Time Tracking
18 Time Tracking Benchmarks Every Workforce Team Should Know in 2025
Across 18 sourced benchmarks compiled from APA, SHRM, DOL and industry research, the numbers that matter most in 2025 are these: manual timesheets carry a 1 to 8% error rate (APA, 2023), 75% of companies lose money to buddy punching at an estimated 2.2% of gross payroll (APA, 2022), and payroll error corrections average $291 per incident (Ernst & Young/APA, 2022). These figures define the gap between "good enough" and payroll-ready time capture. EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software compiled this catalog as a quantitative reference for operations managers and payroll administrators evaluating or improving time capture across multi-app environments.
Headline Numbers
Manual timesheet error rates run 1 to 8% of total hours logged
Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees skew toward the higher end of that range, while larger organizations with more controls tend toward 1 to 3% (APA, 2023).
75% of companies lose money to buddy punching
The American Payroll Association estimates the payroll leakage at 2.2% of gross payroll for organizations without biometric or GPS verification (APA, 2022).