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Time tracking is an essential part of running any business with hourly employees. Accurately tracking hours worked ensures employees are paid correctly and also provides valuable insight into labor costs and productivity. Payclock Online is a popular time tracking solution designed specifically for small businesses. In this comprehensive review, we'll take an in-depth look at Payclock Online's features, pricing, pros and cons, and how it compares to alternative solutions.

Overview of Payclock Online

Payclock Online is a cloud-based time tracking and scheduling solution launched in 2011 by Data Management Inc., the makers of Payclock desktop software. It allows businesses to track employee time from any web-enabled device. The interface is designed to be intuitive and easy-to-use for employees, while providing robust time tracking features and insightful reporting for managers.

Some key features of Payclock Online include:

- Web-based access from any device
- Punch in/out capabilities
- GPS-verified mobile clock in/out
- Schedule management
- Overtime tracking
- Customizable reports
- Data integrations with popular payroll systems


Payclock Online is tailored for small businesses with hourly employees, such as retailers, restaurants, field service companies, healthcare facilities and more. It aims to provide an affordable, low-maintenance solution for basic time tracking needs.

Getting Started With Payclock Online

Signing up for Payclock Online is quick and straightforward. You can start a free 7-day trial without even needing a credit card. The setup wizard walks you through the initial configuration, including setting up your locations, departments, employees, and pay rules.

The system is based on "shifts" which are assigned to employees. You can create and configure a variety of shift templates to represent your standard schedules, for example "Morning Shift", "Monday closing shift", etc. Employees can then be assigned to specific shifts on a weekly or one-off basis.

For employees, clocking in and out is simple. The desktop webpage and mobile app provide prominent punch in/out buttons. Employees can also add notes or select appointments for time segments to provide more context on activities. Managers have access to view all employee timesheets and can edit or add punches when needed.

At the end of each pay period, you can easily export timecard data to payroll systems like QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex and more. This helps streamline taking payroll.

Key Features and Benefits

Let's take a deeper look at some of the notable features in Payclock Online and how they can benefit your business:

Web Access and Mobile Apps

- Access Payclock Online from any web browser or dedicated iOS and Android apps
- Native apps allow GPS-verified clock in/out from any location
- Seamless experience across devices


This provides flexibility for both managers and employees to punch in and out or view data from anywhere. The GPS verification ensures employees are clocking in and out from approved locations for added compliance.

Scheduling and Shift Management

- Create reusable shift templates for standard schedules
- Assign employees to shifts on a recurring or one-off basis
- Set capacity limits for shifts
- Get alerts for open shift slots


Robust shift management streamlines scheduling and ensures you have proper coverage. Setting shift capacities helps prevent understaffing or overstaffing. Open shift alerts let you fill gaps quickly.

Overtime and Work Rule Management

- Configure overtime rates and thresholds
- Set rules for rounding, grace periods, minimum shift duration and more
- Prevent unapproved OT with alerts and caps


Flexible rule settings give you granular control over how time is calculated and validated. This allows you to dial in time tracking to fit your preferred policies and labor regulations.

Reporting and Analytics

- Custom reports on hours, labor costs, attendance and more
- View reports by date range, department, employee or location
- Export reports to Excel or PDF


With insightful reporting, you can closely monitor labor costs, identify trends or problem areas, and make data-driven scheduling and staffing decisions. Custom reports allow slicing data any way you need.

Integrations

- Seamless two-way sync with popular payroll systems
- API access for custom integrations
- Import/export data in CSV format


Integrations with payroll systems like QuickBooks, ADP and Paychex simplify payroll preparation. CSV import/export and API access enable connecting other business systems to Payclock Online.

Pros and Cons

Payclock Online has several advantages that make it an appealing time tracking solution:

Pros

- Very easy to use system with little training needed
- Affordable pricing starting at $35/month
- Cloud-based with mobile access provides flexibility
- Robust shift management and scheduling features
- Custom reports and payroll integrations
- 7-day free trial to test it out


Potential downsides to consider:

Cons

- Limited ability to customize workflows or fields
- Light on advanced features like budgeting or automations
- Can't track non-hourly employees or contractors
- No photo capture or facial recognition for clocking in
- Supports fewer advanced integrations than larger platforms


Who is Payclock Online Best Suited For?

Payclock Online is optimized for basic time tracking needs of small businesses with hourly employees. It's affordably priced and easy to use with little training required. The shift management provides helpful scheduling capabilities.

Specific types of businesses that can benefit most from Payclock Online:

- Small retail stores and restaurants
- Field service companies
- Healthcare clinics and facilities
- Construction/contracting crews
- Light manufacturing and warehouses


For very small teams, the free version of Payclock may suffice. The paid plans scale up to support 250 employees, so medium-sized businesses are also well served.

For large enterprises or companies needing advanced features like budgeting, automation, or facial recognition, a more robust platform may be required. But for most small businesses, Payclock Online provides the essential time tracking capabilities at a reasonable price.

How Payclock Compares to Alternatives

Some other popular time tracking solutions include:

- TSheets
- TimeClock Plus
- Homebase
- ClockShark
- Deputy


These platforms often offer more features and customization for medium to large businesses. Key differences include:

- More options for time approval workflows
- Budgeting and labor cost planning
- Advanced reporting with custom fields/hierarchies
- Facial recognition clock-in capabilities
- Benefits management and ACA compliance
- Employee scheduling with demand forecasting


The downside is the additional features come at a cost - these platforms can run $60+ per month for the plans small businesses would need. Payclock Online offers a lighter-weight option at a more affordable price point.

Final Recommendation

For small businesses that need accurate, affordable time tracking with scheduling capabilities, Payclock Online is a great choice. It's easy to use out of the box, while still providing robust management and reporting features.

The cloud-based access and mobile apps bring helpful flexibility. Integration with payroll systems streamlines processing payroll. Solid shift management provides needed scheduling capabilities.

While it lacks some of the advanced features of pricier competitor platforms, for many small business use cases Payclock Online will fit the bill nicely. The free trial makes it low risk to test it out. For only $35/month, Payclock Online delivers a compelling balance of simplicity, affordability and essential time tracking features.

Getting Started With Payclock Online

Signing up for a Payclock Online account is quick and easy. You can start with a 7-day free trial to test it out, without even needing a credit card.

The setup wizard guides you through the initial configuration:

- Add your business locations and departments
- Input your employees and contact information
- Set up pay rates and overtime rules
- Build shift templates for standard schedules


Once setup is complete, you're ready to start tracking time. Employees can punch in and out through the desktop web portal, iOS app, or Android app. The apps make it especially convenient to clock in from any location.

Managers have an intuitive dashboard to oversee timesheets and run reports. At the end of the pay period, you can export hours info to payroll systems like QuickBooks, ADP, Gusto and more.

Key Features Walkthrough

Let's explore some of the key features and functionalities in more depth:

Web and Mobile Access

The web dashboard provides the full suite of tools for admins and managers. Employees can view schedules, request time off, and clock in/out.

The mobile apps enable clocking in and out from anywhere. Using geofencing, you can set a radius around your work locations - employees only need to be within the boundary to punch in. Or you can require GPS verified clock-ins for more rigid adherence.

Shift Management

Creating shift templates for your standard schedules is a breeze. Just setup the days, times, and locations. You can name the shifts and set maximum capacities if needed.

Employees can then be assigned to shifts on a recurring or one-off basis. The system will show shift coverage gaps and open slots to be filled.

Notifications and Alerts

Stay on top of your labor costs and compliance with smart notifications. Get alerts for unapproved overtime, missed clock-ins, and upcoming open shifts.

Keep employees informed with automated shift reminders and approvals. Alerts can be sent via email, text message, or mobile push notifications.

Reporting and Analytics

Payclock Online offers 35+ standard reports that can be customized with filtering and formatting. View reports on hours, labor costs, overtime, attendance, schedules, and more. Export or print reports as needed.

The system stores historical data, so you can analyze trends over any time period. Charts and graphs visualize the data for easier consumption.

Integrations

Seamlessly send time and attendance data to leading payroll platforms like QuickBooks, ADP, Gusto, OnPay, and Wagepoint through native integrations.

For other systems, timecard data can be exported in CSV format for simple importing. The developer API enables building custom integrations and syncing with other business systems.

Customer Support

Free customer support is provided by phone, email, and online chat. Standard support hours are Monday thru Friday from 7am - 7pm PST.

Self-help support resources are also available online including setup guides, user manuals, FAQs, and training videos.

Pricing

Here are the current Payclock Online subscription plans:

- Basic - $35/mo for up to 10 employees
- Plus - $50/mo for up to 25 employees
- Premium - $100/mo for up to 100 employees
- Enterprise - Custom pricing for 100+ employees


Volume discounts are available if you pay annually. There are no long-term contracts and you can cancel anytime.

One final tip - make sure to try the free 7-day trial to experience Payclock Online firsthand. It's a quick and risk-free way to evaluate the system with your actual data.