How to make a correction in a work book - sample 2022

Making corrections to the work book: general rules

As established by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, the employer company must not only enter information about his hiring into the specialist’s work book, but also keep the book up to date (Article 66 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation).
This also means correcting errors in work books - a sample of such corrections is presented below. Important! From September 1, 2021, the rules for maintaining work books were approved by Order of the Ministry of Labor dated May 19, 2021 No. 320n (hereinafter referred to as the Rules). And work books of the new sample must be used from 01/01/2023. Whether it is necessary to exchange old workers for new ones and what to do with the old-style forms unused by 2023, read here.

The work book contains both personal information about its owner, which is given on the title page, and information regarding his professional path and awards received, which is entered in 2 corresponding sections.

For more information on how to correctly enter the specified information into the book, see the article “Instructions for filling out work books .

The legislator has identified 3 possible ways to correct entries in the work book:

• cross out the incorrect ones and indicate the information that corresponds to reality;
• invalidate any of the previously made entries;
• simply add relevant information without changing or deleting what was previously entered into the book.

In 2022, this procedure has not changed, so the answer to the question of how to correct an error in a work book still depends on which section of the book the inaccuracy/error was made.

Actions for specific errors

The procedure for changing incorrect information in a work book is generally standard for most situations, but there are cases in which there are nuances in registering changes in the work book. There are no fundamental differences from the basic situation, but it is necessary to strictly adhere to the order that was assigned by law for each specific situation.

Incorrect date

Correction of the record must occur according to the rules.

If the date of an event that occurred is incorrectly reflected - hiring, dismissal - HR specialists have two options for the development of events on how to make a change.

The first option is to make a note about the invalidity of the information under a certain serial number and immediately need to write down the correct date right there. The second option is to enter information twice: in the first entry indicate the incorrect data, and in the second indicate the correct date.

Both options have the same result, therefore. Each personnel officer chooses here the option that is more convenient for him.

Eg:

Invalid entry

A timely detection of an error in filling out a work report will significantly facilitate the transfer to another job.

To recognize the information as incorrect, the only option is to merge the two records. This type of correction must be made at the employee’s place of work where this entry was made. To correct it, you need to make a new entry with a note that the entry under a certain number is invalid and then make a correction appropriate to the situation.

If there is no possibility of correcting the entry at the previous place of work, such information can be corrected with the help of the successor employer, but the basis for the authority to change the information in the Labor Code must be provided in the document of the employer, as a result of whose activities the inaccuracies in the book were recorded.

For example:

Incorrect entry of order details

In these situations, the change procedure is also simple - we declare the incorrect entry invalid, with the obligatory indication of its serial number. After this, you can copy the entire entry when adjusting the order details.

For example, you hire an employee for the position of economist. It looked like this in labor:

This is exactly what correct correction of information in the Labor Code looks like in a situation where incorrect order details are indicated.

Correction of award information

Common mistakes when filling out a work book.

And in this situation it is necessary to act in the same way as previously described. Here it is advisable to make one general entry so as not to get confused with dates and avoid unnecessary mistakes. Typically, an error in the award data lies in the incorrect nature of the announcement of gratitude, therefore, you must be very careful when making corrections, since this section is the most erroneous among HR workers.

Correcting an error on the title page of the work book

On the title page, the company's personnel officer may make a mistake when indicating the specialist's full name, date of birth, and level of education.

Clause 7 of the Rules prescribes in the event of an error in the personal data of a specialist:

• cross out false information with one line, and then indicate the current information next to it (in the same column on the title page);
• at the same time, on the left, on the inside cover of the book, indicate on the basis of which supporting document the correction was made;
• the responsible personnel officer must sign the link indicated on the cover of the book, and also confirm the accuracy of the information with the company seal.

The above procedure applies both if the information about the specialist was initially entered incorrectly, and the error was discovered only years later, and if, for example, an employee changed her last name due to marriage.

For a sample of making an entry in the work book about changing the employee’s surname from September 1, 2022, see ConsultantPlus. You can get trial access to the system for free:

If the title page needs to reflect current information about the employee’s level of education (for example, he was a bachelor and became a master), strikethroughs are also not needed. It is enough to simply write down the information that corresponds to reality at the moment (clause 8 of the Rules).

For a sample change (addition) in the work book entry about new education, profession, specialty, see ConsultantPlus, having received free trial access to the system:

How can I correct an entry in the work book made not on the title page, but in other sections? We'll tell you further.

How to correct an error or incorrect entry in a work book

If an error is made in the sections that record information about the specialist’s places of work and his awards, nothing can be crossed out (clause 12 of the Rules).

Correction in this case will be made by declaring the previously made entry invalid (by making a new separate entry of the corresponding content in the book) with the subsequent indication of current information.

Important! The correction can be made by the personnel officer not only of the company where the error was made, but also of the company that identified it, if the employee now works on its staff. In this case, it is necessary to have an official supporting document from the organization that made such a mistake.

This procedure for correcting errors is applied in most cases: if the name of the company, the position of a specialist, the department/department in which he worked, etc. were incorrectly indicated. And also in cases where a record of transfer/dismissal was made in the book, subsequently declared illegal.

For more information on how to invalidate an entry, see the article “Deeming an entry in a work book invalid - sample .

Responsibility for violation of rules of conduct

An employer may be punished for violating the rules for preparing and maintaining labor documents for its employees. All types of punishment are provided for at the legislative level, and therefore every personnel officer should know his responsibility.

Even if a loss occurs upon receipt of the work book in hand, no receipt received from the owner of the document does not relieve the employer of responsibility for safety.

All responsibility is divided into disciplinary and administrative. If disciplinary action involves punishment of a specific employee of the personnel department who was the culprit of the error, then administrative responsibility for incorrect execution of the work book falls on the organization. There must be evidence to impose punishment. In this case, it will be disciplinary or administrative, depending on the degree of error.

Disciplinary responsibility

Disciplinary punishment is nothing more than a penalty for improper performance by a personnel officer of his duties. This requires the presence of several documents, which include:

• an order confirming the assignment of powers and duties to a person,
• job descriptions,
• work book in which an error was made.

As for violations that can cause disciplinary punishment, there may be several options. Since an employee of the personnel department is responsible for issuing, storing, maintaining and recording work books, violation of the procedure for any of these points may result in a penalty. As for the degree of punishment, everything is decided by the employer, and the person can be punished either with a verbal reprimand, or a reprimand, or dismissal.

Here a lot depends on the severity of the mistake made. It is also worth noting that, in general, the first mistake regarding the maintenance of work records is most often not the reason for dismissal. After such a violation, the person’s authority may be removed, and dismissal is expected in the event of repeated violation of the rules. If violations are discovered, the employer must immediately take all possible measures and not wait for the victim to go to court.

Material liability

A financial penalty is applied when it is necessary to compensate for losses that the guilty party inflicted on an employee due to violation of job descriptions and failure to fulfill duties. Most often, the application of financial liability is used for the following situations:

• the employer did not issue the work book on time}
• The HR employee made an incorrect entry in the employment record.

The employer is obliged to notify the person upon dismissal of the need to receive a work book in hand. In this case, you need to obtain written permission from the resigned employee to send the employment document to the specified address by mail. In such a case, the employer is not responsible for the delay from the date of dispatch. A delay is considered to be the number of days that have passed from the beginning of the termination of the employment contract to the delivery or dispatch of the work book. Such a delay is forced absenteeism, which the employer will be obliged to compensate. To avoid such situations, notification is sent the next day after dismissal.

If an incorrect entry is made in the work book, the employee who made an error in maintaining the work document will be obliged to compensate the owner for the loss of earnings that he suffered as a result of the error. In this case, financial responsibility falls on the shoulders of the employer, and in the event of such problems, it is he who will be responsible to the victim. The amount of compensation is set depending on the employee’s average earnings during forced absences.

The process of applying penalties

An employer who is responsible for incorrectly executed work books can compensate for material damage on a voluntary basis. To do this, an appropriate order is issued, and the incorrect entry in the work book is corrected in accordance with all the requirements of labor legislation. In case of refusal of voluntary compensation by the culprit party, the victim has every right to appeal to the judicial authorities. At the same time, the claim indicates the circumstances of the situation and the requirements for the culprit.

The legislation provides for the possibility of an employee receiving additional compensation in the form of moral damage. An example could be the suffering of a person that arose due to the violation of his duties by the employer, which adversely affected his health. The amount of compensation and all additional nuances must be decided in court. But the employee must provide all the arguments and prove the employer’s guilt. Only in this case can you count on receiving compensation from the company.

An employee may raise the issue of indexation of collection amounts. A separate application is submitted for this purpose. The employer also needs to understand that the involvement of a representative by the injured employee for legal proceedings in the future may result in compensation for the costs incurred. The amount of this amount is established in court on the basis of documents provided by the injured party.

If the employer decides to compensate for damage on a voluntary basis, then the legislation will not limit it in terms of time. Otherwise, within three months after recording the fact of the violation, the injured employee must apply to the court. Due to objective valid reasons, this period may be extended. The organization has every right to appeal the employee’s demands. To do this, a counterclaim is filed and legal proceedings are ongoing.

Results

In 2022, corrections in the work book according to the sample must be made, guided by several basic rules:

• Firstly, if an inaccuracy was made on the title page (and the error was not immediately identified when registering the book), the incorrect information must be crossed out and the correct information written next to it.
• If the error lies in the entry about the specialist’s place of work or his awards, such an entry must first be invalidated (by means of a new entry in the book), and then the latest information must be entered.

You can find more complete information on the topic in ConsultantPlus. Free trial access to the system for 2 days.