The Payroll Employee Self Service portal (ESS) allows employees to enter and track their time. ESS must be accessed from a computer (not a tablet or cell phone) using one of the following browsers: Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and/or Mozilla Firefox.  Your browser must be configured to allow pop-ups and accept cookies. Additional information is available in ESS by clicking on the home tab and selecting FAQ. You can also access an ESS Help guide from the home tab by selecting ESS Tutorial to explore common questions.

To access information such as Leave Balances, Pay Statements, and W-2 Forms, use the Payroll_TV, Payroll_Manager or Home tabs in the ESS portal.

The deadline for a non-holiday week is Monday at 11:59 p.m. If you have missed the entry deadline or need to make a correction, please complete and scan a Blank Paper Timesheet and send it to your District Administrative Assistant or the Courts Finance Department via email to payroll@utcourts.gov. When sending in any type of payroll document, please ensure you have your name, correct EIN, pay period dates, your signature, and your supervisor’s signature for prompt processing. Timesheets and all other payroll documents to be entered should be sent to your District Administrative Assistant or the Courts Finance Department by Noon on Tuesday after payday.

Non-exempt or hourly employees are required to enter all hours worked and/or non-holiday leave taken for every pay period in accordance with the Courts Accounting Manual 01-02. The time entry should be completed no later than a business day following the last day of the pay period.

• Example 1: An hourly employee works eight hours every business day during a pay period when the President’s Day holiday occurs. The hourly employee should enter 8 hours of work on each day, EXCEPT: no hours should be entered on the holiday. The payroll system will automatically calculate the amount of holiday hours.

• Example 2: An hourly employee works their regular schedule of eight hours per day until a family vacation that is scheduled to begin on Wednesday of the second week of the pay period. The hourly employee should enter 8 hours of work for each day worked and 8 hours of annual leave for the three vacation days.

Exempt or salaried employees have very different requirements. The state's payroll system is programmed to automatically pay a salaried employee for 80 hours in a pay period (8 hours work for each business day and 8 hours holiday for any state holiday). It is programmed to allow exceptions only for days that any amount of work or leave is entered by the salaried employee. 

A salaried employee should not enter work time in the ESS system UNLESS it is combined with leave used on the same business day. When recording ANY amount of leave on a business day, a salaried employee should ensure the record of hours for that day totals exactly 8 hours in ESS - nothing more or less than a total of 8 hours on a business day. Salaried employees should not enter work or leave time on any non-business day, including holidays.

• Example 1: A salaried employee works until noon on Wednesday and then leaves work for the day for a doctor’s appointment and other healthcare reasons. In ESS, the salaried employee should record 4 hours work and 4 hours of leave to total 8 hours.

• Example 2: A salaried employee takes a few days off sick and ends up working a couple of hours on the day they start feeling better. The sick days should be recorded as 8 hours of sick leave for each day. On the date of return, the salaried employee should record 6 hours of sick leave and 2 hours of work to total 8 hours.

EXCEPTION: Time-Limited Law Clerk Attorneys who do not accrue traditional leave should enter 8 hours of administrative leave (OA) on state holidays.

Pay statements are available for employees in ESS. On the main page, click on “Pay Statements” under the “Payments” tab. This will give you the list of available pay statements. Click on the check date you would like to view and the pay statement should be available for your review. If you have any questions please contact HR at (801) 238-5409 or courtsHR@utcourts.gov.