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What is a mobile timesheet app?
A mobile timesheet app is a web-based solution that makes tracking employee time and labor costs automatic and paper-free. And the best part? Mobile timesheet apps make payroll preparation faster and easier, meaning you can run payroll from anywhere.
Here’s how a mobile timesheet app works:
- When employees clock in and out from their mobile devices, the app converts their hours instantly into online timesheets for payroll.
- Mobile timesheet apps even take care of tallying up paid and unpaid breaks and overtime so you can stay compliant with local, state, and federal labor laws.
- And if you’re worried about labor leakage and time theft, timesheet apps like Homebase also let you stay on top of your labor costs by hour, department, and role.
Some timesheet apps also offer functionality for project management, which may be useful for startups and freelancers. But those tools won’t help managers keep track of labor costs or compliance. As a small business owner, you’re most likely looking for a solution like Homebase’s free timesheet app to take care of all of your time-tracking needs.
Why should I use a mobile timesheet app?
People often like pen-and-paper systems because they’re so simple, but they don’t save you time, help you stay ahead of labor costs, or stay compliant. Here’s why a mobile timesheet app is a more accurate and streamlined time tracking solution.
Compliance
Using a mobile timesheet app with customizable templates helps keep you compliant. How? A mobile timesheet app like Homebase tracks employee breaks and overtime in accordance with state and federal labor laws and alerts you if there are any mistakes or discrepancies in your time tracking.
You can also use systems like Homebase to maintain your edit history and timesheet records for the future, so you’ll always stay compliant with federal and state regulations, like New York State’s Spread of Hours law.
Remote management
Many mobile timesheet apps like Homebase utilize GPS tracking for remote teams. This is great for employees who work on different job sites because:
- They can clock in and out of shifts with a mobile time clock from anywhere, and you get clock-in screenshots that show you where they signed in.
- You don’t have to worry about traveling to another location to collect paper timesheets.
Transparency
For your team to operate efficiently, it’s important for every team member — not just managers, supervisors, and owners — to know their teammate’s schedules on a weekly and monthly basis. That way, everyone has better visibility when planning their own personal time off (PTO) requests and managing their own projects and tasks.
With a mobile scheduling and timesheet system, everyone on your team knows where to check their team members’ schedules to see who’s working every day and in the upcoming weeks. And your managers and supervisors can stay on top of the timesheet data in real time so they can alert team members about any issues before they have to lock and approve timesheets for payroll.
How to choose the best mobile timesheet app
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the features and benefits that come along with mobile timesheet apps. So what should you look out for when you’re searching for the right app for your business?
Remote clock-ins and outs
Don’t waste your money on a timesheet app that doesn’t let employees clock in and out from their mobile phone. Why? Remote clock-ins mean employees don’t have to go to a central office or wait in line at your point of service (POS) terminal to start their shift.
And when you use a timesheet app like Homebase, your employees will get notifications when they have a shift coming up or forget to sign in. You won’t have to worry about reminding them in person — the app will do it for you.
Easier scheduling
We know scheduling can be a time-consuming chore, but the sooner your employees get their schedules, the less likely you are to face conflicts, shift swaps, and timesheet discrepancies. With that in mind, timesheet apps come in very handy as they make team coordination and scheduling faster and easier.
That’s why Homebase’s free mobile timesheet apps for both iPhone and Android help managers and owners schedule their teams, write shift notes and send shift-specific messages, and notify their employees when they’ve created a new schedule or updated a previous one.
Automated payroll calculations
Automating your payroll calculations is one of the most useful things a mobile timesheet app can do for you. Because the problem with manual payroll isn’t just the time it takes — it’s also the risk of human error. That’s why it’s so important to use an employee timesheet app to make payroll faster and cut down on avoidable mistakes.
An online timesheet app like Homebase doesn’t just total the hours worked, it also subtracts unpaid breaks, tallies and records tips, and instantly calculates overtime. We even offer integrations with the top payroll providers like QuickBooks and Gusto (and Homebase payroll) so each step of the process is a breeze.
The 3 best mobile timesheet apps
Let’s take a look at the three best mobile timesheet apps and see what they can offer your team.
Homebase
Source: /timesheets/
Caption: When employees clock in with Homebase’s mobile app, our system automatically turns their hours into estimated wages for payroll prep.
Homebase is a team management app built for small business owners who employ hourly workers. Our mobile timesheet tool means employers can track employee hours, breaks, and overtime in real time, making compliance easier. Homebase can also automate your payroll prep and labor cost reporting.
Top features
- Mobile time clock
- Mobile timesheets
- Mobile scheduling
- Mobile messaging
- Options for mobile payroll with Homebase payroll
- HR and compliance
- Integrations with payroll software like QuickBooks and Gusto
Pricing
Free! You can access mobile timesheets with Homebase’s free plan.
QuickBooks Time Tracking
Source: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/time-tracking/
Caption: You can clock in or clock out from any device with QuickBooks Time Kiosk.
QuickBooks is known for its accounting tools, but it also has dedicated time tracking software. QuickBooks Time Tracking offers tools for payroll, time tracking, timesheets, and inventory management for businesses of all sizes.
Top features
- Mobile timesheets
- Mobile time clock
- Mobile scheduling
- Reports
- Integrations with payroll software like Square Payroll and Gusto
Pricing
QuickBooks Time Tracking has a Premium plan for $20/month and $8/user/month. Another option is the Elite plan, which costs $40/month and $10/user/month.
When I Work
Source: https://wheniwork.com/features/timesheets
Caption: When I Work’s mobile app helps you track overtime hours, holiday pay, and PTO.
When I Work is a time management software for companies both large and small. With its features for employee scheduling and timesheets, When I Work makes managing remote teams easier.
Top features
- Mobile scheduling
- Mobile timesheets
- Mobile time clocks
- Team messaging
- Integrations with popular payroll software like Gusto and Run powered by ADP
Pricing
When I Work has a Standard plan for $2.50/user/month and an Advanced plan for $6/user/month.
Why you should use Homebase timesheets
Homebase’s mobile timesheet app doesn’t just help you track time. It can also help you:
- Calculate hours and wages automatically
- Track and control your labor costs in real time
- Save time and avoid errors when running payroll
- Stay compliant with federal, state, and local labor laws
Calculate hours and wages automatically
When employees clock in with the Homebase app, the system automatically calculates their total hours, paid and unpaid breaks, estimated wages, and tips. We’ll also send you an alert to let you know when employees are approaching overtime.
Track and control your labor costs in real time
Time theft and labor leakage sometimes happen, even with Homebase’s secure mobile time clocks. But with our timesheet app, you’ll get real-time, detailed reports on your labor cost data, so you can address any time tracking issues before they get out of hand. You can also compare your labor and sales data side-by-side and set your targets accordingly.
Save time and avoid errors when running payroll
At the end of each pay period, you won’t need to spend time turning your employee hours into timesheets with wages — our app will do it for you. And you don’t have to worry about any discrepancies in your timesheets either. The Homebase app will notify you when employees forget to clock out for a break or at the end of their shift.
And once you have your timesheets, you can export them to your payroll software or sync them automatically with Homebase payroll.
Stay compliant with federal, state, and local labor laws
Don’t worry about monitoring employee hours and breaks with Homebase. Once you sign up, you can set your break and overtime rules to comply with your local, state, and federal labor laws. We’ll also securely store your employee timecards and timesheet edit history in our app so you can satisfy the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) record-keeping guidelines.
Get the most out of your timesheets with Homebase
If you’re a small business owner with a growing team, you need a timesheet system that does more than track time. If you want to keep your company compliant with labor laws and make employee schedule management as simple as possible, you need a solution that can handle both of these tasks.
But if you also need a timesheet system that makes payroll as pain-free as possible — which you probably do — that’s where Homebase can help. With our free timesheet app, Homebase helps small business owners save time and hassle by automating payroll prep.
And, as an easy-to-use team management software designed specifically for small businesses and hourly teams, Homebase also simplifies the entire team management experience with tools for payroll, employee scheduling, team communication, and HR and compliance.