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All LBNL employees (including GSRAs) must enter their own time into LETS (Lab Employee Time System), Release, and Confirm it for supervisor approval prior to the sweep date.
All LBNL employees (including GSRAs) must enter their own time into LETS (Lab Employee Time System), Release, and Confirm it for supervisor approval prior to the sweep date.
2025 Biweekly Sweep Dates
2025 Biweekly Sweep Dates
For Employees Reporting Time Weekly:
2025 Monthly Sweep Dates
2025 Monthly Sweep Dates
For Employees Reporting Time Monthly:
The entire month can be released and approved once LETS is open for the month
Complete your time card early so your supervisor has ample time to approve before the sweep.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.
Deadlines for Time Certification Reports Checklist Entries:
Deadlines for Time Certification Reports Checklist Entries:
Employees and Approvers should provide their signed signature required reports to their timekeeper no later than the 10th of the following month.
Timekeepers must acknowledge receipt of the signed signature required reports in LETS no later than the 15th of the following month by 5:00 PM.
When you do not adhere to your deadline, it enters the Division into non-compliance with DOE.
Be sure to click on the Confirm button after Releasing your time card in LETS.
Be sure to click on the Confirm button after Releasing your time card in LETS.
Supervisors, Approve prior to or before the sweep date deadline.
Supervisors, Approve prior to or before the sweep date deadline.
How do I access my timecard and enter my time?
Go to lets.lbl.gov in your web browser (Firefox, Chrome and Safari are recommended).
Log in using your Berkeley Lab account (aka LDAP, which is the same as your Berkeley Lab email login)*.
You should now be at the Employee Time Entry screen.
For detailed instructions on what to do once you've logged into LETS, go HERE for instructions (FMS1500 online course)
*If you are not sure whether you have a Berkeley Lab Identity/LDAP account, ask your supervisor, or call the Help Desk at x4357. If you have an LDAP but haven't activated it, or forgot your password, go HERE.
How do I Approve my employees' time in LETS?
Go HERE for instructions (FMS 1505 online course)
What if I need to change my timesheet?
If the sweep hasn't happened yet: You can make the changes yourself. If your supervisor has already Approved your timesheet, first ask them to UnApprove your timesheet. Click the UnRelease button if you've already Released your timesheet, then make your changes. You may need to Delete the incorrect line, if the Modify button won't accept your changes. Be sure to Release your timesheet again (and Confirm). Let your supervisor know it's ok for them to Approve your timesheet again.
If the sweep has already occurred: Contact the MSD Timekeeper, Laura King and let her know what changes need to be made. She will send you a pdf of your corrected timesheet via HelloSign that you'll need to electronically sign to confirm your changes.
More about sweeps
Employee time is swept on regular intervals in order to ensure accurate pay checks. Employees must enter, Release, and Confirm their time cards prior to these deadlines and should allow time for their supervisor to approve the time cards as well.
Bi-weekly paid employee time cards are swept on each Monday at 10am (on Tuesdays if Monday is a holiday). If a new month begins mid-week, there will also be an additional sweep on the 1st of the month for the last few days of the prior month.
Monthly paid employee time cards are swept two weeks prior to the end of the month at 10am. This date is not consistent from month to month -- it is based on what day the end of the month falls on and where it is in relation to the weekend. See above for upcoming sweep dates, or go HERE.
You can enter your time (for the current month) and Release it at any time before the sweep. This is particularly useful if you'll be away during the sweep.
I missed the sweep deadline!
If you don't release your LETS timesheet before the sweep date, log into LETS after it comes back online post-sweep (usually within an hour of the sweep time), and release your timesheet post-sweep. Until you release your timesheet, you will continue to receive reminder emails. To make them stop, release your timesheet!
If the timesheet is not correct, or if you didn't input your hours in time - Contact Laura King to let her know what changes need to be made. We will work with you and your supervisor, and our Resource Administrators, to make the necessary corrections.
If you're a weekly employee who forgot to enter their timesheet, contact Laura King. She'll enter a late timesheet for you.
I'm a GSRA. How do I report my time?
Your hourly rate and percentage of full time employment are determined by your program on the UCB Campus and LBNL has no role in determining those numbers nor adjusting them. You must account for all of the hours noted in LETS each month (helpfully indicated in red text in the LETS entry screen) - not just leave time!
Your PTO allocations and remaining balance are indicated in your LETS timesheet each month, along with the start/end dates for the allocation. If you do not use all your PTO within the indicated period, you will lose the time - it does not roll over. Use it or lose it.
For instructions on how to report leave time, please see this memo from April 18, 2023: link
How to add Project IDs & Activity IDs to Favorites:
To assist you in remembering the project ID/activity ID to which you will be charging your work hours, you can save them to your Favorites by following the below instructions:
Log into LETS.
On your Time Entry screen, click on the last green tab labeled “Maintain Favorites”.
Enter your project ID and activity ID and click the Add button.
It should now show in the below list of favorites along with the descriptions for those codes.
You can also remove a favorite at any time by clicking the Delete button for that row.
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