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.

The Best Free Time Clocks and what They Don't Include

If you are searching for a free employee time clock, there are a few available.

But why are you asking?

Maybe it's because we are so accustomed to free online services these days, you know, all those online apps with free plans... There are a ton of them.

That would certainly explain searching for a freebie for employees to clock in and out. I don't blame you for looking, it makes sense.

Please keep in mind a few harsh realities.

If you are looking for time tracking for billing, a free service might be the answer.

But if you have hourly employees, pay payroll taxes, and comply with federal and state laws, why would you trust a free service?

Just to save money? Can't afford one?

If trying to save money, consider using spreadsheets, or maybe pen and paper instead. With that, you won't risk losing legal records to a remote free service.

If it is because you can't afford it, remember we value what we pay for.

The best free employee time clocks

Below are the best free employee time clocks available today. I've tried to sort them by popularity, but honestly, that part is not easy to do.

Most importantly, I've pointed out the features NOT included on each free plan.

Knowing what you don't get is a better indicator of value. It will also show if it can replace an employee time clock for payroll or not.

My comments are limited to free plans only. I'm sure paid plans are more comprehensive, and I have no clue if one company is better than another.

Clockify.me

Clockify describes themselves as "The world's leading time tracker and timesheet software for teams".

Whether that is true or not, I'm not sure, but let's say they are good at what they do. It might be safe to say they are also a popular choice.

For their free plan, they do offer timesheets with unlimited time tracking.

Clockify is located in Palo Alto, California.

What the Clockify free plan does NOT include:

• Attendance & overtime
• Rounding
• Decimal format
• Time off
• Breaks
• GPS tracking
• Multi-year range
• Approval
• Scheduling

Opinion

Clockify does provide a free way for employees to track and report their hours. Whether they can clock in and out is not clear.

Since it doesn't offer even the simplest time clock features, such as overtime calculation and rounding, it can't really be called an employee time clock.

Think of Clockify as a time tracking app (better used for billable hours), not a time clock app for payroll.

Opentimeclock.com

Open Time Clock is simply described as "Free Time Clock Software", which appears to be true.

They claim to have been in business since 1997, but their domain was created on April 14th of 2012.

Regardless, I do know they have been in business for many years now, and have specialized themselves as a basic time clock service.

Open Time Clock is located in Singapore.

What the Open Time Clock free plan does NOT include:

• Downloading of PDF or Excel formatted reports

Opinion

Outside of not downloading reports, Open Time Clock apparently offers all their other features on their free plan.

So yes, Open Time Clock does offer a way for employees to clock in and out for free.

For someone with no budget, this might be an attractive alternative.

But for compliance, not being able to access reports is probaly not a good idea.

Also, if it matters to you, the company is not located in the US.

Timeclockwizard.com

Time Clock Wizard describes themselves as "100% Free Online Time Clock Employee Scheduling. Time Tracking. Task Management. Payroll Reporting."

That sounds great, however their free plan doesn't include scheduling, task management, or payroll reporting.

Is it me? I'm thinking the headline is slightly misleading.

Anyway, Time Clock Wizard has been around for a long while, I think they were one of the first services to offer free time tracking.

Time Clock Wizard is located in New York City, New York.

What the Time Clock Wizard free plan does not include:

• Payroll reporting
• Timesheet reporting
• Scheduling
• Task management
• Paid time off accruals
• GPS tracking
• Clock in location restrictions
• Mobile apps

Opinion

Time Clock Wizard does provide a way for employees to clock in and out for free.

But what is not clear, is the ability to calculate payroll hours such as overtime and PTO.

Either way, the fact it does not offer reporting is a big warning sign.

Joinhomebase.com

Homebase advertises with the headline "Employee Time Clock App - Unlimited Use, Always Free".

That title is certainly interesting, but is it a good alternative to a paid employee time clock? Let's take a look.

I could be wrong on this, but I believe Homebase was primarily built for restaurants using their scheduling, POS integrations, and billing by location.

However they market themselves now, they seem like a good company and offer a variety of services.

Homebase is located in San Francisco, California.

What the Homebase free plan does NOT include:

• Overtime calculations
• Pay periods longer than 7 days
• Break tracking
• Timesheets storage over 90 days
• Time off tracking
• Time off accruals
• Payroll integrations

Opinion

Homebase does offer a way for employees to clock in and out for free.

From what I can tell, the "Unlimited Use, Always Free part" is probably true, as the service primarily bills for other services you upgrade too.

But not having overtime calculations and the lack of reporting retention is a hindrance to compliance.

Jibble.io

Similar to Open Time CLock, Jibble makes the claim of "100% FREE Time Clock Software". They also claim 90% of their users are on the free plan.

Their claim is probably true for time tracking, but as an employee time clock, not so much.

Jibble seems more focused on time tracking for billable hours (like Clockify). You can see this by their impressive list of integrations.

Jibble is located in London, England (previously Palo Alto, California).

What the Jibble free plan does NOT include:

• Custom pay periods
• Pay period timesheets
• PTO accruals
• Three or more locations
• Shift scheduling
• Attendance reporting
• Approvals

Opinion

An interesting thing about Jibble's free plan is how they handle timesheet date ranges. It's either daily, weekly, or monthly. Custom pay periods are not supported.

Most companies in the US however are either bi-weekly or semi-monthly, so there is a huge disconnect.

As I'm hinting, Jibble is probably more a time tracking app, and not a time clock app.

Timecamp.com

TimeCamp positions themselves as "Time tracking software that meets your workflow". Probably a more honest description compared to Jibble.

As such, the claim is probably true.

The word Time Tracking means something, it describes a process of tracking billable hours, not payroll hours. TimeCamp doesn't seem to be everything to everybody, which is refreshing.

TimeCamp is located in Walnut, California.

What the TimeCamp free plan does NOT include:

• Attendance tracking
• Overtime tracking
• Time off tracking
• Time rounding
• Pay periods longer than 7 days
• Approvals

Opinion

As you can see from what the free plan is missing, it should not be considered an employee time clock by any stretch.

Sure it's free, but not the tool you need to run payroll.

Connecteam.com

Last on the list is Connecteam who claims "Manage your team in one app". That being an app mostly designed mobile devices such as phones and tablets.

A claim that seems to be true considering all the various upgrades available to manage what they refer to as "deskless" workers.

Although Connecteam offers a free employee time clock using their Small Business Plan, they don't make it center stage as other apps do.

Connecteam is located in New York City, New York (and founded in Tel Aviv, Israel).

What the Connecteam free plan does NOT include:

• Any employee count over 30 employees

• More than one time clock (in other words, limited to one kiosk time clock app)

Opinion

With Connecteam, it gets a little complicated. If you have less than 10 employees, you can use their Small Business Plan for free.

Over 10, but less than 30, you have the option of their Limited plan which is also free... But limited.

If you don't mind being limited to one kiosk app on a tablet for clocking, and have less than 10 employees, the Connecteam free plan might be a good choice.

Conclusion

Those are the best free employee time clocks available... At least that claim to be employee time clocks.

Other honorable mentions include

• Busybusy.com
• Everhour.com
• Myhours.com

Generally, with the exception of a couple, most providers claiming to be a free employee time clock, are not time clocks at all.

Instead, they are time tracking apps pretending to be time clocks.

Is all this confusing? Maybe try out our free employee time clock instead.

Just know the free part lasts only 15 days... But it includes everything you need.

How to Choose a Time Clock

If you pay hourly employees, you need a time clock.

Today, I'll explain what to look for and why.

Typically, choosing an employee time clock is a task for business owners, managers, accountants, bookkeepers, or payroll specialists... Whatever your role, I hope it helps.

This advice is for any small business, but also applies to any large business too.

In a related post, read about the 5 Questions when Choosing a Time Clock.

Why use a time clock?

Beyond recording employee hours, consider the following benefits:

Promote fairness. Using a time clock takes away any personal bias. Nobody is given special advantages or favors. Everyone is treated equally.

Keep employees honest. If an employee clocks in late, then they are late. An indisputable record is now etched on their timesheet to prove it.

Know if employees are working or not. Look at their timesheets. Are they clocked in? Some systems provide status reports that keep you informed.

Reduce administrative costs. This varies depending on what kind of time clock. But even a basic clock that prints on a time card is more efficient than writing on paper. Clocks that calculate hours will save hours of time.

Reduce payroll errors. With a completed timesheet, and assuming the approval of both the employee and supervisor, payroll can run safely. Further, some time clocks allow data transfer or full data integration to help eliminate mistakes.

Help with compliance. Here is a quote from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) guidelines: "The FLSA requires employers to keep records on wages, hours, and other items, as specified in DOL record keeping regulations."

Types of time clocks

There have been many varieties over the years. But to narrow it down, I'll focus on three broad categories:

• Time clock machines
• Offline time clocks
• Online time clocks

1. Time clock machines

The traditional time clock. Machines with a clock face and mechanism to print a timestamp onto a paper time card. They stand alone with no need for software or network connections.

Here are a few types...

Mechanical time clocks: Extinct as of 2025. These time clocks used a mechanical type wheel that hammered through an ink ribbon onto a time card. Making a loud, "ka chunk" sound. It's where the term "punch" clock came from.

Electronic time clocks: The next generation. Instead of a mechanical punch, electronic clocks print using a dot-matrix printer. Much quieter and lighter. Making them a better choice for offices, as well as manufacturing.

Side printing time clocks: These clocks have a slot on the side where time cards are inserted. You align the card manually on the correct line of their time card. You can also use them to print timestamps on office documents.

Top loading time clocks: Automatically feeds the time card from the top. Like bread in a toaster. Eliminating the print errors found on side printers. They can also print in two colors. Black for regular time, and red for exceptions such as clocking in late.

Calculating time clocks: Just like top loading clocks, but with the ability to calculate cumulative time on the time card. If you prefer using a time clock machine for payroll, this is the type to get.

Advantages

• No computer or software is required
• Most sit on a desktop, or mount to a wall
• Easy for employees to use
• Relatively low cost
• No monthly fees

Disadvantages

• Payroll hours must be manually entered by payroll staff
• Requires cleaning, ink, and card replacements
• Paper time cards get lost, or ruined. Time card racks can help.
• Malfunctioning machines need repair or replacement

Recommendation

Time clock machines are being used less in small business. However there are times where using one makes sense. For example smaller teams, limited network access, and lower operating budgets. The trade-off is more time spent processing payroll hours.

2. Offline time clocks

Offline time clocks are generally a combination of time clock hardware along with some method to manage punch data. Offline meaning they are neither web-based or require monthly subscriptions.

Here are a few types...

Software only: Although harder to find these days, there are companies offering installed software solutions allowing employees to clock from a PC or Mac, sometimes with a USB finger sensor.

Time clocks with PC software: These are a combination of time clock hardware along with Windows-based time clock software (but not Mac). Hardware can include PIN, RFID badge, fingerprint, or facial recognition time clocks.

Time clocks with no software: More recently, low cost biometric time clock hardware from China has been popular. They don't include software, but allow you to use USB drives to export punch data compatible with spreadsheets on your PC.

Advantages

• Automatically calculates total hours
• Reports payroll summaries
• Exports data to outside payroll software
• Allows the storage of historical data
• Reduces errors
• Reduces administrative costs
• No monthly fees

Disadvantages

• Does not support multiple locations without special networking
• Limited to Windows, little support Mac.
• Will not work with phones or tablets
• Support is only for a limited time
• Annual support agreements are an additional cost
• Requires you to maintain and backup data

Recommendation

If you really don't want to pay a monthly fee, have only one location, and are willing to spend more time managing payroll hours, offline time clocks may be a good choice. However if you prefer the convenience of web-based software, keep reading.

3. Online time clocks

In contrast to offline, online time clock systems are not located at your place of business, they operate from the provider's servers. That's why they require monthly fees towards maintenance, support, and future upgrades.

With online, you don't pay for software, you pay for usage, most often in the form of a plan. The model offers great advantages, you just need an Internet connection.

Here are a few types...

Free online time clocks: Some companies offer free plans to entice you to sign up, but with a catch. They ultimately want you to upgrade. Generally, free plans are limited, don't provide extended storage, and often don't calculate overtime or keep you compliant.

Online time clocks as a secondary service: These are companies that added online time clock systems as an afterthought. For example if you run payroll with a large provider, chances are they will try to upgrade you to their in-house time and attendance product.

Online time clocks as a primary service: These are companies created primarily as online time clock systems, some with optional time clock hardware, some without. Some also offer a better alternative to large payroll providers by including embedded payroll.

Advantages

• Access from any web browser
• Easy to network multiple locations
• Real-time data
• Free support, free maintenance, free backups
• Generally more secure than offline
• Reduces administrative costs
• Reduces errors

Disadvantages

• Requires an internet connection
• Requires monthly fees
• Distrust of the cloud

Recommendation

If you have multiple locations, there is no better alternative to an online time clock. Further, if you have a single location, the advantages and conveniences of an online time clock will ultimately increase your efficiency and lower your costs.

Conclusion

I've presented the advantages and disadvantages to every available category of time clock for payroll.

I hope it helps you choose the best one for your business.

If considering an online time clock, please try Webtimeclock free for 15-days.

Time Card Comments for the Record

Several years ago we had the idea to add comments to each time card.

Written comments that could be easily read, saved, and printed on each time card.

At the time, the closest thing other systems offered was some kind of "note" function. But the limitation was you could only read the note by clicking to see what the note was, or hovering over a link.

So, our idea was to make the entire comment visible along with a timestamp.

Since then, customers have confirmed they are very helpful, as they are used ever single day by most of our customers.

Why put comments on time cards?

If you know anything about time cards or timesheets, there is always something.

Somebody had to come it late, somebody couldn't clock in for some reason, somebody had a question on their hours, or somebody wanted time off.

Comments are a way to make these events and questions a permanent record.

That way, if you look back at your time card history, comments will help explain what happened.

How to add comments to a time card

Comments can be added by anyone who has access to the time card including an administrator, manager, and of course the employee.

Each time card has a button on the bottom right named Comment. If you click the button, a form will appear that allows you to type what you need.

Once you do, the comment will appear on the bottom left of your time card along with your name, date, and time.

Comments cannot be edited, but they can be deleted. So you can rewrite a comment if you need to.

Comments on the dashboard

As a bonus, each comment entered by an employee will appear on your dashboard, and each will hang around for 7 days.

This gives you, as an administrator, a heads up when someone enters a comment, letting you know right away if something requires your action.

Conclusion

Our comment feature has become a valuable tool for a lot of companies.

Why not try it out for size?

Sign up for your free 15-day trial.

How to Calculate a Time Card for Payroll

Hourly employees get paid... you guessed it... by the hour. So if you want to keep everyone happy, make sure time cards are calculated correctly.

Today, I'll show you basically how it works.

Hopefully you will find the following steps easy enough to get started.

Step 1: Determine the pay period

This could be weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly. It totally depends on your regular payroll frequency.

Your pay period determines the start date and the end date of all workdays for which employees get paid.

Step 2: Determine start day of the workweek

All overtime is calculated based on a workweek, which is a consecutive, 7-day period.

It's up to the employer to determine what that start day is, for example Monday through Sunday. But like your pay period, be sure to keep it the same for each payroll.

Currently there are three states in the US that have daily overtime, but for simplicity, I'll stick to weekly overtime, which is Federal law.

Step 3: Calculate total hours per day

If your time clock gives you totals, great. But if not, here is how it can be done manually.

To find the number of hours between two punches, use decimals, not hours and minutes. That way you can use any kind of calculator.

For example, if someone clocks in at 8.25 (8:15), then clocks out at 13.50 (1:30), then it makes it simple.

13.5 - 8.25 = 5.25 (which means 5 hours and 15 minutes).

But be careful!

Regular hours and minutes can not be added like decimals, so don't forget to convert them. Not converting them is a common mistake.

Here is an example of converting 8:15 AM to a decimal...

((Hours x 60) + Minutes) ÷ 60 = Time in decimals

((8 x 60) + 15) ÷ 60 = 8.25

Step 4: Calculate total hours for each workweek

Now that you have calculated the hours for each day, add them as a total for each workweek.

For example:

WEEK 1 = 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 40
WEEK 2 = 8 + 8 + 8 + 10 + 8 = 42

Step 5: Calculate overtime for each workweek

By law, non-exempt employees (aka hourly employees) need to be paid overtime for any hours over 40 during a workweek.

So in WEEK2 above...
Regular Hours = 40
Overtime Hours = 2

Step 6: Calculate the total hours for payroll

Using our bi-weekly example above...

WEEK 1
Regular Hours = 40
Overtime Hours = 0

WEEK 2
Regular Hours = 40
Overtime Hours = 2

TOTAL PAYROLL HOURS
Regular Hours = 80
Overtime Hours = 2

Conclusion

In the steps above I've provided a simple example of calculating a time card without pay codes such as double time or PTO.

If you need that, the process is exactly the same.

However to make it even easier, use software instead. At least you know how it works.

Try Webtimeclock free for 15 days, no calculators required.