Date

  8. Choose last day of previous pay period, and select Done

All time entries after the date you choose will be unlocked and editable. All time entries on and before that date will now be locked.

To See a Summary of Lock Dates for All Employees

  1. From your Main Menu select Employees

  2. Select the three vertical dots in the top right corner

  3. From the pop up screen, select Edit Lock Date. If Edit Lock Date isn't visible, choose More... If Edit Lock Date still isn't visible, you do not have permission to edit or view this information.

  4. The lock date will be shown below each employee's name

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Managing Lock Dates from an Android Device

How to Set a Lock Date

  1. From your Main Menu, go to Employees

  2. Select the Drop Down Menu (3 dot icon)

  3. Select Edit Lock Date

  4. Select the employees you will lock dates for or Select All

  5. Select Next

  6. Select Lock Date

  7. Choose Date and select OK

  8. Select Save

All of the time entries leading up to the date you've chosen as the lock date will not be editable unless you change the lock date for that employee.

How to Unlock a Time Card

  1. From your Main Menu, go to Employees

  2. Select the Drop Down Menu (3 dot icon)

  3. Select "Edit Lock Date"

  4. Select the employees you will unlock dates for or "Select All"

  5. Select "Next"

  6. Select "Lock Date"

  7. Choose last day of previous pay period, "Ok"

  8. Select "Save"

All time entries after the date you choose will be unlocked and editable. All time entries on and before that date will now be locked.

To See a Summary of Lock Dates for All Employees

  1. From your Main Menu select Employees

  2. Select the three vertical dots in the top right corner

  3. From the pop up screen, select Edit Lock Date. If Edit Lock Date isn't visible, choose More... If Edit Lock Date still isn't visible, you do not have permission to edit or view this information.

  4. The lock date will be shown below each employee's name

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GOOD TO KNOW!

*If you are trying to edit a signed time card for an employee that is locked, once you unlock the time card and make the change, the employee will be prompted to resign automatically.
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*If your lock date is enabled to set upon the employee's signature, and you UNLOCK the date to edit an entry, the lock date will reset automatically once the employee resigns the time card.

*Lock dates can't be set for future dates.

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