Daily Use Cases for Middle Office

This article contains use case scenarios and steps organized by day fo the week. Use these examples to practice common workflows across time entry, payroll, invoicing, and adjustments in Bullhorn.

Monday & Tuesday: Time Entry and Time Approval

An overview of collecting, confirming, and monitoring worker time for users who create placements and companies.

Time Confirmation & Payroll Readiness

It's the first day of a new work week and the previous pay period has just closed. As a Payroll Specialist, you need to verify that all employee hours have been submitted and client approvals are in place before payroll can be processed.

Chase time in the ATS

  1. In the ATS, go to Menu > Pay & Bill > Timesheets.
  2. Filter by Status > Submitted and set the Timesheet Period to the previous week's pay period.
  3. Select one or more timesheets from the list, click the blue Selected button, and choose Send Approval Reminder.
  4. To edit a timesheet inline, click Edit. You can change almost anything you need, and changes will push back to Bullhorn Time & Expense.
  5. Click Submit. Choose to submit to the timesheet approver or select Submit and Approve to approve it yourself.

Chase unsubmitted time in BTE

  1. Adjust the Week Ending date to reflect the previous week's pay period.
  2. From the Time Management Console (TMC), click the Unsubmitted Time tab.
  3. Click Send Reminders to notify employees that their time needs to be submitted.
  4. For employees not working this period (for example, on PTO), click Mark as Did Not Work to remove them from your open task list.

Chase unapproved time in BTE

  1. Click the Unapproved Time tab.
  2. Click Send Reminders to notify approvers that time is pending their approval.
  3. If a primary approver is on vacation, click Set an Alternate Approver so someone else can approve the time on their behalf.

Missed Break & Penalty Pay Review

A pay period has ended and you need to determine whether any workers failed to take their required breaks and whether penalty pay is owed as a result.

  1. From the Time Management Console, click the Meal Break Exceptions tab.
  2. Review the list of employees who missed their scheduled meal breaks during the pay period.
  3. Click on an employee's name to open their timesheet and access the break exception directly.
  4. Update the break exception record as needed to reflect penalty pay owed.

In addition to a Meal Break tab, there may also be a Rest Break tab, which follows the same concept but for rest breaks. It is important to check the Meal Break Exceptions tab each week because missed breaks can trigger state-mandated penalty pay obligations.

Logging Additional Hours After Timesheet Approval

An employee contacts you to report that they forgot to submit two additional hours worked on Friday after a client asked them to stay late. Since their timesheet has already been approved, they are unable to make changes on their own.

Add a transaction in BTE on the employee's behalf

  1. In BTE, find the employee using the Quick Search at the bottom of the screen.
  2. Select the week-ending date in question.
  3. Click on the employee's name to open their timesheet.
  4. Click Add New Transaction.
  5. Enter the date, in time, and out time for the additional hours (use military time format).
  6. Select the appropriate Pay Code.
  7. Add a Comment describing what you are adding on behalf of the employee.
  8. Click Submit.

Add a transaction from the ATS

  1. Go to ATS > Menu > Pay & Bill > Timesheets.
  2. Click the binocular icon next to the timesheet in question.
  3. Click Actions > View/Edit Timesheet. This redirects you to BTE to make the appropriate adjustments.

Always add a comment when entering transactions on behalf of employees. This creates an audit trail and helps other team members understand why the entry was made.

Processing a One-Time Bonus & Understanding Transaction Uploader Modes

A client wants to award a one-time $50 bonus to an employee who has gone above and beyond during their assignment. You also need to understand the different modes available in the Transaction Uploader.

Add an individual bonus transaction

  1. From the employee's timesheet in BTE, click Add New Transaction.
  2. Click the Add Dollars tab.
  3. Enter the In Date for the bonus.
  4. Enter the In Time.
  5. Enter the Out Time (use military time format).
  6. Select the appropriate Pay Code. Common earn codes such as Bonus, PTO, and Sick may already be configured for admins even if they are not on the Rate Card.
  7. Add a Comment with a brief description of what you are adding on behalf of the employee.
  8. Click Submit.

Process a bulk bonus via Transaction Uploader

The Transaction Uploader allows you to add any transaction for multiple employees at once. Entries in the Transaction Uploader supersede earn codes on the Rate Card.

  1. In BTE, navigate to the Transaction Uploader.
  2. Select the uploader template: Daily, In & Out, or Weekly.
  3. Choose how to view the template. The Excel attachment option is recommended because it is easy to manipulate.
  4. After you receive the email, configure the template with the bonus details for each employee and save.
  5. Return to BTE and upload the completed spreadsheet.
  6. Select the upload mode:
    • Add: Adds the uploaded hours to the existing timecard.
    • Replace: Replaces the existing timecard with the uploaded data.
    • Cancel: Exits the process without making changes.
  7. After upload, navigate to Step 3 in the Transaction Uploader to access the Transaction Uploader Exceptions Report. Download it under the Exceptions column to review and resolve any errors.

Troubleshooting Missing & Restricted Timesheets in the Portal

A worker contacts you to report that their timesheet is missing from the portal. A separate employee also reports that they are unable to add time past a certain date in the portal.

Troubleshoot a missing timesheet

  1. In BTE, find the employee record and select Maintenance > Employee Setup.
  2. On the main tab, confirm that the employee setup matches exactly what the employee entered when searching for their assignment.
  3. Make sure there is a refresh "R" in the SubStatus 1 field. This indicates the system is refresh-driven and that data is flowing between the ATS and BTE.
  4. Click the Sites/Dept tab. Review the assignment information and check the start and end dates.

The most common causes of a missing timesheet are mismatched employee information, a missing refresh indicator in SubStatus 1, or an inactive placement with expired dates.

Troubleshoot a restricted date range in the portal

  1. In BTE, find the employee record and select Maintenance > Employee Setup.
  2. Click the Sites/Dept tab and review the assignment's start and end dates.
  3. If the placement end date has passed or is incorrect, update the end date on the Placement record in the ATS so that it reflects the correct active date range.
  4. Allow the FOI sync to push the updated dates to BTE (approximately 2–3 minutes), then confirm the employee can enter time up to the correct date.

Troubleshooting Expense Receipt Submission

An employee contacts you to report that they are unable to submit a receipt for a job-related expense through the portal.

  1. Confirm that the Expense Indicator on the Placement record is set to ON.
  2. Confirm the relevant expense earn codes have been added to the Rate Card on the Placement.

If either the expense indicator is off or the earn codes are missing from the Rate Card, the employee will not be able to submit expenses through the portal.

Confirming Time Has Successfully Flowed from BTE to ATS

All employee time has been entered and approved in BTE. Use the Reconciliation Dashboard to verify that everything has successfully flowed through to the payable charges in the ATS.

  1. In BTE, click Maintenance tab > Admin > Reconciliation Dashboard.
  2. Select the current pay period.
  3. Use the filter and select Only Not Matched. This shows only records where BTE and ATS payable charges have a discrepancy. If the list is empty, everything has synced correctly.
  4. To investigate a discrepancy, click Actions to open the timecard. Check whether the adjustment codes look correct, or whether any say "undefined."
  5. If everything looks correct, return to the Reconciliation Dashboard and click Actions > Recalc.
  6. If the recalc does not resolve the issue, click Actions > Placement Viewer. This shows all messages between the ATS and BTE.
  7. Click the Time Sync tab, then click on the details to see sync progress.
  8. Click Logs for Placement to identify where the sync failed.
  9. Fix the error, then return to the Reconciliation Dashboard and run Recalc again.

The Placement Viewer is your most powerful troubleshooting tool for sync issues. It shows the full communication trail between BTE and the ATS, making it easy to pinpoint where a failure occurred.

Wednesday: Running Payroll

An overview of processing payroll and navigating the payable charge workflow, designed for payroll and billing specialists.

Resolving Incorrect Overtime Calculation for an Employee

You notice that an employee working in a state with a daily overtime rule is being paid at the straight time rate in BTE despite working 10 hours on Monday, which should have triggered the daily overtime rule.

  1. Navigate to BTE > Unapproved Time tab and click on the employee's name to open their timesheet. Verify that 10 hours are logged on Monday and review the pay rules listed in the bottom right of the timesheet.
  2. Click the magnifying glass under the Actions column in the bottom right of the timesheet. This opens the Placement Viewer.
  3. In the Placement Viewer, use the following tabs to troubleshoot:
    • Placement Sync ATS & BTE — lists every instance of the placement coming over from the ATS. Click View Details next to a specific refresh to see what information was included.
    • Time Sync BTE & BH: Lists every time this placement has been synced to Pay & Bill. Click Details on a timecard event line to see whether the message reached Pay & Bill.
    • Placement Summary in BTE: Displays employee setup, flags, approval settings, and earn codes.
    • Client Info: Displays ATS integration information and Corp-specific settings.
  4. If the pay rule is missing, navigate to the Placement in the ATS and click the Pay/Bill Rules tab.
  5. Expand the Pay Rules section to confirm whether the applicable state daily overtime rule is listed.
  6. Check the versioning for effective dates. If needed, add the rule directly from this tab.

Always verify the effective dates on pay rules. A rule may exist but may not have been in effect during the timesheet period.

Resolving a Pay and Bill Mismatch Before Export

You identify a discrepancy between what an employee is being paid and what is being billed to the client for the same transaction. Use the Transaction Master Summary Report to investigate and resolve the mismatch before export.

  1. Navigate to Menu > Canvas.
  2. Select Transaction Master Summary.
  3. Enter the Period Date Range.
  4. Click Next to see filter options, which include: Payable Export ID, Placement ID, Transaction Date Added, Employee Type, Bill-To Client, Placement Type, Pay-To Client, and Employee/Candidate.
  5. Click Finish to generate the report.
  6. Review the report for mismatches. If you need more detail, run the Transaction Master Detail Report, which provides a full line-by-line report for each pay and bill transaction.

Run this report on Friday to view the current pay period, or on Monday to review the previous week's pay period. It is especially useful for quick data validation after billing is complete.

Exporting a Large Payroll Batch & Handling Transmission Failures

You need to export a large batch of payroll records that exceeds the default 500-record limit. After the batch processes, certain records fail to transmit.

Export a large batch using mass action

  1. Navigate to ATS > Menu > Pay & Bill > Payable Charges.
  2. Apply the following filters:
    • Status → Ready to Pay
    • Transaction Status → Approved
    • Period End Date → Last 7 days
  3. Select all matching records. Click the hyperlink at the top of the list to ensure you select all matching records, not just those visible on the current page.
  4. From the Selected button, choose Payroll Export (for W-2) or Accounts Payable Export (for 1099).
  5. Enter the date in the Accounting Date field.
  6. Click Export Available Charges. This creates a mass action batch record that opens automatically.

Monitor and manage batch records

  1. Navigate to Pay & Bill > Mass Action Batches.
  2. Click the ID of the batch record to open it. The Overview tab shows batch details and the Associated Batches card shows exported batches.

Resolve failed records

  1. Open the mass action batch record and click the Issues tab to review any errors, such as charges that were not in Ready to Pay status.
  2. Click the Transaction tab to see all transactions included in the export.
  3. Resolve each issue identified, then re-export or manually process the affected records as needed.

Resolving "Ready to Pay" Records After Manual Payroll Processing

Payroll was processed manually or directly in the payroll system to meet a deadline, but the corresponding records in Bullhorn still reflect a "Ready to Pay" status. Use the Manual Export function to update their status without creating duplicate payments.

  1. Navigate to Menu > Pay/Bill > Payable Charges.
  2. Locate the payable charges that were already processed manually in your payroll system.
  3. Select the records.
  4. Click the blue Selected button.
  5. Choose Manual Export.

Manual Export accurately reflects what has been processed without creating a duplicate payment risk. It is an important housekeeping step after any off-system payroll run.

Processing Unapproved Timesheets Before a Payroll Deadline

You are nearing your payroll deadline and discover that a number of timesheets are still unapproved.

  1. Navigate to Menu > Pay/Bill > Payable Charges.
  2. Apply the following filters:
    • Period End Date → select the week you are processing payroll for
    • Transaction Status → Submitted (this should align with Status → Not Ready to Pay)
  3. Select the records.
  4. Click the blue Selected button and choose Mark as Ready.

Make sure to communicate with the appropriate approvers that you have moved these records forward.

Managing New, Adjusted, and Worker Classification Records During Payroll Processing

When preparing to process payroll, you need to distinguish between new and adjusted records and handle W-2 and 1099 worker records correctly.

Distinguish new from adjusted transactions

  1. Navigate to Menu > Pay & Bill > Payable Charges.
  2. Clear any existing filters.
  3. Filter the Adjustment column to Y or N to separate new records from adjusted ones.

If the Adjustment column is not visible in your view, add it by customizing your columns.

Differentiate W-2 from 1099 employees

  1. Filter the Employee Type column to isolate W-2 or 1099 workers.
  2. Use Payroll Export for W-2 employees and Accounts Payable Export for 1099 employees.

Filter by Systematic Accounting Period

  1. Filter the Status column to Ready to Pay.
  2. Use the Min Accounting Period and Max Accounting Period columns to filter by a specific fiscal window. Bullhorn tracks the Min (original period the charge hit the books) and Max (most recent update) periods through the Systematic Accounting Period set up, providing a clear audit trail.

Thursday: Invoicing

An overview of building, managing, and finalizing invoices, designed for payroll and billing specialists.

Excluding a Disputed Record from a Batch Billing Run

You need to exclude a specific disputed record from an upcoming batch billing run so the remaining records can be processed without interruption.

  1. Navigate to Menu > Pay & Bill > Billable Charges.
  2. Filter the list to locate the disputed charge.
  3. Place a checkmark in the box next to the charge that needs to be held.
  4. Click the blue Selected button and choose Manage Invoicing Hold.
  5. Set the status to On Hold and enter the reasoning in the Invoice Hold Reason field.

    Follow the same steps above, but select Hold Release to include the hold in a future billing run.

The On Hold functionality is not automatically enabled in every environment. Contact your system administrator to enable it if needed.

Correcting an Error on a Draft Invoice

An error has been discovered on a draft invoice that needs to be corrected before it is finalized.

  1. From the Billable Charges list, filter the Status column to Invoicing.
  2. Click the binocular icon next to the relevant charge to view the draft invoice.
  3. Review the line items, rates, and totals. Make any corrections as needed directly on the draft invoice.
  4. Save your changes.

Once an invoice is finalized, corrections require a credit & reinstate workflow. Use this step to catch issues while the invoice is still in draft.

Preventing Accidental Charges for a Problem Account

You have a challenging client with a history of invoice issues. Use the On Hold status to prevent charges from being accidentally included in their invoices.

  1. Navigate to Menu > Pay & Bill > Billable Charges.
  2. Filter the list by the client name to locate all applicable charges.
  3. Identify any charges that are Ready to Bill but that you want to hold.
  4. Place a checkmark next to the charges that need to be held.
  5. Click the blue Selected button and choose Manage Invoicing Hold.
  6. Set the status to On Hold and enter the reason in the Invoice Hold Reason field.

When you are ready to proceed, release the hold by selecting the charges, clicking Selected > Manage Invoicing Hold, and changing the status to Hold Released.

Investigating a Missing Charge from the Ready to Bill List

A charge that should be available for billing is not appearing in the "Ready to Bill" list.

  1. Navigate to Menu > Pay & Bill > Billable Charges.
  2. Filter the Status column to show Not Ready to Bill and Needs Review.
  3. Review the charges that appear and look for the missing charge.

Billable charges remain in "Not Ready to Bill" status until the day after the calendar period end date has passed. If you are looking for a charge and it is not showing as Ready to Bill, confirm that the period has actually ended. This is the most common cause during and after go-live.

Generating a Consolidated Invoice for a Specific Date Range

A client has reached the end of a project phase and is requesting a single consolidated invoice covering all work performed within a specific date range.

  1. Navigate to Menu > Pay & Bill > Billable Charges.
  2. Apply the following filters:
    • Status → Ready to Bill
    • Period End Date → set to Custom Range and enter the desired start and end dates (for example, October 1 through November 15)
    • Transaction Status → Approved
    • Filter by the specific client name if needed to isolate their charges
  3. Look in the bottom left corner to ensure you have the maximum items per page displayed.
  4. Select all billable charges by clicking the checkbox at the top of the list.
  5. Click the blue Selected button and choose Create Invoice.
  6. Navigate to Menu > Pay & Bill > Invoices, filter by Status > Ready, select the new invoice, and click Selected > Finalize.

Additional Use Cases: When Things Change

An overview of processing adjustments and credits, and how to resolve issues correctly.

Correcting an Incorrect Rate on a Rate Card

A rate was entered incorrectly on a rate card and needs to be fixed so that accurate billing and payroll calculations are applied retroactively.

  1. Navigate to the Placement associated with the incorrect rate.
  2. Open the Rate Card.
  3. Click Edit.
  4. Update the pay rate to the correct amount.
  5. Save the Rate Card.

Documenting a Scheduled Pay Increase

An employee has a pay increase scheduled to take effect on the first of next month. Document the upcoming increase so it is applied accurately and on time.

  1. Navigate to the employee's Placement.
  2. Open the Rate Card.
  3. Click +New Version.
  4. Enter the new pay rate.
  5. Set the effective date to the first of next month.
  6. Save the new version.

When you set a future effective date on a new Rate Card version, BTE will automatically apply the new rate to all timecards from that date forward.

Correcting an Incorrect PO Number on an Invoice

An invoice has been issued with the wrong purchase order number and needs to be corrected.

Verify and add the PO on the placement

  1. Navigate to the Placement associated with the invoice.
  2. Click the CRF tab.
  3. Check whether the correct PO is present. If it is missing, create the PO first, then attach it to the CRF. You cannot type a PO number directly into the CRF field.

Credit and reinstate the invoice

  1. Navigate to Menu > Pay & Bill > Invoices and locate the invoice.
  2. Click Actions > Credit & Reinstate. This creates a credit memo for the original invoice amount and returns the billable charges to the Billable Charges list.
  3. Open the invoice to see the link to the credit memo.

Re-invoice with the correct PO

  1. Navigate to the Billable Charges list.
  2. Filter Status to Ready to Bill.
  3. Filter Has Rebill? to Yes.
  4. Add additional filters to isolate the charge (candidate name, company, etc.).
  5. Click the binocular icon on the billable charge and scroll to the bottom to see the credit memo.
  6. Select the billable charge and click Create Invoice. The new invoice will now include the correct PO number.

Resolving an Undefined Timecard Status Due to Placement Date Changes

A placement's dates have been modified, causing a mismatch between the work dates on the timesheet and the active placement dates in Bullhorn. The timecard is displaying an "Undefined" status.

Method 1: Correct placement dates (automatic sync)

  1. Navigate to the Placement in the ATS.
  2. Correct the start and end dates on the Placement.
  3. This action immediately pushes a REST API message through the Front Office Integration (FOI) to update BTE. Wait 2–3 minutes and check BTE to confirm the assignment has populated correctly.

Method 2: Force a resync in BTE

If the automatic sync does not resolve the issue, force a manual resync through the BTE Time Management Console.

  1. Log into the BTE Time Management Console.
  2. Navigate to Maintenance > Administration.
  3. Select Placement Viewer.
  4. Click the green Fetch Placements icon.
  5. In the pop-up, enter the Placement ID you want to resync. To resync multiple placements, separate the IDs with a comma.
  6. Click Submit.

Correcting and Reissuing a Finalized Invoice with an Incorrect Rate

After finalizing an invoice, we were notified that the employee’s pay has been increased. A new invoice will need to be issued with the corrected rate.

  1. First, correct the rate on the Rate Card using +New Version with the appropriate effective date (see Correcting an Incorrect Rate on a Rate Card above).
  2. Navigate to Menu > Pay & Bill > Invoices and locate the finalized invoice.
  3. Click Actions > Credit & Reinstate. This creates a credit memo and returns the billable charges to the Billable Charges list.
  4. Navigate to the Billable Charges list and filter Status to Ready to Bill and Has Rebill? to Yes.
  5. Add additional filters to isolate the specific charge, then select it and click Create Invoice.
  6. Navigate back to Invoices, open the new invoice, and click Actions > Set Rebill Invoice Number to link it to the original invoice for AR tracking.
  7. Finalize the new invoice to deliver it to the client.

Holding a Credit Memo Until the Replacement Invoice is Ready

A credit memo has been generated but should not be visible to the client until the corresponding new invoice is prepared and ready to send.

  1. Locate the billable charge that has been credited.
  2. Click the ID number of the invoice, then click Actions > Credit (or Credit and Reinstate).
  3. Open the credit memo.
  4. Click Edit.
  5. Set the delivery method to Do Not Print.
  6. Save your changes.

By setting the delivery method to Do Not Print before finalizing, the credit memo stays internal. Update the delivery method when you are ready to release it to the client alongside the corrected invoice.

Updating Placements for a State-Mandated Minimum Wage Increase

Your branch is required to implement a new state mandated minimum wage increase that will affect 100 placements. Follow the steps in Mass Rate Card Update Application.

You must have the Mass Rate Care Update Application configured

Correcting a Pay Rate Discrepancy on a Submitted Timesheet

A candidate has already submitted their 40-hour timesheet for the previous week, but you discover that their pay rate should have been $22 rather than $20. After updating the rate on the Rate Card, the original pay rate is still reflected on the timesheet.

  1. Navigate to the employee's Placement and open the Rate Card.
  2. Click Edit, enter the correct pay rate ($22), and set the effective date to the beginning of the affected pay period.
  3. Click Save. BTE will automatically recalculate the timecard from the effective date forward.
  4. If the timesheet has already been invoiced, navigate to Menu > Pay & Bill > Invoices, locate the invoice, and click Actions > Credit & Reinstate.
  5. Return to the Billable Charges list, filter Has Rebill? to Yes, select the charge, and click Create Invoice to generate a corrected invoice at the updated rate.

Choosing Where to Make Corrections: Timesheet vs. Payable and Billable Charges

A timesheet was submitted with 42 hours but needs to be reduced to 40 hours. The correct approach depends on whether the pay and bill sides need to match.

When pay and bill should both change (update the timesheet)

If both the payable and billable charges need to reflect the change—for example, when correcting overtime that affects both pay and billing—make the correction on the timesheet.

  1. Go to ATS > Menu > Pay & Bill > Timesheets.
  2. Click the binocular icon next to the timesheet in question.
  3. Click Actions > View/Edit Timesheet. This redirects you to BTE to make the adjustments.

When pay and bill need to differ (update charges directly)

If the employee needs to be paid for overtime but the client has agreed not to be billed for those additional hours, make the change directly on the payable and billable charges rather than the timesheet. This allows you to adjust the pay side independently from the bill side.

  1. Navigate to Menu > Pay & Bill > Payable Charges and locate the payable charge.
  2. Update the hours or rate directly on the payable charge to reflect overtime pay for the employee.
  3. Navigate to Menu > Pay & Bill > Billable Charges and locate the corresponding billable charge.
  4. Update the billable charge to log the additional hours as regular time (REG) so that overtime is not invoiced to the client.

The key decision: if pay and bill should match, make the change on the timesheet. If pay and bill need to differ, make the changes directly on the payable and billable charges.