# Presentation: 649251

## National Finance CenterSystem for Time and AttendanceReporting (Web-Based Version 5.0)

- National Finance CenterSystem for Time and AttendanceReporting (Web-Based Version 5.0)

**Notes:**
The System for Time & Attendance Reporting Web–Based Version 5.0 (STAR 5.0) is a Web–based application designed, developed, and maintained by the National Finance Center (NFC) for personal computers (PCs) running with Internet Explorer 6.0 (or higher) or Netscape Navigator 6.23 (or higher). STAR 5.0 is used to prepare, print, and transmit time and attendance (T&A) reports to the National Finance Center (NFC) for processing. Transaction Codes (TC), along with Transaction Descriptors (TD), and leave type tables are used in STAR 5.0. Because STAR 5.0 is a real–time Web–based application, accounting information is validated through the Management Account Structure Codes System (MASC) as each line of data is entered on the T&A. This helps to eliminate errors, therefore resulting in fewer corrected T&As.
Through the use of STAR 5.0 and local telecommunications capabilities, employees and timekeepers prepare T&As on PCs meeting the minimum hardware and software requirements and mark the T&A as transmitted to be picked up by NFC for processing. This is done on a database at NFC via an Internet connection. The T&As can be marked for transmit either individually or as a group by contact point. T&As marked for transmit are pulled from the STAR 5.0 database prior to the running of the T&A Validation System (TIME) job. 
STAR 5.0 allows for both the timekeeper and/or the employee to enter  T&A data on a daily basis throughout the pay period. The timekeeper can also verify the T&A. The employee entry option of STAR 5.0 is available on an agency by agency and contact point by contact point basis. The agency must request this through their NFC Security Officer. This is done by submitting the employee’s role based Id, the applicable role(s), and contact point.

## STAR 5.0

- Available since 2003
- Designed, developed, and maintained by NFC
- 91 Agencies use STAR
- 27 Agriculture agencies use STAR
- Approximately 200,000 employees paid each pay period
- Over 500 different Transaction Code (TC) combinations available
- 24-Hour help desk support

## Cost Benefit

- Cost to current customers is 99¢ per employee

## STAR 5.0

- STAR
**V5.0**

*Timekeeper*

- STAR
- DATA BASE

## STAR 5.0

- STAR
**V5.0**

*Timekeeper*

- STAR
- DATA BASE

- Employee Personal Page
- My EPP

## STAR 5.0

- STAR
**V5.0**

*Timekeeper*

- Employee Personal Page
- My EPP

- STAR
- DATA BASE

*Employee*

- Employee Entry

## STAR 5.0

- STAR
**V5.0**

*Timekeeper*

- STAR
- DATA BASE

*Employee*

- Employee Entry
- Leave Calculator

- Employee Personal Page
- My EPP

## STAR 5.0

- STAR
**V5.0**

*Timekeeper*

- STAR
- DATA BASE

*Employee*

- Employee Entry
- Leave Calculator
- Leave Request Form

- Employee Personal Page
- My EPP

## STAR 5.0

- STAR
**V5.0**

*Timekeeper*

- STAR
- DATA BASE

*Employee*

- Employee Entry
- Leave Calculator
- Leave Request Form
- Workflow – Employee
- & Timekeeper

- Employee Personal Page
- My EPP

## STAR 5.0

- STAR
**V5.0**

*Timekeeper*

- STAR
- DATA BASE

*Employee*

- Employee Entry
- Leave Calculator
- Leave Request Form
- Workflow – Employee
- & Timekeeper

***Data Accessible Via Focus***

- Employee Personal Page
- My EPP

## STAR 5.0 Employee Entry

- STAR
**V5.0**

*Timekeeper*

***EEmployee accesses their EPP and selects the***
***“******Time Manager” option for entry of time and attendance data.***

- STAR
- DATA BASE

*Employee*

***OOnce an employee completes entry ***
***for the pay period, employee ***
***releases record to timekeeper.***
***Data is now updated into ***
***STAR data base which in ***
***turn updates STAR record ***
***for the timekeeper.***

- Employee Personal Page
- My EPP

## STAR 5.0 Employee Entry

- STAR
**V5.0**

*Timekeeper*

- STAR
- DATA BASE

***TTimekeeper accesses STAR and reviews ***
***employee’s T&A  for accuracy & completeness.***
***Timekeeper****** ******can       either return record to ***
***employee for             update/correction or ***
***complete it                 themselves.***

*Employee*

- Employee Personal Page
- My EPP

***OOnce the Timekeeper is satisfied  with the T&A, a printout is given to the supervisor for approval. ***
***Once approval is obtained, the ***
***record is marked completed for ***
***NFC to process.***

## STAR 5.0

- Used to prepare, print, and transmit time and attendance reports to be sent to NFC for processing
- Real time validation of accounting data against accounting tables
- Automatically populates employee data by location
- Database resides at NFC, allowing backup and archive functions to be performed by NFC

**Notes:**
STAR was introduce in 2003 and has had 3 releases over the last 3 years – each release has expanded STAR’s capability

## STAR 5.0

- Allows for employee daily entry via the Time Manager option of the Employee Personal Page (EPP)
- Offers timekeeper entry for daily and/or bi-weekly Time & Attendance processing
- Allows the ability to establish default schedules to use as a starting point each pay period

**Notes:**
Default schedules are available for both employee entry and daily timekeeper entry

## STAR 5.0

- Provides for project accounting via the customized agency accounting table
- Allows for agency maintenance of accounting and transaction code tables
- Defines ad hoc reporting capabilities to the Focus Reporting System (FOCUS)

## Roles and Security

- Timekeeper
- Transmitter
- Agency Administrator
- Agency Table Administrator
- Inquiry
- Employee

**Notes:**
The local agency NFC Security Officer requests access for STAR 5.0 users by either sending an e–mail to the Information Systems Security Office (ISSO) or by sending a fax to 504-426-9704 which contains the Security Officer’s signature. Roles are assigned in STAR 5.0 based upon the agency’s NFC Security Officer’s request. Only those agencies requesting employee entry for an entire contact point will have employee entry through the Time Manager tab of the  EPP available for that agency. At least 2 weeks should be allowed for the request to be processed.

The following roles are available in STAR 5.0:
Timekeeper. Performs T&A functions and establishes, maintains, and prints employee data.
Transmitter. Establishes Job Control Language (JCL) and transmits T&As to NFC.
Agency Administrator. An agency employee who is responsible for maintaining the contact points within an agency.
Agency Table Administrator. An agency employee who is responsible for maintaining the agency specific Accounting and Transaction Code tables.
NFC Administrator. An NFC employee who is responsible for maintaining the Pay Period List and the Leave Type, Transaction Code, and Transaction Code Descriptor tables used by all STAR 5.0 users. This is an NFC Only role.
Inquiry. An agency employee who has “read only” access to view T&A data by contact point. This roles has no update capability.

Employee. Maintains and enters his/her T&A data by using the Time Manager option in EPP (for agencies requesting that option). Requests are made at the agency level by contact point. Individual employees do not request this access without agency electing to use this option.

## Ready To GO!

- Log In Window

**Notes:**

For the first pay period that a timekeeper prepares T&As in STAR 5.0, he/she can import T&As from the Payroll/Personnel database. Once these records are imported into STAR 5.0, the timekeeper may begin working in STAR 5.0. Unless a timekeeper gains access to another contact point or a new employee whose T&A was not previously recorded in STAR 5.0, but was already in the Payroll/Personnel database, this is a one time function.
Note: This option is only used for new users. If a timekeeper used a previous Web–based version of STAR, the Import option should not be used. However, if the timekeeper previously used Client–based STAR, then the Import option must be used. This is also true of other T&A entry systems.
Note: If a timekeeper is either adding a new employee or is preparing T&As for employees not previously in the Payroll/Personnel database, the Import option does not work. The Add Employee option must be used for any employee(s) not previously in the NFC Payroll/Personnel database.
(Add Login window)

## Agency Accounting Tables

- Accounting Tables

**Notes:**
In STAR 5.0 accounting code, TC, and TC descriptor, and tables are maintained by the Agency Table Administrator. 

The agency maintains the accounting code table. The accounting code table is displayed to the right when you select Agency Tables. You do not need to select anything from the drop–down menu to display the accounting code table.
Accounting can be ‘stair-stepped’ – in other words, your accounting can be applicable at the agency level, agency/state level, /agency/state/city level, agency/state/city/unit level, or agency/state/city/unit/TK level

The agency designated Table Administrator will input the data to meet the agency’s needs.  At the end of the fiscal year there is a rollover available for agency use.
(Add Accounting window)

## Agency Accounting Tables, cont’d

- Creating your Accounting Table

- Agency & State

- Agency, State, & City

- Agency, State, City, Unit, & Timekeeper

- Agency

- Agency, State, City, & Unit

## Agency Accounting Tables

**Notes:**
Insert window to show how to build accounting....

## Agency Transaction Code Tables

- Transaction Code Table
- Handout available

**Notes:**
The Agency Transaction Code Maintenance Table is displayed when you select Transaction Codes from the drop–down.

The TC table is used to maintain a current list of all TCs available for T&A processing. 
The Agency Table Administrator can customize the agency TC table to include only those TCs used by the agency.
(Add TC table window)

## Agency Transaction Code Descriptor Tables

- Transaction Code Descriptor Table

**Notes:**
The Transaction Code Descriptor table (Figure 11) is used to select a Transaction Descriptor (TD) from the list. A TD is a code that is used in conjunction with specific TC(s) on an employee’s T&A. The entry of TDs is optional. When used, they allow agencies to enforce restrictions and limitations for special uses. TDs also provide a method to handle agency, Office of Personnel Management, and Congressional reporting needs 
(Add TC Descriptor table)

## Setting Up STAR

**Notes:**
The Contact Point tab from the Contact Point/JCL option is where the agency determines how STAR 5.0 will be used. 
If the Daily entry and Employee entry check boxes are NOT checked – STAR 5.0 functions exactly like STAR 4.25. 
The Daily Entry option is a check box that is used by the timekeeper for daily timekeeping and both boxes are checked for Employee Entry.  Once the Employee Entry box is checked, the Time Manager tab in EPP expands for all the employees in that contact point – allowing them to begin their process of time keeping.

## Employee Detail Record

**Notes:**
New employees may be added in STAR 5.0 when a timekeeper obtains a new employee at an agency (new hire) or an employee who was not previously in NFC’s Payroll/Personnel database. If a timekeeper obtains an employee who was previously in NFC’s Payroll/Personnel database, an Import may be done for that employee. An employee’s detail record may also be updated using this option.

This area contains information on the employee – including: work schedule, pay plan, special type for fire fighters), tour of duty, annual leave category, sick leave category, annual leave ceiling and the status of that employee.
(Add Employee Detail window)

## Leave Account

**Notes:**
The timekeeper must maintain an employee’s leave account. When an employee is imported into STAR 5.0, the employee’s annual and sick leave balances are brought forward. All other leave types must be added. The leave account consists of leave brought forward from the prior pay period, leave earned during the current pay period, leave used for the processing pay period, and the leave balance to date.
(Add leave Account window)

## Leave Types 

- Annual
- Sick/Family Friendly Leave
- Compensatory Time/ Comp Time Travel/Religious Comp
- Military Leave
- Leave without Pay/Absent without Leave
- Other Leave
- Jury Duty, Examination, Funeral, Voting, Federal Holiday, Transfer of Official Station, Court, State or Local Holiday, Administrative Leave, Hazardous Weather Dismissal, Bone Marrow/Organ Donor
- Restored Annual
- Time Off Awards

## T&A Header

**Notes:**
An employee’s T&A header is used to maintain information on an employee. This record should always be checked when adding/importing a new employee.
On the header record we see the pay period number with the begin date, the status of the current T&A, if a T&A is corrected or split (with the begin and end date for the split.  The detail data includes if this is a new employee and whether or not this is a final T&A.  It also shows the employees work schedule that will carry over to the actual time sheet. 

The header record also designates Standby/AUO/or Availability Pay, accounting usage code, stored accounting and Remarks.
(Add Header window)

## T&A - Biweekly

**Notes:**
The Biweekly T&A is used by the timekeeper in T&A preparation. 

T&As are prepared for employees for each two week pay period. These T&As are prepared, verified, printed, and signed by the timekeeper; employee; and supervisor before transmission to NFC may occur. 
(Add Biweekly T&A)

## T&A - Corrected

## Leave Error Report

**Notes:**
The Leave Error Report is used to verify current leave balances in STAR 5.0 against current leave balances in the Payroll/Personnel database at NFC. The Leave Error Report is available in STAR 5.0, and is only available for the most recent pay period.

## T&A – Daily Entry by Timekeeper

**Notes:**
(Add Daily Entry T&A)

## Rolling Over

**Notes:**
A timekeeper has the option of rolling over T&As from one pay period to the next. By doing this, all of the information recorded in STAR 5.0 for a given pay period is brought forward to the next pay period. When the Rollover option is selected, all T&As (for that contact point) that were successfully processed the previous pay period are marked for roll over. The Rollover option is not available for only one employee or a select group of employees. The entire employee list for a contact point must be rolled over.
(Add Rollover window)

## Slide 33

## Employee Personal Page

## Time Manager Tabs

- Time Manager Tabs expanded by Contact Point

## T&A – Daily Entry by Employee

**Notes:**
If an agency is electing to use the Time Manager option in EPP for daily employee entry, the timekeeper returns the T&A to the employee after reviewing the T&A if an error exists. This allows for the employee to modify the T&A and re–submit the T&A to the timekeeper for further review. 
(Add Employee Entry)

## Accounting Favorites

## Default Schedule

## Leave Calculator