The Best Time and Attendance Services of 2024

Time and attendance software is used by employers and employees to keep track of hours worked. The platforms are built around a physical or digital time clock element that allows workers to clock in and out. The system records the hours, which are then used to calculate payroll and how much each employee should be paid for their time. Some time and attendance solutions have built-in payroll processing, while others integrate with third-party payroll services for a seamless process.

The best time and attendance software programs go beyond day-to-day time tracking. These products are also capable of managing paid time off and sick leave, creating shift-based schedules, monitoring project progress, and calculating labor costs. The most modern systems enable biometric clock-ins and have GPS features that ensure the right people are working at the right place.

Any business with one or more employees, in virtually any industry, can benefit from using time and attendance software. Whether your team works in the office, remotely or in a hybrid arrangement, these timekeeping solutions will ensure tracking employee attendance and approving time sheets is a pain-free process for employers and employees alike.

Time clock platforms work slightly differently depending on whether you’re using a physical time clock or a digital one. A physical time clock is a hardware device that lets employees clock in and out using an ID code, badge, their fingerprint or a biometric scan. In contrast, a digital time clock is accessible through a web browser or mobile app. With those, clocking in and out is as simple as clicking a button.

In either case, the data collected by the time clock is stored in the corresponding time and attendance software. The platform records each employee’s clock-ins, clock-outs and, if applicable, breaks and time off, and generates electronic time sheets for managers to approve. Once approved, employers can use the time sheets to process payroll.

As an employer, a time clock platform will help you simplify timekeeping, pay employees accurately and ensure legal compliance. For your employees, the software will allow them to easily log their hours worked, request time off and have the confidence that they are being paid correctly.

Time and attendance services like Buddy Punch make it easy to approve and track employee time off. (Source: Buddy Punch)

Time and attendance software is a valuable solution for ensuring payroll compliance and accuracy, reducing errors and legal disputes, and increasing HR efficiency. Learn about these benefits below.

Simplifies Clocking In and Out

Time and attendance software makes clocking in and out simple. Employees can typically do so using a computer or a physical time clock. Most vendors also offer a mobile app, which gives remote and field workers an easy way to record their time via their phones.

Ensures Compliance

A time and attendance system provides employees with a means to consistently record their time worked. These systems track paid breaks and unpaid lunch hours, reduce timekeeping errors, and monitor where and when an employee is on the clock. They can help businesses stay compliant with employee overtime laws by automatically tracking overtime hours, and they also help you comply with labor laws and regulations affecting time off, such as the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Improves Payroll Accuracy

Automated timekeeping systems like UKG help businesses pay employees accurately, removing guesswork about when someone started or ended their shift and minimizing errors. That reduces time theft, which affects three-quarters of businesses, according to research from the American Payroll Association.

Saves Time

Another benefit of a digital time and attendance system is that it reduces the time employees, managers, HR and payroll team members spend manually tracking time. It can take about six minutes to complete each worker’s timecard, according to research from Sierra Workforce Solutions. For larger organizations, those minutes add up to time that could be better spent elsewhere. Time and attendance software eliminates this recordkeeping burden from managers and staff, freeing them to work on more important tasks.

Reduces Disputes

Time and attendance software reduces the likelihood of errors that may occur as a result of handwritten or manually keyed-in time sheets. An automated time-tracking program prevents timecard disputes and reassures employees that they’re being paid accurately. Should a staffer question their pay, you’ll have accurate time and attendance records to show the hours for which they’re being paid.

Collects Valuable Data

As you and your employees use your chosen time and attendance software, you’ll build up a repository of helpful data. While the exact reports available vary by platform, many monitor total hours worked each week, the number of vacation or sick days taken across your staff, job costs and more. These solutions usually allow the data to be exported as a report or CSV file if you want to share it with your fellow business leaders or upload it to other business software.

The type of time clock you choose, such as this one from TimeClock Plus, will affect your costs. (Source: TimeClock Plus)

Time and attendance systems can be purchased as either an on-premises or cloud-based solution; however, small and midsize businesses often find cloud-based options best for time tracking due to their easy accessibility. Most cloud-based providers charge per user — that is, you must pay for each person, employee, manager or administrator who uses the software. The average cost typically ranges between $2 and $20 per person per month. On top of this per-user cost, some vendors like Buddy Punch also charge a monthly base fee between $15 and $45.

Some of these time and attendance system providers offer volume discounts, which means the per-employee costs go down with the more employees you have. Others offer discounts for annual subscription plans. Meanwhile, if you choose to purchase an on-premises time and attendance system that you host on-site, you may pay an upfront fee of $99 or more, but you won’t have monthly fees. Instead, you’ll pay a license fee for each computer and a setup fee to install and configure your timekeeping system. Setup fees range from $100 to $1,000 or more, depending on the vendor.

Beyond your setup type and number of users, factors that may affect your overall pricing for a timekeeping system include the number of locations where you collect time, the range of features in your package, whether you want customizable reports and interfaces, and whether you need any hardware, such as a computer, tablet or other device to serve as your time clock. You will also likely pay more for single sign-on abilities and if you want add-on services like native payroll processing. Some providers may even charge annual support fees.

Speaking of hardware, a critical cost factor to keep in mind is the type of equipment you need to track employee attendance. For example, you can use the time and attendance software with a web browser or you may want to pair the service with a physical time clock. Physical time clock devices range in price from several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on whether they have features such as facial recognition, thermal sensors and fingerprint scanners.

When choosing a time clock platform, you’ll first want to consider your business’s specific needs. Do you employ field service workers and want GPS tools to monitor their whereabouts? Are you concerned about keeping in-office employees healthy and want to implement a time clock capable of temperate scans? Do you have the budget to pay more for these advanced features? These are vital questions to ask yourself as you begin the buying process.

Once you know the type of time clock software and, if applicable, hardware you’re looking for, you can use guides like this one to see which products on the market best meet your needs. As you narrow down the options, you’ll want to keep factors like integration options and customer support availability in mind. Business.com spoke with business owners who advised prioritizing these and other criteria like the ones below.

Usability

Multiple business owners cited usability as one of the most important factors they considered when selecting time and attendance software.

“When a tool is difficult to navigate, it’s like trying to force something that doesn’t quite fit. You end up with a headache trying to make it work,” said Maxime Bouillon, co-founder and CEO of Archie. “With TimeClock Plus, though, we found the whole process went smoothly.”

Nirav Chheda, co-founder and CEO of Bambi NEMT, similarly said he had a “smooth” experience implementing TimeClock Plus, noting that “the software has exceeded our expectations in terms of functionality and user-friendliness.” But, he added, “If I had to do it again, I would probably allocate more resources for employee training to ensure maximum adoption and utilization of the software’s advanced features.”

For that reason, Johnny Austin, owner of Sell My House Now, said he paid “much attention to the interface” when he selected BambooHR, as he wanted to make sure the program would be easy to use for team members “with different levels of tech-savviness.”

Mobile Functionality

In this era of remote work and hybrid arrangements, employers are increasingly relying on mobile timekeeping systems to monitor their employees.

For Chase McKee, founder of Rocket Alumni Solutions, he wanted to “gain insight” into his “remote team’s schedules.” As such, “mobile functionality was critical for our distributed workforce.” He found what he was looking for with When I Work, sharing that the “mobile app lets employees clock in/out, check schedules and request time off anywhere… I can’t overstate how much mobile access and an intuitive interface benefit productivity.”

“We have employees in multiple locations, so a mobile app was essential,” said fellow When I Work user Joe Amaral, CEO of Anthem Software. Dane Nk, founder of ThatVideoGame Blog, also pointed to the “asynchronous” schedules his team works as a reason “remote work flexibility was an important consideration in our decision-making process.”

Payroll Integration

Of all other business software, time and attendance solutions work most closely with payroll services. Ensuring your new timekeeping application is compatible with your existing payroll system is essential.

“When deciding on BambooHR, the first criterion was how well it would connect with the programs we use now. As for a time-tracking tool, we searched for one that allows integration with the company’s payroll system,” said Austin.

Nk said he’s “satisfied” with his choice of When I Work, “but one adjustment I’d make is to test integrations with payroll earlier in the process.” Amaral also confessed, “I wish I had considered advanced reporting and payroll integration originally. We ended up upgrading to access those features.”

Meanwhile, Bouillon, who prioritized “seamless integration” along with ease of use, was pleased to be able to integrate TimeClock Plus with his existing payroll system, “which not only increased accuracy but also reduced the number of manual errors significantly.”

Reporting

Daniel Vasquez, owner of Dynamic Auto Movers, had a specific concern when searching for a time-tracking solution: custom reporting.

“Clocking in and out was not enough; we were after actionable information that could enhance our productivity,” he told us. “With custom reporting from Buddy Punch, we can retrieve certain data, like overtime and work performance per site. This has helped us identify breakdowns that we would not have been able to see otherwise.”

Will Mitchell, founder of Startup Bros, had similar goals. He sought a platform with “strong reporting,” and discovered that Hubstaff delivers “invaluable insight into how my team spends their time each day and where we can improve efficiency.”

At Get Levrg, CEO Jamie Shanks likes that Hubstaff allows him and his team to segment time by customer, project and task. “This helps us conduct cohort analysis on customer profitability and/or tasks that are hindering gross margins,” he said.

Scalability

McKee also considered scalability when he chose to implement When I Work. He advised fellow business owners, “Choose software that will scale with your business and support its evolution. Don’t make price the only factor, but consider total cost of ownership and how the platform fuels growth.”

“I do wish we had evaluated other options to confirm UKG Pro was scalable for our long-term growth,” said Christian Strange, owner of Strange Insurance Agency. “For any business, identify your must-haves, but consider how needs may change. An advanced system may cost more, but provide infrastructure to avoid replacement costs.”

Austin put it simply: “Choose a solution that will work not only for the present but also for the future.”

During our test of When I Work, seen here, we tried features like building timesheets and creating employee schedules. (Source: When I Work/business.com)

Time and attendance software is designed to help businesses keep track of when employees work. Most also monitor time off, and some include employee scheduling and shift scheduling tools to make workforce planning easier.

When comparing timekeeping solutions, we suggest paying close attention to these features.

• Clock-in and clock-out methods: Time and attendance systems should offer employees multiple ways to clock in and out. Some require a physical time clock, while others allow employees to input time via a web browser, mobile app, phone, text message or even social media platform. Many timekeeping apps are compatible with swipe cards, PINs, barcodes and biometrics technology, such as fingerprint scanners, photo clock-ins and facial scans. Other platforms use a virtual time clock app.
• Manager dashboard: Time-tracking applications typically provide a dashboard that shows whether your employees are in the office, on PTO, on break or clocked out for the day.
• Time-off requests: The best time and attendance systems track employees’ days off, time-off requests and time-off approvals. Some programs streamline the process with online PTO accruals and request forms that managers can view and approve. [Read related article: What is a Reasonable PTO Policy?]
• Scheduling: Most time and attendance software providers include employee scheduling tools in their packages or make them available for an extra charge. These features allow you to create schedules and shift assignments, monitor whether employees clock in late or leave early, and see who is working overtime.
• Mobile access: Cloud-based systems like QuickBooks Time offer either a mobile app or a mobile-friendly website that you can set up on a computer or tablet. This method gives employees who work outside the office an easy way to clock in and out, and it lets you oversee other aspects of their time, such as meal breaks and drive time.
• GPS tracking: Most mobile timekeeping apps use geolocation features, such as geofencing, to record the exact locations of employees’ time punches or to restrict the areas from which they can clock in and out. GPS tracking can be especially valuable for monitoring mobile workforces.
• Job trackers: Some time-tracking systems let employees log how long they work on specific client projects or job tasks. This is valuable to businesses that charge clients based on the time spent on a project or task, such as consulting businesses or law firms.
• Notifications and alerts: Some time clock apps send email or text alerts to managers when an employee arrives late, leaves early or is nearing overtime. In the last instance, supervisors can determine whether the team member should continue working or be sent home.
• Reports: Most time and attendance software provides businesses with detailed reports about the hours employees are working, which helps managers determine staffing levels and scheduling needs. HR reports that can be printed or exported from time-tracking systems include performance management reports, financial reports, activity reports, attendance reports, time-off summaries and leave reports.
• Payroll processing: Virtually all time and attendance software solutions have built-in payroll processing abilities or enable integrations so you can easily sync attendance data with one of the best online payroll services or export the data in a payroll-friendly format, which saves time and reduces errors.
• Customer support: The level of customer support varies across time and attendance vendors. Most provide email, phone or chat support, but not all offer assistance 24/7. For an extra cost, some providers set up your system for you and help you troubleshoot; others require a support contract if you want dedicated help.

While we highly recommend the time and attendance solutions highlighted above, the following alternatives also boast valuable feature sets that, based on our investigation, meet a variety of timekeeping needs.

Rippling

Rippling provides a workforce management system that’s highly customizable. We love the vendor’s a la carte model, which allows you to build upon the base system with only the modules you want. The unified time and payroll offering includes many of the standard features you’d expect, such as multiple clock-in methods and time-off management. But we especially like the job tracking and costing tools, which let you monitor hours worked based on task and location and group labor costs for better informed workforce planning. Learn more in our detailed Rippling HR software review.

QuickBooks Time

QuickBooks Time is ideal for mobile workforces because of its suite of features that cater to businesses with employees at multiple locations. Robust mobile apps make it easy for staffers to clock in and out while geofencing and GPS tracking tools ensure they are only doing so at the proper job site. The system also lets managers know who is working where and even what tasks they’re working on. Plus, we love how seamlessly the service integrates with QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Online. Find out more in our comprehensive review of QuickBooks Time.

Justworks

Justworks provides PEO services through an incredibly user-friendly platform. Once you partner with this professional employer organization, you can integrate its time and attendance system, Justworks Hours. The tools allow you to customize overtime rules, track hours for both employees and contractors, and send payment notifications to workers. We also like that the software has an offline mode, allowing you to use the program without an internet connection. Our review of the Justworks PEO has more information.

Paychex

Paychex stands out for the employee self-service features it offers to remote employees. Workers can access a range of clock-in methods no matter where they’re working from, submit PTO requests from their phone and communicate with managers and co-workers through the app. There are two plans available, which you can add onto a remote-friendly Paychex Flex HR software package or purchase as a standalone offering. See a breakdown of pricing and plans in our full Paychex Flex review.

Time Doctor

Time Doctor sets itself apart by going beyond simple attendance tracking to also monitor employee activity and influence productivity. The system records what staffers are working on, sends distraction notifications if their computer has seemingly gone idle and gathers data so supervisors can see how their team members are wasting time or where they are most productive. We also like the work-life balance dashboard, which analyzes employee behavior to identify who is at risk of burnout. Check out an overview of all the features in our Time Doctor review.

OnTheClock

OnTheClock is a great choice for new businesses, particularly since the service is free if you only have two employees. As your startup grows, you will have to pay a subscription fee, but the per-employee price decreases as you add more people to your team. Even with OnTheClock’s low cost, you can access some advanced tools, like biometric fingerprint time-clocking, that other vendors tend to restrict to more expensive packages. We also appreciate the lengthy 30-day free trial. Learn more about OnTheClock.

PurelyHR

Similar to Ripping, PurelyHR prioritizes customization, allowing businesses to choose the modules they want their platform to contain. While the main Staff module, an employee portal, is required, you can add on components for time clocks, timesheets and time-off management as you wish. Within each of these functions are additional options for customization, whether you are setting time sheet periods, overtime rules, vacation policies or report metrics. You can also customize how staff members accrue time off. Just beware PurelyHR is the rare vendor in this sector without a mobile app.

To determine the best time and attendance software on the market, our team of HR experts and software analysts evaluated an initial list of 20 platforms. After narrowing the group to 13, we chose six time and attendance services as our top recommendations.

As we whittled our list down, our decision-making process involved meeting with vendor representatives for product demos and asking them questions about their software. We then took the time to test each solution ourselves, assessing how easy or difficult it was to get started using the service and whether each feature performed as promised. We also researched customer testimonials to learn how real-life users felt about the platforms and to see whether their experiences were in line with ours.

In the end, our experts and analysts studied each solution’s functionality and judged the programs on more than 30 factors. These factors were broken down into categories and weighted differently in our overall conclusion. The weights were determined based on how much business owners prioritize these criteria when shopping for business software and services and making purchasing decisions.

• Pricing (30%): Our experts and analysts compared and contrasted each vendor’s plans, judging which packages offered the best bang for your buck. We took into account monthly subscription fees, whether time and attendance features were automatically included or considered an HR software add-on service, time clock hardware costs and whether vendors charged by location or user.
• Features (25%): We looked for standard time and attendance functions like timekeeping, time-off management, scheduling tools and labor reports. We also assessed the available integrations and awarded extra points for advanced services, like GPS tracking, geofencing, biometric time clocks and AI-powered tools.
• Ease of Use (25%): We tested the hardware and software ourselves, gauging each solution’s learning curve, user-friendliness and customization options. We also considered whether there was a fully featured mobile app for clock-ins and other tasks at non-office job sites.
• Customer Service (15%): We investigated the range of customer service options, including whether phone assistance was provided with all package tiers. We also examined each vendor’s online resources for businesses interested in self-guided help.

Based on these criteria, we not only determined which time and attendance software our readers could trust but also the ways in which each solution could best serve different business needs. Some services were better at certain tasks than others or more suited to a particular type of company. These takeaways informed the “Best for” use cases you see on this page.

To learn more about our methodology, see our full editorial process.