Glossary

Auto-close is a time-tracking feature that automatically closes shifts that have been open longer than a configurable cutoff (e.g., 12 hours), preventing forgotten clock-outs from producing implausibly long recorded shifts.

A biweekly pay period is a 14-day stretch (two work weeks) used as the unit for payroll processing. Workers paid biweekly receive 26 paychecks per year. Most US private-sector employers use this schedule.

Clock in is the act of recording the start of a work shift in a time-tracking system. A clock-in produces a timestamped event that becomes one boundary of the shift's recorded hours.

Clock out is the act of recording the end of a work shift. A clock-out closes the open shift created by the matching clock-in and determines the recorded duration of that shift.

A CSV export is a downloadable comma-separated-values file containing data from an application. In time tracking, the CSV usually has one row per shift with worker name, start time, end time, duration, and any tags.

Decimal hours are hours represented as a decimal number rather than HH:MM. A 7-hour-30-minute shift is 7.5 decimal hours. Most digital time trackers and payroll systems use decimal hours because they're easier to multiply by an hourly rate.

Flat pricing is a pricing model in which the customer pays a single fixed price for the product regardless of how much they use it, opposed to per-seat or usage-based pricing, where the bill scales with headcount or volume.

Geo-fencing in a time-tracking context means restricting clock-in actions to a defined geographic area, usually verified via the worker's phone GPS. The system rejects punches that originate outside the allowed zone.

Gross hours are the total clocked time on a shift, before unpaid breaks are subtracted. A worker who clocked in at 9am and out at 5pm has 8 gross hours regardless of whether they took a lunch break.

Kiosk mode is a time-tracking configuration in which a single device (usually a tablet) shows a list of worker names; any worker can tap their own name to clock in or out. It lets multiple people share one device without each needing an account or login.

Net hours are the paid portion of a worker's shift, gross hours minus unpaid breaks. A worker who clocked 8 gross hours with a 30-minute unpaid lunch has 7.5 net hours.

Payroll hours are the worker hours that get paid in a given pay period. This usually equals total clocked time minus unpaid breaks, then split into regular and overtime portions based on the applicable labor rules.

Per-seat pricing is a SaaS pricing model in which the customer is charged for each user ("seat") they add. A 10-user team at $5/seat pays $50; a 50-user team pays $250 for the same product.

Personal-link clock-in is a time-tracking method where each worker is given a unique URL to bookmark on their own phone. Opening the URL lets them tap to clock in or out without an account or app.

Punch in / punch out are the actions of recording the start and end of a work shift via a time clock. The terminology comes from old mechanical time clocks that physically punched the time onto a paper time card.

QR clock-in is a time-tracking method in which workers scan a posted QR code with their phone camera to land on a personal clock-in page. After the first scan, the page is remembered on the phone for one-tap future visits.

A roster is the list of workers, paid staff, volunteers, contractors, that an organization tracks. In time-tracking systems, the roster is the master record of who can clock in.

A shift is a defined period of work, usually with a scheduled start and end time. Restaurants run shifts (breakfast, lunch, dinner). Retail and event staff work shifts. Tracking systems usually treat each clock-in / clock-out cycle as one shift.

A tag is a label applied to people on a roster, by role, location, or program, so their shifts can be filtered and totaled together. A person can carry several tags, and a kiosk can be scoped to one so its screen shows a shorter list.

A time card is a record of a worker's hours for a single pay period, historically a paper card punched by a mechanical clock, now usually a printed report or a digital file. It's the document handed to payroll for wage calculation.

A time clock is a tool, historically a mechanical machine, now usually software, that records when a worker starts and ends a shift. Modern time clocks may be a shared tablet ("kiosk mode"), a personal phone link, or a QR code scanned on arrival.

Time theft is the practice of a worker being paid for hours they didn't actually work, by rounding generously, taking unrecorded breaks, having a coworker punch in for them ("buddy punching"), or simply not clocking out promptly.

Time tracking is the practice of recording how much time workers spend on work, by shift, by project, or by task. It produces data used for payroll, billing, project estimation, grant reporting, and operational analysis.

A timesheet is a structured record of a worker's hours over a defined period (usually a week or two weeks), used to feed payroll. The terms timesheet and time card are often used interchangeably.

A volunteer coordinator is the person at a nonprofit, school, or community organization responsible for recruiting, scheduling, training, and tracking volunteers. The role is often combined with other duties at smaller organizations.

A volunteer hours certificate is a document that formally acknowledges the number of hours an individual has contributed to a nonprofit or community organization. Common uses include scholarship applications, school community-service requirements, and annual volunteer recognition.