Client Info

How to Create Your Timecard Portal Account (pdf)

Timecard authorization deadline is 5 p.m. Monday, Pacific Time. The deadline may change during holiday weeks. If so, a notice will be posted on the portal’s home screen.

Emails come from creativecircle@backofficeportal.com (alias CC Payroll-Billing Team). You will receive an email notification when a timecard is ready for your review/authorization. Please ensure the above sender is in your (and your organization’s) trusted sender list. Invoices will also come from this address.

Timecard authorization is easier if you use Lightbox, our hiring portal. If you have already created a Timecard Management Portal account with Creative Circle, Lightbox will automatically log you in when you click the Timecard Login link from within Lightbox. No more having to remember two separate logins.

Helpful tips:

1. You must be logged in to Lightbox.
2. You must have a current Timecard Management Portal account, i.e. have set up your username and password, and not be in the midst of a password re-set. (Reach out to your local payroll team if you have a question about your timecard account.)

While the timecard portal logs you out automatically after 20 minutes, Lightbox does not. Lightbox will keep you logged in for up to 14 days between sessions as long as you don’t use the Sign Out option nor clear your cache. That means that if you keep Lightbox up and running, timecard review and authorization is always only one click away, with no login required.

How to Authorize Timecards

1. Log in to the Timecard Portal directly or — for automatic login — click the Timecard Login link from within Lightbox.
2.  Locate the Timecards tab.
3. Click the Authorization subtab. All timecards that are ready for your review will be listed here.
4. Click the View button next to a timecard to view daily totals and, if applicable, any overtime hours. You can then:
   • Click the Authorize button to approve the time; or
   • Click the Reject button to send it back to the candidate for modification. You’ll have to enter a reason for the rejection.
   • Alternately (not recommended) click the Authorize button from the list view to immediately authorize the timecard.
5. Once the last timecard in your list has been authorized, you will see a “No timecards to authorize” message confirming that all timecards have been either authorized or rejected.
6. You will receive another notification email should any additional timecards arrive for your review.

Important: Please help to authorize all timecards by 5 p.m. Pacific Time each Monday, to aid timely payment to our candidates.

To see authorized timecards:

1. Log in to the Timecard Portal directly or – for automatic login – click the Timecard Login links from within Lightbox.
2. Locate the Timecards tab.
3. Click the Timecards List subtab.
4. Use the search fields to find the timecards. The Status field and Week Ending fields are especially helpful.
5. When results return, click the View button next to each timecard to view details, or click the Export To Excel button at the top of the list to export the list into Excel.

Status Definitions:

• Authorized: Timecard has been successfully authorized and is in transit to Creative Circle.
• Awaiting Checking: Timecard has been submitted by candidate but needs to pass system “error checking” before being forwarded to you.
• Missing: Candidate has not yet created timecard.
• Not Submitted: Candidate has created timecard but has not yet submitted it to you.
• Processed: Timecard is in its final state — authorized by you and received by Creative Circle.
• Rejected: Timecard was rejected by you and is back with the candidate for revision.
• Unauthorized: Candidate has submitted timecard and you have not yet authorized it.

“Documents” are the Assignment Schedules that we send you each time a candidate begins a new assignment for you. You can view these Assignment Schedules through the Timecard Portal.

1. Log in to the Timecard Portal directly or – for automatic login – click the Timecard Login link from directly within Lightbox.
2. Locate the Management Information tab.
3. Click the Finance Reports subtab.
4. The Documents Not Accepted option will take you to the Assignment Schedules that you have not yet reviewed.
   • Click the View button next to each to see the details, then
   • Check the acceptance checkbox and click the Accept button to acknowledge the document.
5. The Documents Accepted button will take you to the Assignment Schedules that you have previously reviewed — a list of the candidates with whom you have previously worked through Creative Circle.
   • Click the Show All Accepted In Last 30 Days button to show all recently reviewed documents; or
   • Use the Candidate First Name and/or Candidate Last Name search fields in combination with the Search button to look for a document related to a specific candidate (search extends past the last 30 days).
   • TIP! Type an asterisk (*) into the Candidate Last Name field and click Search to pull up a list of all reviewed documents/candidates.
6. Click the View button next to any candidate to see further details.

You can also view the details of assignments 2018 and onward through Lightbox, by going to Lightbox’s Jobs (briefcase) module and filtering by Job Status to view ‘Past Placements’. This option can be helpful because it also allows you to easily store a note about the assignment, submit a review about the candidate, or reach out to the Recruiter and/or Account Executive involved with the assignment.

Creative Circle typically emails you (or the contact specified as the Billing Email Address in the candidate booking details) an invoice within a few hours of your authorizing the associated timecard. The email will come from creativecircle@backofficeportal.com (alias CC Payroll-Billing Team). Some companies have requested a different billing schedule or method, in which case that process will be followed instead. (Talk with your Account Executive or the Payroll-Billing team if you have any questions.)

Our Payroll-Billing team will happily assist you between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Pacific Time. Call (323) 930-3112 or send an email to Payroll@creativecircle.com.

Lightbox is Creative Circle’s hiring portal, designed for our clients, by our clients. On the online platform, you can:
• Review candidates in one place
• Manage candidate submissions on open jobs
• Manage candidate end dates
• Access your candidate archive
• Stay organized all within an at-a-glance dashboard

Lightbox is fully responsive on desktop and mobile, allowing you to stay organized at work and on the go.

IMPORTANT: Beginning October 14, 2024, new candidate submittals and newly-opened jobs will not appear in Lightbox. You will still receive these submittals through email, and  your selected candidate(s) will appear in Lightbox upon booking. Beginning January 2025, we will have a new solution for candidate submissions. We apologize for this temporary interruption.

Take a “tour” of your Dashboard: an at-a-glance view of action items, open jobs, upcoming interviews, and more.

Your Creative Circle team will continue submitting candidates for your review via email like they’ve always done, but now you can also view everyone in the same place.

Consider it a bonus to what you can already expect from working with Creative Circle: attentive service from a personal account executive, fast response times from dedicated recruiters, and the most qualified talent for your needs.

IMPORTANT: Beginning October 14, 2024, new candidate submittals and newly opened jobs will not appear in Lightbox. You will still receive these submittals through email, and  your selected candidate(s) will appear in Lightbox upon booking. Beginning January 2025, we will have a new solution for candidate submissions. We apologize for this temporary interruption.

If you are an active client who has received a Lightbox invite and are still receiving an error message, please make sure you are using the email address that received the Lightbox invitation to create an account. If you continue having trouble, please reach out to your Creative Circle team.

If you are not an active client and are interested in using Lightbox, get started by submitting a talent request here.

Important note: We are temporarily unable to authorize additional users into Lightbox. If you received an invite previously and are running into trouble activating your account, please reach out to your Creative Circle team. The system will accommodate new users again in 2025.

To change your email address, please notify your Creative Circle team.

You can change your username and password at any time by selecting Settings from the menu (left-hand column on desktop or top left on mobile) or the My Account dropdown (top right on desktop).

We’d love to hear from you on how you are using Lightbox and what you’d like to see. Please email feedback and suggestions to lightboxfeedback@creativecircle.com.

We’re sorry about any inconvenience. You can always call your Account Executive for immediate help on an action you’re trying to take on a job or candidate, or you can email lightboxfeedback@creativecircle.com.

Email lightboxfeedback@creativecircle.com or contact your Creative Circle team.