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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2025-05-16
Change Worker Service Dates

Change Worker Service Dates

Configure the
Service Dates Change
 business process and security policy in the Staffing functional area.
Manage the various service milestone dates for workers. You can tailor your use of these dates to meet your needs.
You can select the
Enable Autocomplete
 check box on the
Service Dates Change
 business process definition. Once enabled, Workday automatically completes the change event for the service date.
You can rename service date fields in the
Staffing
 context using the
Maintain Custom Labels
 task. Workday suggests that you work with your HR specialist to ensure that you aren't changing the field meaning.
Many of these dates automatically populate from the
Hire Employee
 or
Contract Contingent Worker
 tasks. Changes to some of the dates can impact other areas within Workday, such as Benefits, Compensation, and Absence. Whether they determine eligibility for benefits depends on how you configure your benefit and other eligibility rules.
We recommend that you use v43.0 of the
Edit Service Dates
 web service to specify effective dates if you've opted in to
Effective Dating for Service Dates
 feature.
You can default service dates when the
Service Dates Change
 business process is a subprocess of a Staffing business process. Configure defaulting rules for
Service Dates Change
 using the
Maintain Staffing Field Defaults
 task.
Because workers can have multiple jobs, you can find dates relating to:
  • Length of time in a position.
  • End of employment on the position.
These scenarios can affect service dates:
  • First hire or rehire. With or without the
    Edit Service Dates
     task as a subprocess, or when making a hire date correction.
  • Accessing the
    Edit Service Dates
     task: As a stand-alone or as a subprocess on any business process other than
    Hire
    .
  • Termination.
  1. Access the
    Edit Service Dates
     task.
  2. As you complete this task, consider:
    Date
    Description
    Effective Date
    Enter the date that the service date changes are effective for the worker.
    This field displays when you opt in to
    Effective Dating for Service Dates
     on the
    Maintain Feature Opt-Ins
     task. You can't opt out after you opt in. Existing service date events you created prior to opting in to the feature are not effective dated.
    When you add the
    Service Dates Change
     business process as a subprocess of a staffing business process, Workday defaults the date with the effective date of the parent event. The defaulted effective date is read-only and isn't editable.
    Hire Date
     or
    Contract Start Date
    Automatically populates from the most recent
    Hire
     or
    Contract Contingent Worker
     business processes.
    Original Hire Date
    Enables you to track when the organization first employed a worker.
    Used for COBRA eligibility and Form I-9 for US Payroll, and also for the
    Length of Service in Months from Original Hire Date
     report field.
    Automatically populates from the earliest
    Hire Date
    . However, when you manually edit the
    Original Hire Date
    , automatic population no longer occurs. To ensure that the date once again populates automatically, you can:
    • Enter a new earliest
      Hire Date
       that is before the current
      Original Hire Date
      .
    • Manually edit the
      Original Hire Date
       to match the earliest
      Hire Date
      .
    • Rehire the worker.
    This service date only applies to employees.
    Continuous Service Date
    Enables you to give credit for past employment.
    Used in benefit elections, compensation period basis behavior, and length of service calculations.
    Automatically populates from the most recent
    Hire Date
    . However, after you manually edit the
    Continuous Service Date
     to a different date, it no longer automatically populates. To restore automatic population, you can either:
    • Manually edit the
      Continuous Service Date
       to match the
      Hire Date
      .
    • Rehire the worker.
    When the
    Continuous Service Date
     and
    Hire Date
     are the same, correcting the
    Hire Date
     automatically corrects the
    Continuous Service Date
    . However, when the 2 dates are different, correcting the
    Hire Date
     doesn't affect the
    Continuous Service Date
    . You can't manually update the
    Continuous Service Date
     field on a
    Hire
     business process correction.
    Length of Service
    Automatically calculated from the
    Continuous Service Date
     to the current date or termination date.
    If a worker has a future rehire date, this field calculates from the
    Continuous Service Date
     to their termination date. This field doesn't calculate based on their future rehire date. When you rehire a worker, their length of service includes the time that you didn't actively employ them.
    Use the
    Service Length Type
     field in the
    Edit Tenant Setup - HCM
     task to specify the display format.
    Date Entered Workforce
    Supports statutory leave entitlements.
    Use the
    Edit Tenant Setup - Global
     task to track for workers in specific countries.
    This service date only applies to employees.
    Days Unemployed
    Used only for China. Impacts statutory leave eligibility.
    This service date only applies to employees.
    Months Continuous Prior Employment
    Used only for China. Impacts statutory leave eligibility.
    This service date only applies to employees.
    Benefits Service Date
    Enables you to track length of service for benefit programs. Example: Workers become eligible for insurance after a 3-month probation period.
    Available for use in user-defined calculations and eligibility rules.
    Workday empties the field during rehire.
    This service date only applies to employees.
    Company Service Date
    Enables you to track an additional service date, such as date of acquisition.
    Available for use in user-defined calculations and eligibility rules.
    Workday empties the field during rehire.
    This service date only applies to employees.
    Time Off Service Date
    Enables you to track time off eligibility based on a different service date. Example: Standard time off is 3 weeks per year, but some workers negotiate 4 weeks.
    Available for use in user-defined calculations and eligibility rules.
    Retirement Eligibility Date
    Enables you to track eligibility for retirement, such as when eligibility is based on length of service or age.
    Available for use in user-defined calculations and eligibility rules.
    This service date only applies to employees.
    Expected Retirement Date
    Enables you to report on retirement for workers who announce their retirement date in advance.
    Available for use in user-defined calculations and eligibility rules.
    This service date only applies to employees.
    Seniority Date
    Enables you to track seniority based on a date other than
    Hire Date
     or
    Company Service Date
    .
    Used in the
    Length of Service in Months from Seniority Date
     report field. Available for use in user-defined calculations and eligibility rules.
    Automatically populates from the earliest
    Hire Date
    . However, when you manually edit this field on the task, this automatic population no longer occurs until you rehire the worker.
    This service date only applies to employees.
    Severance Date
    Enables you to track how long a worker receives severance pay. Also used in compensation period basis behavior.
    Available for use in user-defined calculations and eligibility rules.
    This service date only applies to employees.
    Vesting Date
    Enables you to track when a worker is fully vested, when this differs from standard vesting rules.
    This service date only applies to employees.
    Service Dates Change History
    Displays a report of all service date changes for the worker.
You can view service dates on worker profiles and in the
View Service Dates
 report. You can use the
View As Of
 field in the report to view service date changes in effect for a worker as of a specific date.
You can correct the
Service Dates Change
 business process event from the related actions menu on the event.
If you opted in to the
Effective Date for Service Dates
 feature on the
Maintain Feature Opt-Ins
 task:
  • You can't opt out after you opt in.
  • Existing service date events you created prior to opting in to the feature are not effective dated. The
    Effective Date
     field on those events uses the date the event was initiated. You can update the
    Effective Date
     when you correct the event.
  • You can correct the effective date on standalone
    Service Dates Change
     business process events.
    • Set up the security for the
      Correct
       action on the
      Service Dates Change
       business process using the
      Edit Business Process Security Policy
      .
    • Enter an
      Effective Date
       that doesn't conflict with any existing staffing events. Example: You have a service date event that's effective 2024-05-30, and a Change Job event effective 2024-03-30. You want to correct the service date event to 2024-02-27. You need to resolve the date of the Change Job event before you can correct the service date event.
  • If you rescind an existing service date event that you created without an
    Effective Date
    , the worker's current service dates won't change. After you rescind an existing service date event, Workday recommends that you either:
    • Edit the service dates using the
      Edit Service Dates
       task.
    • Correct the previous service date event.
  • You can see a
    Service Dates Change History
     table when you view, edit, or correct service dates. Existing service date events you created prior to opting in to the feature won't display an
    Effective Date
    .
  • You can create a custom report using the Effective Date for Service Dates report field. The report field returns the effective date for service date events created or corrected after you opted in to the feature, and returns blank for non-effective dated events.