How to Fill Out Optional Form 288

Optional Form 288 at a glance

What it is: Optional Form 288 (REV. 2/2016) is the INCIDENT TIME REPORT of the Department of the Interior (Bureau of Land Management) and the Department of Agriculture (U.S. Forest Service).

Who signs: Sign 20. Employee Signature. The Time Officer signs 21. Time Officer Signature.

A filled-in Optional Form 288 example: one person reports two days on one incident

Optional Form 288 example filled out, example: one person reports two days on one incident — Jane Sample, a Casual employee, reports incident time on Optional Form 288. She worked two days on one incident in Column A, so Column B, Column C and Column D stay empty. The picture shows the whole form, and none of its entries is real. Hours is Stop minus Start, so 10 and 12 hours give 22 Total Hours in Column A and in all columns. Nothing goes in Commissary and Travel and Remarks because she claims no costs and has nothing to add. Box 21 stays empty because the Time Officer signs it later.

How to fill out Optional Form 288, box by box

Hired At, employee and hiring unit

Enter the Hired At (e.g., ID-BOF) in Box 1.

Enter the Employee Common Identifier in Box 2, and under 3. Type of Employment (X One) mark Federal, Casual or Other.

Enter the Hiring Unit Name (e.g., Ranger District) in Box 4.

Enter the Name (First, Middle, Last) in Box 5, the Hiring Unit Phone Number in Box 6 and the Hiring Unit Fax Number in Box 7.

Incident, by Column A, B, C and D

Enter the Incident Name in Box 8 and the Incident Order Number (e.g., ID-BOF-000123) in Box 9.

The form has Column A, Column B, Column C and Column D, and Column B, Column C and Column D each have a Same as Column box.

Enter the Fire Code (e.g., B2C5) in Box 10 and the Resource Request Number (e.g., O-33) in Box 11.

Position, class, rate and accounting code

Enter the Position Code (e.g., CRWB-T) in Box 12, the AD Class (e.g., B) in Box 13 and the AD Rate in Box 14.

Enter the Home/Hiring Unit Accounting Code in Box 15.

Mo, Day, Start, Stop and Total Hours

On each line, enter Mo, Day, Start, Stop and Hours.

In the "hours" column, indicate "H" for hazard pay, "E" plus % for environmental differential, "T" for travel.

Enter the Year and the 16. Total Hours.

Enter the 17. Total Hours (all columns).

Commissary and Travel, and Remarks

Under 18.Commissary and Travel, enter the 18a. Month, the 18b. Day and the 18c. Category (e.g., commissary, meals, lodging, mileage, medical, etc.).

Enter the 18d. Reimbursement, the 18e. Deduction, the Total and the 18f. FireCode.

Enter the 19. Remarks.

Signatures and the Time Officer

Sign 20. Employee Signature.

The Time Officer signs 21. Time Officer Signature.

NOTE: The items are correct and proper for payment from available appropriations.

More rules for Optional Form 288

For Payment Center use only.

Sources

[1] Optional Form 288 (REV. 2/2016), Incident Time Report, Department of the Interior (Bureau of Land Management) and Department of Agriculture (U.S. Forest Service) (the Official source link on this page).

Optional Form 288 PDF Details