Can My Manager Alter My Time Card?

Rounding

Early and tardy arrivals and departures are recorded on your time card, which is then forwarded to the payroll processor. Many employers round up or round down employees' work time for mathematical ease in calculating payroll. Your manager has the right to alter your time card, provided the changes aren't more than a few minutes. For example, if your start time is 8 a.m. and you clock in at 8:03 a.m., your manager will probably change the clock-in time to 8 a.m. Likewise, if you arrive at 8:08 a.m. or 8:13 a.m., your manager might change your clocked-in time to 8:15 a.m.

Exactness

Chances are, there are times when your manager rounds up and times when she rounds down. There's no real science to the practice, but it evens out over time. Unless you're literally standing beside the time clock waiting for the seconds to pass so you can clock in at precisely 8 a.m., there will be days when you'll miss clocking in right on time or when your job duties keep you a few minutes past your quitting time. If your manager routinely alters your time card so that you're always denied a full 10 minutes here or 15 minutes there, you should ask why because, over the course of a pay period, those quarter-hours can add up to hours of unpaid time.

Meals

Under federal law, employers don't have to give meal breaks. Some state laws may require it, such as New York State law that requires a one-hour midday meal break for factory workers. If you get a lunch break, your company doesn't have to pay you for that time off if you're fully relieved from your work duties. Your manager might alter your time card to make your lunch break a paid one if she sees that you are working during your lunch break or if business demand requires that you eat your lunch at your desk. This is a justifiable reason for altering your time card in your favor.

Overtime

If you're required to use a time card or clock in, chances are you're a nonexempt employee who's entitled to overtime pay when you work more than 40 hours in a workweek. Your manager is prohibited from altering your time card if she's taking away overtime hours, even if the extra time wasn't authorized or required. Under federal law, employers must compensate nonexempt employees for overtime, regardless of whether the time was approved. This is an unjustifiable reason for altering time cards in favor of the employer. But if you continually work unauthorized overtime and there's a workplace policy that requires supervisor approval for extra hours, you could be subject to disciplinary action.