The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Human Resources

CTA: Entering a Time‑Off Request (Step‑by‑Step)

Purpose: Use this guide to submit time‑off requests in Campus Time & Attendance (CTA).


Who this is for: Employees who enter their own time‑off in CTA via the MyUAB portal.


Before you start


  1. Access CTA: From your MyUAB portal, open the Campus Time & Attendance app.
  2. Check your balances (recommended) - Know your dates: Have the exact dates you plan to be off.
    • Go to My Accruals.
    • Balances as of today display by default. Use the date selector to view balances as of another date.
    • The initial view is Sick. Use the left/right arrows to switch to Personal Holiday or Vacation.
    • Planned Taking shows time that has been approved but not yet deducted.
    • Reminder: CTA deducts time on the actual day taken, day by day.


Tip: If you’re planning time off those crosses months, submit separate requests for each month. This makes edits/cancellations easier and prevents unintended changes to other months.


Submit a time-off request


  1. Open the request screen: From My Accruals, select Time‑Off Request (link at the bottom of the tile).
  2. Choose a Request Type: In the Request Type dropdown, pick Sick, Personal Holiday, or Vacation.
  3. Select your dates:
  4. Click the calendar icon to open the date picker (recommended to avoid mistakes).
  5. At the top of the calendar, confirm the requestable date range.
  6. Use the arrows near 'Today' to navigate to your desired month. 
  7. Click each workday you’ll be off.
    1. Do not include UAB-paid holidays.
    2. Do not include weekends unless you are normally scheduled to work them.

  8.  Click Done and review dates displayed and choose “Next”.
  9. Review & Refine the details:
    1. Start Time (per day): Enter your typical start time or, for partial‑day absences, the time you’ll begin your out‑of‑office period.
    2. Duration (per day): Enter the number of hours to deduct for each date. Do not enter the cumulative hours. CTA will calculate the total.
    3. Confirm the Leave Type and dates are correct.
    4. The page shows the available hours for the selected leave type.
  10. Add a comment (optional): Keep comments generic—do not include sensitive or personal information.
  11.  Submit: Click Submit. You’ll see confirmation that your request was sent.


Best practices

  • One month per request: If a request spans multiple months, submit separate requests by month. Editing/canceling a multi‑month request may impact all dates in that combined request.
  • Double‑check balances: Use My Accruals to ensure you have enough hours before submitting.
  • Partial days: Enter the actual start time you’ll be out and the exact duration.


Troubleshooting & tips

  • Can’t pick a date? You may be outside the allowed request window or attempting to include a non‑workday/holiday.
  • Balances look off? Remember that Planned Taking (approved but not yet deducted) reduces what’s available. Also verify the as‑of date you’re viewing.
  • Need to change/cancel? Edit/cancel the specific request. If you combined multiple months in one request, canceling may affect all those dates.


By Brooke Latham | Modified on: Tue, 2 Sep, 2025 at 3:12 PM
The information in this article has been verified as up-to-date on the date of publication. All information is for general purposes only and not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. For specific questions or support, contact us at humanresources@uab.edu.

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