> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.simplifi.work/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Set a Start Date for a Staff Member

An employee start date tells Simplifi when a staff member is available to work. Once set, the system will not allow them to be rostered on any date before that date.

<Note>
  If no start date is set, the staff member behaves as normal with no restrictions. You only need to set a start date if the person is not yet available to be rostered
</Note>

## How to set a start date

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the staff module and locate the staff member" />

  <Step title="Open their profile" />

  <Step title="Find the key dates section" />

  <Step title="Enter in the date that they are due to start in the start date field" />

  <Step title="Save the profile" />
</Steps>

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/simplifi/eJ1rlqEFpzbhzZuM/images/2026-07-16_16-04-49-1.jpg?fit=max&auto=format&n=eJ1rlqEFpzbhzZuM&q=85&s=4f8c8fbe4387678a55248535535aed6d" alt="2026 07 16 16 04 49 1" width="1910" height="850" data-path="images/2026-07-16_16-04-49-1.jpg" />
</Frame>

## What happens once a start date is set

Once saved, the start date affects rostering in the following ways:

| Area                             | Behaviour                                                                                                                                                 |
| :------------------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Schedule — Quick Roster**      | The staff member cannot be assigned a shift before their start date. Once started, they also cannot be retrospectively assigned a shift before that date. |
| **Rostering — Manual**           | Clicking a date before the start date to roster the staff member will be blocked.                                                                         |
| **Rostering — Contracted Hours** | The contracted hours generation skips any dates that fall before the staff member's start date.                                                           |

<Note>
  The staff member's roster tile will display a **"has not started"** message if you attempt to assign them to a date before their start date
</Note>

## Setting up contracted hours before the start date

You can still set up contracted hours for a staff member before their start date arrives. This is useful when you want to plan their roster in advance.

Contracted hours assigned before the start date will **not** generate timesheets for dates prior to the start date — but they will appear correctly on the roster from the start date onwards.

This means you can complete the staff member's rostering setup during onboarding without it showing them as available before they begin.

<Warning>
  If contracted hours are set up and a start date is **then added afterwards**, any timesheets that may have already been generated before the start date will be cleared
</Warning>

## Removing or changing the start date

To update or remove a start date, return to the **Key Dates** section of the staff member's profile, update the field, and save. Removing the start date entirely restores normal rostering behaviour with no date restrictions.