Why Every Entry Matters
Your timesheet is a legal payroll record, not a formality. By signing it, you declare under penalty of perjury, under California law, that every entry is true and correct. Incomplete, false, or dishonest entries are grounds for disciplinary action up to and including termination.
Your Work Hours must also match your Shift Daily Activity Report (DAR) exactly. If the two documents disagree, expect the timesheet to be flagged during review — so fill both out from the same real-time observations.
Think in Military Time
Every time on the form is written in 24-hour clock format, from 0001 to 2400. There's no AM/PM and no colon — 8:00 AM is 0800, and 6:30 PM is 1830.
Each workday ends at midnight (2400) and the next begins at 0001, or at the moment your shift actually starts — whichever comes first for that day's log.
Filling the Grid, Column by Column
Each row is one workday. Enter times only as they actually happen — never in advance.
Arrival Time
The exact time you assume your post and go on the clock, in full uniform and ready for duty.
Out / In Times
Log the moment you step off post for each rest break, and the moment you return to it.
Out / In Times
Same idea as a rest break, logged in its own dedicated pair of columns.
8-Hour Shift Total
The time you formally end a standard shift, plus the total hours worked that day.
12-Hour Shift Columns
If you're held over onto an extended shift, use the second set of optional break and off-post columns.
Notes & Corrections
Use the Comments lines for context on any unusual entry, late relief, or client instruction.
Optional Columns: Interrupted Breaks
The second set of "OPT." rest and meal break columns exists for one purpose only: recording a break that was interrupted or missed, as directed by Client or Company management. Leave these blank on a normal, uninterrupted shift.
If a break gets cut short or missed, note the actual times in the optional columns and explain what happened in Comments. An unexplained gap reads as a payroll error, not a work interruption.
Rules That Officers Miss Most
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No pre-entering times. You may only record a time after it actually occurs — never fill in an expected clock-out in advance.
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No early clock-in without supervisor approval. Official time worked runs from your scheduled shift start unless you're called in early or held over with approval.
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Don't linger on-site off the clock. Employees who are off the clock aren't permitted to remain on client premises unless Client or Company management has approved it.
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No white-out or correction tape. Made a mistake? Draw a single line through it, initial the change, and write the correct entry beside or beneath it.
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Match your DAR. Times on this sheet must correspond exactly to the Time Entries on your Shift Daily Activity Report.
Weekly Totals & Special Hours
The pay week always runs Friday 0001 hrs through Thursday 2400 hrs. At the bottom of the sheet, roll every day up into these totals:
Getting It to Payroll
Once your supervisor has reviewed and approved your hours, submit the completed, signed sheet through one of the accepted channels:
Sign It Like You Mean It
Your signature confirms the hours above are accurate and complete. If anything's unclear before you sign — a missed break, an early call-in, a DAR mismatch — talk to your supervisor first. It's always faster to fix a question than a filed record.
Some of the Most Asked Question
It's your own record of the hours you worked, in your own words, before payroll finalizes anything. Writing it out weekly helps you keep track of your hours as they add up, and it gives you the chance to catch and claim any discrepancy — a missed break, a wrong clock-out, a shift that ran long — while it's still fresh and easy to fix.
Yes, TrackTik does hold all your timekeeping data. But the manual timesheet isn't there to duplicate that system — it's there to cross-check it. It lets you verify your own work log against what TrackTik recorded, and it helps catch and detect any time fraud, whether that's an error in the system or a deliberate discrepancy. Having both your own record and the system's record means nothing goes unverified.
Submitting on time is what keeps payroll processing running smoothly for everyone. Late sheets hold up review and approval, which can hold up your pay. Getting it in on schedule is the simplest thing you can do to make sure your hours are paid accurately and on time.
