My employee can't clock in

This might be the number one support question we get.

But the funny thing is it's not a question, just a statement, but we've heard is so many times, we know the drill.

Sure, there is a slight chance it could be our software ( less than 1% ), but for the majority it has something to do with the account's time clock settings.

Just yesterday...

We got a call from a customer who said "My employee can't clock in".

So I said, okay, can you tell us what the employee is seeing on their end?

In response he said "hang on... HEY BOB!... silence for a few seconds... HEY BOB!!!"

That's when Bob finally answered... "What!!?"

"The Webtimeclock guy wants to know what happens when you try to clock in."

Unfortunately all Bob could say was "I don't know, I just can't clock in".

But fortunately for me, that was no problem, it gave me enough time to log into the customer's account to see what was up.

Sure enough, the account administrator had set IP Login Security to ON for this employee. Meaning they could only clock in if they were using an authorized IP address, making it easy to assume their IP address had changed.

So as a test, I turned the setting off and asked if Bob could try to clock in... That fixed it.

Reasons why employee's can't clock in from the web

For the most part, there are three possible reasons (outside of losing power or Internet connection).

1. If you use IP Login Security, it is possible your Internet Service Provider changed your IP address

2. The employee did not enter the correct username, password, or PIN

3. You are using a shift rule that locks the employee out completely

Conclusion

If an employee can't clock in, there is a reason, and it probably has something to do with your time clock settings.

No worries however, we are happy to assist.

Archiving Time Clock Employees

Yesterday a dentist who uses Webtimeclock, asked...

"Can I deactivate an employee instead of deleting and saving their information for future use?"

"Reason being, an employee retired but will be available for substituting on an infrequent basis but I would hope not to enter all the data again."

I explained to the doctor that yes, that is exactly what archiving is for.

Why archive employees?

With Webtimeclock, employees are never deleted, only archived.

You archive an employee who no longer works for you, but still want to retain their timesheet records for the future.

Medical businesses such as dentists sometimes have employee turnover. Perhaps an employee leaves for other opportunities, or an employee retires as in this example.

When this happens, you still need to retain all timesheet records for compliance, but you also want the ability to reopen an employee account in case they return.

Archiving an employee deactivates them, removes them from your active list, then places them on your archived list.

If you want, an archived employee can still log into their account to see old timesheets and W-2 documents, but they cannot clock in and out.

If you don't want them to, simply remove their email address before you archive them.

Conclusion

Archiving is a simple way of managing staff for time and attendance. Nothing is deleted, no timesheets are lost.

If an employee returns, no problem, simply unarchive their old account.

Oh, and we never charge for archived employees, only active employees.

Webtimeclock 5 Aug 11 2025

Currently, embedded payroll is available on Webtimeclock 4, but not Webtimeclock 5.

From our progress this past weekend, we expect embedded payroll to go live on Webtimeclock 5 by August 31st.

For those using payroll on Webtimeclock 4, you will have the option to move your payroll account to Webtimeclock 5 if you wish.

If interested, please sign up for a free trial of Webtimeclock 5 to see all the new improvements. If you like the new system, we can move your payroll data to your Webtimeclock 5 account.

Webtimeclock 5 has enhanced features for both timekeeping and payroll.

It will also include a FREE gross pay editing system for those who have not signed up for payroll. It uses our same, easy payroll editor, but without the tax calculations. You will be able to track all non-hour compensation such as bonuses, tips, commissions, and reimbursements.

Please reach out if you have questions.

There is No AI Employee Time Clock

If you work in HR in any capacity, you are probably well aware of how AI is being used these days.

Yes, AI can answer HR questions from a vast knowledge base, summarize resumes in bulk, and can even interview candidates over the phone.

Whatever you think of AI, you have to admit it is interesting, and it might very well help make certain things much more efficient.

But on the flipside, most of us know AI does not always get it right. Case in point are employee time clocks.

For curiosity, I asked Google (who now provides AI answers) the following question...

Can AI be used as an employee time clock?

Here is the answer...

"Yes, AI is increasingly being used in time clock systems to automate and enhance time tracking for employees. These AI-powered time clocks offer various features like biometric authentication, geofencing, and integration with HR systems, improving accuracy, efficiency, and compliance."

Really?

Okay, hold on a second. I may not know everything, but I do know a little about employee time tracking, I've helped run an online time clock service since 2003.

Sorry, AI is not being used to run an employee time clock, that is simply not true.

The only true part of that answer is AI is integrated with HR systems as I just mentioned.

So how does Google let this deception happen?

As it turns out, Google responds with information based on text from various websites that best match the searcher's intent.

What Google does not do is confirm whether the information is true or not, again remember it's just AI.

Thankfully however, Google often provides references where they got the information... Which led to the origin.

In this case it was web pages from a company named CloudApper.ai, a commercial business that sells AI chatbot agents to HR and payroll companies.

CloudApper published pages to promote their product named "AI Time Clock", which is a tablet app used as an employee time clock.

Here is a quote from their site... "Turn Any Tablet Into an AI Powered Employee Time Clock Device".

In their behalf yes, in one respect that is true, but also deceptive to Google's AI brain. The whole app is not run by AI, instead it has one button that serves as an HR chatbot, that's it.

The truth be told.

I have no criticism of CloudApper, I'm sure their app is fine.

My point is to explain there is no AI employee time clock... A time clock with an AI chatbot perhaps... But AI is not used as an employee time clock.

And probably never will be.

All-in-one Payroll and Time Tracking

Although our online time clock has been around for years, we strive to keep up with latest technology.

And part of that technology includes embedded payroll.

In a nutshell, embedded payroll embeds an entire payroll platform directly inside Webtimeclock through the integration of a remote API.

Rather than having two separate systems for time and payroll, both your time clock and payroll systems can be unified seamlessly in one application.

The whole point is to make things easier.

Since we added embedded payroll in 2021, Webtimeclock is now a full-service payroll provider, just like any big name you can think of.

Here are a few features...

• US payroll for all 50 states
• Unlimited payroll per month for one price
• Direct deposit payments for employees
• Automated tax filings to federal, state, and local agencies
• Two-day and next day processing for established businesses
• Three-day processing for brand new businesses
• True paperless onboarding of company and employees
• Free setup and implementation any time of year
• Multiple-state and complicated payrolls
• Pre-tax deductions such as health insurance
• Post-tax deductions such as child support
• W-2 mailings at the end of the year

So if you choose our optional payroll services, you will have an all-in-one platform with everything you need.

Gone are the days of having to use big name payroll providers.

Gone are the days of expensive payroll services.

Want to learn more? Please reach out to us.

Time Clock Reports as PDF or CSV

Having employees clock in and out is great, but it's not what matters most.

What matters most are reports.

Namely, reports that help you prepare payroll hours for each and every pay period... That's how folks get paid.

And for you, these reports might happen every week, every two weeks, twice a month, or once a month... Depending on your pay period.

As a help, here are the two most important reports:

Timesheet (or time card) report

A timesheet report is a time record for each employee that spans a single pay period.

It shows how many hours worked, and how many hours paid time off.

It also provides the following pay codes...

• Regular hours
• Overtime hours
• Double time hours
• PTO hours
• Vacation hours
• Sick time hours
• Paid holiday hours

By providing all hourly pay codes, a timesheet report can also be referred to as a hours detail report.

Consider the timesheet report as a way to calculate hours, edit hours, and total payroll hours for one employee for one pay period.

Summary report

A summary report summarizes each timesheet report as a list, and includes all the pay codes listed above.

This report can also be referred to as a payroll summary report, but keep in mind it covers hours only, it does not include non-hour compensation.

For example, a summary report is what you send to your payroll provider, it's all they need to process the hours.

Any non-hour compensation such as bonuses, or reimbursements are handled separately by your payroll provider.

Report formats

Webtimeclock has a feature that previews each report as a PDF document. That way you can see the PDF on screen, download it to your desktop, or send it to your printer.

For spreadsheets, each report can be exported as a generic CSV, simply click the CSV button to download.

For payroll exports such as ADP, Paychex, Gusto, and SurePayroll you can set your export preference for the summary report.

Once set, a new export button will appear right below the summary report, just click on it to download the file.

Time Card Auditing Just to Be Sure

Your employees clock in and out all the time, which is good... But you might want to verify things once and awhile.

Time card auditing verifies each and every employee punch. It helps you know for sure, and it helps you to keep folks honest.

For example, auditing will give you the Who, When, Where, and What of each punch...

• Who clocked in?
• When did they clock in?
• Where were they located when they clocked in?
• What device did they use to clock in?

Date and time
That is a given considering you are using a time clock, however an audit will confirm if an employee clocked in, or an editor manually entered a punch.

Location
For locations, an audit will tell you things like what IP address was used, or if using a phone, what geolocation coordinates were captured.

If using a time clock, it will give you the name of the time clock they used, which is typically named by its location, for example, "break room".

If using a kiosk app, it will give you the name assigned to the kiosk, allong with the connection's IP adddress.

Device
For devices, an audit will tell you if they used a desktop browser, phone, kiosk app, or wall-mounted time clock.

If using a phone, it will give you the IP address used, letting you know if they were connected to your WiFi or to their cell carrier.

Auditing edits
An audit will also tell you if a punch was edited, who the editor was, and the date and time the edit was saved.

Conclusion

Time card auditing is not essential to tracking employee hours.

But it can certainly come in handy if something needs to be verified.

17 Best Online Time Clocks for Small Business... With Pricing

As co-owner of an online time clock since 2003, I am well aware of companies offering similar solutions, what features they have, and what they charge.

When we started, there were only a couple, now there are several... But we've always considered that a good thing.

Why? Because competition has made us better.

Today, I'm listing every single online time clock system I can find, including details such as location, special features and pricing. I'm also focusing on companies that offer time and attendance as a primary service.

What is an online time clock?

An online time clock is a subscription based, employee time clock system accessed through web browsers, primarily to track payroll hours.

Best used for companies with hourly employees.

Solutions typically allow employees to clock in and out, along with timesheet calculation and payroll hour reporting.

About the list

Unlike other lists, I will not fool you to think one company is better than another, as I find that practice disingenuous.

As such, other than putting Webtimeclock on top, the rest are loosely ordered by popularity... Very loosely. As it is not fair to say that bigger companies are better.

Let's get started...

1. Webtimeclock.com

Webtimeclock.com is an online employee time clock system that helps businesses track employee hours for payroll and job tracking. It provides features like time tracking, time-off requests, and payroll integration, simplifying time management for both employees and administrators. Webtimeclock also offers features like GPS tracking, activity dashboards, and reporting, making it suitable for small to medium-sized businesses.

2. Ontheclock.com

OnTheClock.com is online time clock software designed primarily for small to medium-sized businesses. It helps businesses track employee hours, manage schedules, and simplify payroll processes. It offers features like time tracking, scheduling, payroll integration, and tools to prevent time theft.

3. uAttend.com

uAttend.com is a online time clock system designed to help businesses track employee hours and manage workforce management tasks. It offers features such as employee time tracking, payroll processing, and scheduling. The system can be accessed through various devices, including time clocks, web browsers, and mobile apps.

4. Timeclockwizard.com

TimeClockWizard.com is a free, online time clock software. It offers features like employee scheduling, time tracking (including breaks and overtime), payroll reporting, and expense tracking. It also provides mobile applications for both Android and iOS devices, enabling remote time tracking and receipt uploads for reimbursements.

5. Compumatictime.com

Compumatic Time Recorders, Inc. is a company that specializes in time and attendance solutions for businesses, particularly small businesses. They provide a variety of time clocks, including electronic, calculating, biometric (fingerprint, face recognition), and web-based options including Compumatic Online.

6. Payclock.com

Payclock.com is an online time clock system, developed by Lathem, that helps businesses track employee hours and manage time data for payroll and other purposes. It offers features like employee time tracking, mobile access, integration with payroll systems, and reporting.

7. Amano.com

Time Guardian Hosted is a cloud-based time and attendance software solution hosted by Amano, allowing businesses to manage employee time tracking from any internet-connected device. It offers various clocking options, including time clocks, web browsers, and mobile phones, with real-time data synchronization and automated payroll integration.

8. Opentimeclock.com

OpenTimeClock.com is a free, online time clock software designed for businesses to manage employee time tracking, attendance, and payroll. It offers features like employee time tracking, shift scheduling, PTO management, and an employee bulletin board. The software is cloud-based, accessible from various devices, and aims to streamline time management and improve accuracy in record-keeping.

9. Buddypunch.com

Buddy Punch is an online time clock and employee scheduling software designed to help businesses manage employee time, attendance, and payroll. It offers features like online time clock, time-off tracking, payroll-ready reporting, and employee scheduling. It's used by various industries, including construction, healthcare, and retail.

10. Clockineasy.com

ClockInEasy.com is an online time clock software designed to help businesses manage employee time and attendance. It offers features like mobile and web-based time tracking, GPS location, face recognition, and automated timesheets, making it easier to track employee hours, manage payroll, and ensure labor law compliance.

11. Timetrak.com

TimeTrak.com is a website for TimeTrak Systems, a company that provides workforce management solutions, including time and attendance tracking software and hardware. They offer a range of solutions for businesses of all sizes, including time clocks, mobile apps, and web-based systems for tracking employee time and managing labor costs.

12. Webclock.biz

WebClock.biz is an online time clock for any location with no per computer or location fees. Powerful time and attendance software integrates with biometric time clocks and other time collection devices or the standard web based time clock. ITCS-WebClock collects data real time and easily integrates with your payroll and accounting systems. ITCS-WebClock will reduce errors and will measure, monitor and track your workforce efficiently.

13. Clockspot.com

Clockspot.com is an online time clock service that helps businesses track employee time and attendance, manage timesheets, and facilitate payroll. It offers features like online time tracking, GPS and caller ID tracking, timesheet approvals, and detailed reporting. It's designed to be user-friendly and accessible from any device, making it suitable for businesses with mobile teams, remote workers, or multiple locations.

14. Ezclocker.com

ezClocker.com is a website and mobile app that provides an online time clock and scheduling software for small businesses. It's designed to be user-friendly, especially for those who may not be very tech-savvy. Key features include mobile clock-in/out with GPS verification, online scheduling, timesheet management, and reporting.

15. Clockit.io

ClockIt.io is online time clock software designed to streamline workforce management for businesses. It offers features like employee time tracking, scheduling, payroll automation, and project/task management. It caters to various industries, including law firms, retail, healthcare, and construction, and provides integrations with tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and payroll systems.

16. Timeclockhub.com

TimeClockHub.com is an online time clock platform that offers employee time tracking and management software. It provides features for businesses to track employee hours, manage schedules, handle payroll, and generate reports. The platform is designed to be user-friendly and accessible on various devices.

17. Easytimeclock.com

EasyTimeClock.com is an online time clock system designed to help businesses manage employee time tracking and payroll. It offers a user-friendly platform for tracking employee hours, managing payroll, and ensuring compliance with labor laws. The system supports various clocking options, including web-based clocks, biometric scanners, and mobile access.

Conclusion

Those are the 17 best online time clocks available today. Companies that specialize in time and attendance for payroll. Please share with your team.

Please also let us know if we can help answer questions.

What is a Time Clock Start Zone?

Some time clocks, including our employee time clock, have shift rules that include start zones and end zones.

And no, end zones have nothing to do with football or hockey, they are areas of time before a shift starts and after a shift ends.

What is a time clock start zone?

A start zone is an area of time (zone) that rounds forward to the shift's start time.

An end zone is the opposite, that rounds backward to the shift's end time.

How to set a start zone

• Determine the start time of a shift, for example 8:00 AM

• Determine start zone (in minutes), for example 5 minutes, 15 minutes, or 30 minutes

An example

If your shift starts at 8:00 AM, and your start zone is 30 minutes...

Then any time an employee clocks IN between 7:30 AM and 7:59 AM, their punch will be rounded to 8:00 AM

The benefit of using a start zone

Like any rounding rule, start and end zones help keep work hours consistent each day, along with reducing potential overtime.

Start zones allow employees to clock in early without adding minutes toward overtime. This allows them to clock in, but still have time to settle before they actually start working.

Potential drawbacks

Any time a time clock rule favors the employer, you leave yourself vulnerable to actions by employees who can prove they were not paid in full.

If you use start or end zones, communicate those rules clearly to employees, and be sure to check with your state's labor rules. Some states are stricter than others.

Conclusion

That's my quick overview of time clock start and end zones, a way of rounding time employees work.

They can be useful for controlling excessive work time, but be careful to follow your state's labor laws.

Hope it helps.

Is Clockify Really Free and is it Safe?

Yes, Clockify offers a free plan, but also offers paid plans.

The point is to entice you to sign up for the free plan in hopes of upgrading later.

In regard to safety, yes Clockify can be considered safe considering data security such as SSL encryption, two-factor authentication, backups, and other security features. However it is always a good idea to download reports as your own personal backup plan. It's also a good idea to be careful who you share your data with.

In comparison to employee time clock software, Clockify is primarily a time tracking app used for projects and billing.

So... If you are looking for a free employee time clock, Clockify may not be the best solution.

To help, please see the related post: The Best Free Time Clocks and what they Don't Include

Clockify is located in Palo Alto, California.