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Enter Time, Effort, and Absences in Sequoia

Stanford and SLAC (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) employees use Sequoia to request absences and, depending on their employee classification, report time or effort.

Tips for Working with Time Card

  • Adjust your browser zoom to display more of the Time Card.
  • Resize columns to make frequently used fields easier to view. Sequoia saves the column widths when you reopen the Time Card.
  • Move the freeze-pane divider to keep the most useful fields visible.

Select the appropriate tab on the right based on your employee classification and the task you need to complete.

Enter or Edit Time for Non-Exempt Employees

Stanford non-exempt employees use Sequoia to report their actual work time and leave before the end of each pay period. After the leave is approved, it appears as view-only information on your Time Card. For this reason, it is best to submit absence requests before completing your Time Card to help ensure that your time and leave are reported completely and accurately.

When entering time:

  • Report your actual start and stop times. Sequoia automatically calculates the quantity of hours.
  • Use separate rows for time worked before and after an unpaid meal period.
  • Use only one PTA on each row.
  • Change a PTA only when instructed by your manager.
  • Use the Tab key to move between the Start and Stop fields. For a morning time, enter the hour and press Tab. For an afternoon time, include PM before pressing Tab.

Time Cards are available for the current pay period. The Time Card for the next pay period becomes available four days before that period begins.

Save your entries throughout the pay period. Select Submit only after you have completed and reviewed all entries for the entire pay period.

  1. Go to Sequoia
  2. Select Sign in with SUNet ID
  3. Enter SUNet ID and password, if prompted

  1. In the Me tab, select the Time and Absences tile
  2. Select Current Time Card

If you are a new employee, a time card may not have been created for you for the current pay period.  Select Add Time Card to create a time card for the current pay period.

  1. Select the applicable assignment in the Assignment Number field

When you have multiple hourly assignments, the Dept. field automatically displays the department associated with the selected assignment once you tab into this field.

  1. Select the applicable Time Type in the Time Type field
    • For most work time, select Regular Time

To narrow the available options, begin entering the name of the Time Type in the field.

Holiday hours generally appear automatically on your Time Card. Holiday is the only absence entry that you can enter or edit directly on the Time Card. To change any other leave entry, use the Absence module.

  1. Enter the actual Start and Stop times for each period worked
    • Sequoia automatically updates the Quantity field.
  2. Enter additional rows when you need to report:
    • Time worked following an unpaid meal period
    • Time allocated to a different PTA
    • A different assignment or Time Type
    • Time worked in a different tax location
  3. There is no separate Time Type for an unpaid meal period. Instead, divide the workday into two rows:
    • On the first row, enter the start and stop times for the work completed before the meal period.
    • On the second row, enter the start and stop times for the work completed after the meal period.

Do not include the unpaid meal period in either row.

  1. Resolve any error or warning messages that appear before continuing
  2. Select Save to retain your entries

  1. Review Time Totals (your entered time):
    1. Select View Time Totals
    2. Confirm that the reported hours and absence hours are complete and accurate
    3. Close the Time Totals panel to return to the Time Card
    4. Select Save

Time Totals show the quantities entered before payroll rules are applied. Overtime premiums, shift premiums, and other calculated values are not included.

  1. Review Calculated Time:
    1. Select View Calculated Time
    2. Review the overtime, shift premiums, and other values calculated from your entries
    3. Confirm that the calculated time is accurate before submitting your Time Card

To save a copy of the calculated-time information, select the download button in the upper-right corner to export it to Excel.

  1. Select Submit to route your Time Card for manager approval
What Happens Next?

If your manager rejected your time card for corrections, enter the applicable corrections, save, and then submit the time card to re-route it for approval. Once your Time Card has been approved, your time will transfer to payroll to be reflected in your next regular paycheck.

Once approved, your Time Card entries will transfer to payroll and appear in your next regular paycheck.

Additional Information

Remote Employees

Stanford employees who normally work remotely outside California must report a temporary tax location for any day they work while physically present in California. For instructions, see How To: Enter Temporary Tax Location in Sequoia.

Correct a Previously Submitted Time Card

You can correct a previously submitted Time Card from the past 45 days. For an older correction, contact your manager or department Time and Leave Administrator. To learn more, see How To: Retroactively Enter Time and Absence Corrections in Sequoia.

Enter an Absence for Exempt Employees

Exempt employees are required to record absences taken. Within Sequoia, they use the Absences module to request time away.

  1. Go to Sequoia
  2. Select Sign in with SUNet ID
  3. Enter SUNet ID and password, if prompted

  1. In the Me tab, select the Time and Absences tile
  2. Select the Add Absence tile
  3. Select Absence Type (for example, vacation, sick, etc.) from the drop down menu

Your default PTA/LD will be charged for your sick time. Update if needed based upon guidance from your manager. SLAC employees should always leave the PTA section blank.

  1. Enter absence details, adjusting the number of hours as appropriate
  2. If you enter a range of dates that includes a weekend or a holiday,
    • Turn on Show Individual Date to display individual dates.
    • Select Edit for a specific date to change its time allocation.
    • To delete a weekend or holiday date, select Edit for that date, and then select Delete.
    • Turn off Show Individual Date to return to the combined view.
  3. Select Submit when the request is complete and ready to send to your manager for approval
    • Select Save if you want to keep the leave request as a draft and return to it later

  1. In the Me tab, select the Time and Absences tile
  2. Select the Existing  Absences tile
  3. Verify all requested absences are reflected with current approval status

Approval Statuses

  • Completed (approved and in the past)
  • In Progress (approved and includes today)
  • Scheduled (approved and in the future)
  • Awaiting Approval
  • Rejected
  • Withdrawn (deleted)
What Happens Next?

Absence requests in Sequoia follow an approval workflow to ensure consistency across our employee population. Approved absences in Sequoia are automatically reflected in your leave balances and flow to payroll and pay statements.

Additional Information

Remote Employees

Stanford employees who normally work remotely outside California must report a temporary tax location for any day they work while physically present in California. For instructions, see How To: Enter Temporary Tax Location in Sequoia.

Enter an Absence for Non-Exempt Employees

Non-exempt employees must keep an accurate record of their daily work hours, including actual start and stop times and meal periods, and record absences taken. Within Sequoia, you use the Absence module to request time away as it is planned, which can be as far in advance as needed.

  1. Go to Sequoia
  2. Select Sign in with SUNet ID
  3. Enter SUNet ID and password, if prompted

  1. In the Me tab, select the Time and Absences tile
  2. Select the Add Absence tile
  3. Select Absence Type (for example, vacation, sick, etc.) from the drop down menu

Your default PTA/LD will be charged for your sick time. Update if needed based upon guidance from your manager. SLAC employees should always leave the PTA section blank.

  1. Enter absence details, adjusting the number of hours as appropriate
  2. If you enter a range of dates that includes a weekend or a holiday,
    • Turn on Show Individual Date to display individual dates.
    • Select Edit for a specific date to change its time allocation.
    • To delete a weekend or holiday date, select Edit for that date, and then select Delete.
    • Turn off Show Individual Date to return to the combined view.
  3. Select Submit when the request is complete and ready to send to your manager for approval
    • Select Save if you want to keep the leave request as a draft and return to it later

  1. In the Me tab, select the Time and Absences tile
  2. Select the Existing  Absences tile
  3. Verify all requested absences are reflected with current approval status

Approval Statuses

  • Completed (approved and in the past)
  • In Progress (approved and includes today)
  • Scheduled (approved and in the future)
  • Awaiting Approval
  • Rejected
  • Withdrawn (deleted)
What Happens Next?

Absence requests in Sequoia follow an approval workflow to ensure consistency across our employee population. Approved absences in Sequoia are visible to you on your Time Card to help facilitate time entry, but can only be entered or updated in the Absence module. Absence requests are also automatically reflected in your leave balances, and flow to payroll and pay statements.

Report Effort for SLAC Exempt Employees

SLAC exempt employees use Sequoia to report effort as percentages before the end of each pay period. After the leave is approved, it appears as view-only information on your Time Card. For this reason, it is best to submit absence requests before completing your Time Card to help ensure that your effort and leave are reported completely and accurately.

Save your entries throughout the pay period. Submit your Time Card only after you have completed and reviewed your effort report.

  1. Go to Sequoia
  2. Select Sign in with SUNet ID
  3. Enter SUNet ID and password, if prompted

  1. In the Me tab, select the Time and Absences tile
  2. Select the Current Time Card tile

If you are a new employee, a time card may not have been created for you for the current pay period.  Select Add Time Card to create a time card for the current pay period.

  1. For each effort allocation row:
    • Select the applicable assignment in the Assignment Number field
    • Select Regular Percent in the Time Type field
    • Select the applicable SLAC PA in the SLAC PA field

Use a separate row for each SLAC PA to which you need to allocate effort.

  1. For each business day, enter the percentage of effort allocated to each SLAC PA
  2. Add rows as needed until the percentages for each business day total 100%

Enter effort only for business days.
Leave weekends and holidays blank.
Review each business-day column carefully to confirm that it totals 100%.

  1. Account for approved absence
    • Full-day absence: Do not enter effort for that day
    • Partial-day absence: The effort percentages for the portion of the day worked must total 100%

Approved vacation, sick leave, and other absences appear as read-only entries on the Time Card.
You cannot change an approved absence from the Time Card. Make the correction through Existing Absences, and then return to the Time Card.

  1. Select Save

  1. Confirm that:
    • The correct assignment and SLAC PA appear on each row
    • Each applicable business day totals 100%
    • No effort is entered for weekends, holidays, or full-day absences
  2. Resolve any error or warning messages before continuing
  3. Select Submit
  4. In the Attestations panel, open the acknowledgement menu and select Accept to confirm that the reported effort is accurate
  5. Select Submit and Close to route your effort report for manager approval
Additional Information

Remote Employees

Stanford employees who normally work remotely outside California must report a temporary tax location for any day they work while physically present in California. For instructions, see How To: Enter Temporary Tax Location in Sequoia.

Report Effort for SLAC Non-Exempt Employees

SLAC non-exempt employees use Sequoia to report actual work time, leave, and effort before the end of each pay period. Enter your start and stop times and allocate each time segment to the applicable SLAC PA.

After the leave (absence) is approved, it appears as view-only information on your Time Card. For this reason, it is best to submit absence requests before completing your Time Card to help ensure that your time, leave, and effort are reported completely and accurately for each day in the pay period.

Important Time and Effort Reporting Changes

  • Sequoia calculates Overtime and Doubletime, so do not enter these Time Types manually. Continue to select the applicable Time Type for Pre Shift Premium, Quick Shift Premium, Call Back, Make-up Time, and Regular Time – Special Operations.
  • Allocate each period of work to the corresponding SLAC PA. When you work on more than one PA during the same day, use a separate row for each time segment. For example, if you work on Project A from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and Project B from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., enter two rows—one for each PA.

Save your entries throughout the pay period. Submit your Time Card only after you have completed and reviewed your effort report.

Use the Tab key to move between the Start and Stop fields. For a morning time, enter the hour and press Tab. For an afternoon time, include PM before pressing Tab.

  1. Go to Sequoia
  2. Select Sign in with SUNet ID
  3. Enter SUNet ID and password, if prompted

  1. In the Me tab, select the Time and Absences tile
  2. Select the Current Time Card tile

If you are a new employee, a time card may not have been created for you for the current pay period.  Select Add Time Card to create a time card for the current pay period.

  1. For each time entry row:
    1. Select the applicable assignment in the Assignment Number field
    2. Select Regular Time in the Time Type field
      • For most work time, select Regular Time
    3. Select the SLAC PA associated with the work performed in the SLAC PA field

Effort-specific Time Types are no longer used. Allocate effort by assigning the applicable SLAC PA to the corresponding start and stop times.

  1. Enter the actual Start and Stop times for each work segment. Sequoia automatically calculates the Quantity
  2. Use additional rows when:
    • You change from one SLAC PA to another
    • You take an unpaid meal period
    • Different portions of the day require different Time Types
    • You work in more than one tax location
  3. Record unpaid meal periods as below:
    • The time worked before the meal period on one row
    • The time worked after the meal period on another row
    • Do not include the unpaid meal period in either row

Note that there is no separate Time Type for an unpaid meal period.

Do not manually enter Overtime or Doubletime. Sequoia calculates these amounts based on the reported time and applicable rules.

Select the applicable specific Time Type when reporting:

  • Pre Shift Premium
  • Quick Shift Premium
  • Call Back
  • Make-up Time
  • Regular Time - Special Operations

  1. Confirm that:
    1. All actual Start and Stop times are correct
    2. Each work segment is assigned to the correct SLAC PA
    3. Unpaid meal periods are excluded from your reported work time
  2. Select View Time Totals to review the quantities you entered
  3. Resolve all error and warning messages
  4. Select Save to retain your entries
  5. Select View Calculated Time to review calculated overtime, shift premiums, and other applicable values
  6. Confirm that the calculated time is accurate

Time Totals show the quantities entered before payroll rules are applied.Calculated Time shows the values calculated after those rules are applied.
Note that the View Calculated Time button may not be available until you have cleared all error and warning messages and saved the Time Card.

  1. Resolve all error and warning messages before continuing
  2. Select Save to retain your entries
  3. After all entries for the pay period are complete, select Submit
  4. In the Attestations panel, open the acknowledgement menu and select Accept to confirm that the reported time and effort are accurate
  5. Select Submit and Close to route your effort report for manager approval
Additional Information

Remote Employees

Stanford employees who normally work remotely outside California must report a temporary tax location for any day they work while physically present in California. For instructions, see How To: Enter Temporary Tax Location in Sequoia.

Last Updated: Aug 31, 2026
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