Holiday pay can sometimes look different than expected in Bullhorn Time & Expense (BTE). A holiday may show 0 hours, appear locked or greyed out, or not appear at all.
This article explains how holiday pay typically works, why timecards may look different by assignment, and what to do if something looks off.
- Holiday rows may look different depending on your assignment.
- A missing or odd holiday row does not automatically mean you are ineligible.
- Do not add extra Regular hours to replace a holiday row.
- When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the observed date is the Friday before. When it falls on a Sunday, it is observed on the Monday after.
- If something looks wrong, contact your recruiter with the details listed at the bottom of this article.
When a federal holiday falls on a weekend, it is observed on a weekday instead. Holiday hours in BTE will populate on the observed date — not the calendar date of the actual holiday.
2026 Example: Independence Day falls on Saturday, July 4, 2026. The observed holiday is Friday, July 3, 2026. Eligible consultants will see holiday hours populate on Friday, July 3rd in BTE.
If hours do not appear on the observed date and you believe you are eligible, contact your recruiter with your assignment name and week-ending date.
- Client or assignment holiday policy
- Eligibility rules — these vary by assignment
- How time is submitted — direct entry in BTE vs. a VMS or client portal
Because rules vary by assignment, two consultants working the same holiday week may see completely different behavior in BTE.
In older time systems, holidays were often pre-filled automatically (for example, 8 hours). In BTE, holiday handling depends on your assignment and client. As a result, a holiday row may:
- Appear as a separate holiday line
- Show 0 hours initially
- Be locked or non-editable
- Not appear at all for some assignments
The timecard view alone is not always the final answer on whether holiday pay applies to your assignment.
1) Holiday row appears but shows 0 hours or looks odd
This can be normal depending on your assignment setup. It may still be correct, or it may require review if you believe you are eligible for holiday pay.
2) Assignment uses a client or VMS portal (Fieldglass, Beeline, etc.)
Some assignments submit time through a client system. In these cases, BTE may appear locked or behave differently, and holidays may be handled entirely through that client workflow.
3) Holiday row was removed or cleared
Deleted holiday rows do not always reload automatically. Holiday rows can also be unintentionally overwritten when copying hours to another day or entering time on the same date. If this happens, the holiday row may not reload and will require review.
4) Holiday appeared in BTE but no holiday pay was issued
The most common reason is eligibility rules, not a system error. Visibility of a holiday row does not guarantee eligibility.
Enter only the hours you actually worked. Adding extra Regular hours to "make it 40" can cause:
- Incorrect overtime calculations
- Incorrect pay or tax treatment
- Delays due to manual corrections
Holiday rows are handled by Payroll rules and eligibility — they are not controlled by manager approval or billing assumptions.
- Client or assignment name
- Week-ending date
- Which holiday (example: Independence Day)
- What you see in BTE (0 hours, locked row, missing row, etc.)
- Screenshot of your timecard if available
- Whether time is entered in BTE or a client/VMS portal
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