PM 11-3

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Date: October 5, 2026
Approved by: Julia M. McCallin, Associate Vice President for Human Resources, Chief Human Resources Officer

(This supersedes memo 11-3, dated September 22, 2025)

1.0 POLICY

It is Institute policy that all employees who are on a bi-weekly payroll accurately and timely record their time worked and time off. Campus overtime eligible employees and JPL hourly/overtime eligible employees are expected to accurately record any absence and all hours worked to include:

Actual time work begins
Actual time work ends
Actual time meal periods begin and end

Any falsification or misrepresentation of time, effort, or attendance information may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

2.0 DEFINITIONS

2.1. Start Time

The time an employee begins to perform work for the Institute on a given workday.

2.2. End Time

The time an employee stops performing work for the Institute on a given workday.

2.3. Work Schedules

A work schedule is the employee's established start and end times for daily work hours, which have been approved by the employee's manager or designee or, on campus, the Payroll Activity Monitor.

2.4. Timecard Approver/Manager

A manager or their designee or, on campus, a Timecard Approver, is an individual who is responsible for verifying and approving each assigned employee's timekeeping record.

2.5. Payroll Activity Monitor (PAM) at Campus

A Payroll Activity Monitor is an employee who is responsible for reviewing and assuring that Campus exempt and overtime eligible timekeeping records are complete for employees in their assigned area.

2.6. Rest period (also referred to as a "break")

An uninterrupted break of fifteen (15) minutes provided to Campus overtime eligible employees and JPL hourly/overtime employees for each 4-hour increment, or major fraction thereof, in a workday. Rest periods are paid time and must be uninterrupted and free of all work.

2.7. Meal Period

An uninterrupted, off-duty, and unpaid break of at least thirty (30) minutes provided to Campus overtime eligible employees and JPL hourly/overtime eligible employees working more than five (5) hours in a workday.

3.0 MEAL PERIODS

3.1. Meal Periods for Campus Overtime Eligible Employees and JPL Hourly/Overtime eligible Employees

An employee may not work for a period of more than five (5) hours without being provided an unpaid meal period during which the employee is relieved of all duty for a minimum of an uninterrupted thirty (30) minutes. The meal period must begin prior to the beginning of the employee's sixth hour of work, i.e. an employee cannot work for a period of more than five (5) hours without being provided the opportunity to take a meal break.

For Example:
Start Time	Meal Period Starts No Later Than
6:00 a.m.	11:00 a.m.
7:00 a.m.	12:00 p.m.
7:30 a.m.	12:30 p.m.
8:00 a.m.	1:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m.	8:00 p.m.

Managers are required to provide timely meal breaks to all Campus overtime eligible employees and JPL hourly/overtime eligible employees, who are expected to take their meal periods when provided.

If a meal period is not provided, the Institute will provide regular pay for time worked and meal premium pay for the missed or late meal period. However, if an employee voluntarily elects to work through all or part of the meal period or voluntarily elects to take a late meal period, premium pay will not be provided.

With manager approval and in consultation with Human Resources, an employee whose work shift lasts no longer than six (6) hours in one day may request to voluntarily waive the right to a meal period. The employee must sign a meal waiver form at Campus or indicate the appropriate meal break certification selection on the timecard at JPL.

An employee whose work lasts longer than ten (10) hours in one day is entitled to a second meal period of at least thirty (30) minutes. The meal period must begin prior to the beginning of the employee's eleventh hour of work, i.e., an employee cannot work for a period of more than ten (10) hours without a second meal break. An employee may request to voluntarily waive the second meal period if the first meal period has not been waived or missed, and the employee has worked not more than twelve (12) hours in a workday. The employee must sign a meal waiver form at Campus or indicate the appropriate meal break certification selection on the timecard at JPL.

3.2. On-Duty Meal Periods for Campus Overtime Eligible Employees and JPL Hourly/Overtime Eligible Employees

When the nature of an employee's work prevents the employee from being relieved of all duty during their meal period, the employee's manager may schedule a paid on-duty meal period within the shift, subject to approval by Human Resources. Before a paid on-duty meal period is granted, an on-duty meal period agreement must be reviewed and signed by the employee indicating they voluntarily agree to work a paid on-duty meal period and the on-duty meal period must be approved by Human Resources. The employee or Institute may revoke that agreement at any time. Meal period premiums do not apply.

4.0 REST PERIODS

4.1.

Campus overtime eligible employees and JPL hourly/overtime eligible employees receive a rest period of fifteen (15) minutes within each 4-hour work increment or major fraction thereof. "Major fraction thereof" means anything more than two (2) hours. For example, employees who work six (6) hours and one (1) minute are entitled to a second rest period, and ten (10) hours and one (1) minute are entitled to a third rest period and so on. Rest periods are provided on employer paid time and must be free of all work.

4.2.

Rest periods should be taken as near to the middle of the 4-hour segment of time as is practical.

4.3.

Rest periods are not provided for employees whose total daily work time is fewer than three and one-half (3.5) hours.

4.4.

Rest periods may not be used in lieu of completing an employee's full work schedule and cannot be combined with a meal period or another rest period.

4.5.

Reasonable rest periods are provided for lactation accommodation, such as breast feeding and expressing breast milk. To the extent feasible, this should be combined with an employee's regular 15-minute rest breaks. Consult with Human Resources for additional information.

5.0 RECOVERY/COOL DOWN REST PERIOD

5.1.

To help prevent heat illness, a recovery period, or cool-down rest period, is afforded to an employee who is required to regularly work outside. Recovery periods are provided on employer paid time, must be free of all work, and do not take the place of rest periods referenced in section 4.0. Recovery/cool down rest period pay for Campus overtime eligible employees and JPL hourly/overtime eligible employees is one (1) hour of pay at the employee's regular straight time rate of pay.

5.2.

Managers are to allow and encourage employees who work outside to take a cool-down rest period in the shade for a period of no less than five (5) minutes at a time when the employee feels the need to do so to protect themselves from overheating. Access to shade is permitted at all times.

Employees are entitled to pay for time worked in addition to premium pay when a meal, rest, or recovery/cool down rest period is not provided. Employees may receive a maximum of one (1) meal period premium per day, one (1) rest period premium per day, and one (1) recovery/cool down rest premium per day.

6.0 MAKE UP TIME

6.1.

The Institute allows Campus overtime eligible employees and JPL hourly/overtime eligible employees to request the opportunity to make up scheduled work that is or would be lost as a result of a personal obligation.

6.2.

The Institute does not require or encourage employees to make up work time that is or would be lost as a result of a personal obligation, Make up time is allowed only when it is sought by the employee and found to be consistent with the employee's desires and the Institute's business and staffing needs.

6.3.

To have the use of make up time considered, employees must complete the necessary form and have it approved by their manager in advance.

The Institute does not permit compensatory time off. See PM 11.

6.4.

General

Make up time must occur within the same workweek in which work time was lost and can occur before or after the work time is lost.

Employees may not request to make up a full day of absence or combine make up time with any other paid time off category. Full days of absence are to be charged to the appropriate Paid Time Off category or, if applicable, Leave without Pay.

Employees may request to use make up time in a minimum of 30-minute increments.

The make up time must not cause the employee to exceed eleven (11) hours of work in one day or forty (40) hours of work in the workweek.

Make up time will not be counted towards computing the total number of hours worked in a day for daily overtime purposes, except for hours worked over eleven (11) in one day or forty (40) in one workweek that includes make up time. Overtime hours will be paid at overtime rates as provided in PM 11.

Make up time will be paid at the employee's regular rate of pay.

7.0 ACCURATELY REPORTING TIME

7.1.

Campus Overtime Eligible Employees and JPL Hourly/Overtime Eligible Employees

Employees are required to report their actual time worked, in and out times for meal periods, and all absences accurately and completely for each day. Hours worked shall not be recorded in advance. Any falsification or misrepresentation of time, effort, or attendance information may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Time spent in rest, lactation, or recovery periods does not need to be recorded on an employee's time records because it is considered time worked.

Calculating the Duration of Hours Worked for Campus Overtime Eligible Employees and JPL Overtime Eligible/Hourly Employees

The timekeeping system records and totals actual time worked in a workday, workweek, and in a pay period.

Off-the-clock work is strictly prohibited.

7.2.

Campus Exempt Employees and JPL Weekly Employees

It is the responsibility of each employee to accurately report full day absences in accordance with their regular daily schedule in their timekeeping system of record. Any

falsification or misrepresentation of time, effort, or attendance information may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Additionally, at JPL, it is the responsibility of each employee to report their labor effort and/or full day absences each week, according to the payroll week.

8.0 EXCEPTIONS

Any exception to this Personnel Memorandum requires the approval of the Associate Vice President for Human Resources/Chief Human Resources Officer or designee for Campus employees, or the Human Resources Director or designee for JPL employees.

JPL Related Documents
Alternative Workweek Schedules https://jpl.nasa.gov/hr
Make Up Time Request Form, https://jpl.nasa.gov/hr

Go back to Institute Policies page

PM 11-3 Employee Timekeeping, Meal, Rest and Recovery/Cool Down Periods, Make Up Time