Hardware Clock Types

Covers the physical device vocabulary — punch clocks, card readers, biometric terminals and smart time clocks — that dominates legacy and mid-market environments.

Punch Clock

A punch clock is a mechanical or electromechanical device that stamps the current time onto a physical time card when an employee inserts the card, creating a paper record of clock-in and clock-out times for each shift.

Also known as: Bundy Clock

Also called a Bundy clock after inventor Willard Bundy, who patented the first time-recording device in 1888.

Related: Time Card, Bundy Clock, Time Clock

Bundy Clock

A Bundy clock is an early mechanical time clock that records employee arrival and departure times by stamping a paper time card, named after Willard Bundy, whose 1888 patent established the foundational design for workplace timekeeping hardware.

The term 'Bundy clock' remains in common use in Australia and New Zealand as a generic synonym for any punch clock.

Related: Punch Clock, Time Card, Time Clock

Biometric Time Clock

A biometric time clock is a hardware terminal that verifies employee identity using a physical characteristic, most commonly a fingerprint or facial scan, before recording a clock-in or clock-out event, eliminating the possibility of buddy punching.

Fingerprint and facial recognition are the two dominant biometric modalities; iris scanning exists but is rare in workplace deployments. EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software offers biometric terminals that sync verified punch data directly into a payroll-ready export.

Smart Time Clock

A smart time clock is a networked hardware terminal, typically a touchscreen tablet or dedicated device, that combines biometric or PIN-based identity verification with real-time data sync to a cloud-based time and attendance platform.

Smart time clocks differ from legacy punch clocks in that they transmit data in real time rather than requiring manual card collection at pay period end. EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software supports smart time clock integration that pushes verified punch events to the cloud and flags exceptions before the shift ends.

Time Card Reader

A time card reader is a hardware device that reads employee identification from a physical card, such as a magnetic stripe, RFID chip or barcode, and logs the clock event to an attendance system, replacing manual time card stamping with electronic data capture.

RFID-based card readers are the most common modern variant; magnetic stripe readers are being phased out due to card wear and cloning risk.

Digital and Mobile Clock Methods

Defines the software-based and location-aware clocking modalities — web clock, mobile clock, geofence clock and kiosk app — that replace or supplement hardware in distributed workforces.

Web Clock

A web clock is a browser-based clocking interface that allows employees to record clock-in and clock-out events from any internet-connected device, typically used for remote or office-based workers who do not have access to a dedicated hardware terminal.

Web clocks can be restricted by IP address to enforce location-based clocking for office environments. EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software captures IP address and browser metadata at each punch event to support audit trail requirements.

Mobile Time Clock

A mobile time clock is a smartphone or tablet application that allows employees to clock in and out from a mobile device, often incorporating GPS location capture, geofencing or photo verification to confirm the employee's identity and work location at the time of the punch.

Also known as: Mobile Clock App

Mobile time clocks are the primary clocking method for field service, construction and home care workforces. EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software records GPS coordinates at every punch and flags out-of-zone events for manager review.

Geofence Time Clock

A geofence time clock is a location-aware clocking system that uses GPS or cellular positioning to define a virtual boundary around a work site, restricting or triggering clock-in and clock-out events based on whether the employee's device is within that boundary.

Also known as: Geofencing Clock

Geofence radius is typically configurable; tighter radii reduce buddy-punching risk but may cause false rejections in dense urban environments. EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software allows administrators to define site boundaries and receive real-time alerts for out-of-zone punches.

Kiosk App (Time Clock Kiosk)

A time clock kiosk is a shared tablet or touchscreen device, mounted at a fixed location such as a break room or job site entrance, that runs a clocking application allowing multiple employees to clock in and out sequentially using PIN, badge scan or facial recognition.

Also known as: Time Clock Kiosk

Kiosk apps convert a standard iPad or Android tablet into a multi-employee time clock terminal, typically at a fraction of the cost of dedicated hardware.

GPS Time Tracking

GPS time tracking is a timekeeping method that records an employee's geographic coordinates at each clock event, enabling employers to verify that field workers clocked in from the correct job site and to document location data alongside hours worked for billing or compliance purposes.

GPS coordinates are typically accurate to within a few meters under open sky; accuracy degrades indoors or in dense urban canyons.

Punch Mechanics and Time Data

Covers the action-level and data-level vocabulary — what happens when an employee clocks in, what records are created and how errors are classified.

Clock-In / Clock-Out

Clock-in and clock-out refer to the discrete actions an employee takes to record the start and end of a work period in a time and attendance system, producing a paired timestamp event that defines one complete attendance record for that shift.

Also known as: Clocking In, Clocking Out

A missing clock-out is the most common source of payroll exceptions; it requires manual correction and is a leading driver of administrative burden in timekeeping.

Punch Event

A punch event is a single timestamped record created when an employee interacts with a time clock, whether by inserting a card, scanning a fingerprint or tapping a mobile app, capturing the employee ID, date and exact time of the interaction.

Also known as: Clock Event

Modern systems store punch events with high precision; payroll systems typically round to the nearest quarter-hour or minute depending on employer policy.

Time Card

A time card is the record, physical or digital, that accumulates all clock-in and clock-out events for a single employee across a pay period, serving as the primary input document for payroll calculation and the evidentiary record for wage-and-hour compliance.

Also known as: Timecard, Timesheet

Physical time cards must be retained for a minimum of two years under the Fair Labor Standards Act; digital equivalents carry the same retention obligation. EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software generates digital time cards automatically from punch events and flags exceptions before the pay period closes.

Missed Punch

A missed punch is a timekeeping error that occurs when an employee fails to record either a clock-in or clock-out event, leaving an incomplete attendance record that requires manual correction by a manager before the affected hours can be processed for payroll.

Also known as: Missing Punch

Missed punches are one of the most common payroll correction triggers in businesses using manual or legacy clocking systems. EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software sends missed punch alerts so corrections are made before the shift ends, not at pay period close.

Buddy Punching

Buddy punching is a payroll fraud mechanism in which one employee clocks in or out on behalf of another employee who is not present, inflating the absent employee's recorded hours and creating inaccurate payroll records.

Buddy punching is the primary fraud risk that biometric and geofence time clocks are designed to prevent; it leads to inflated payroll costs across industries.

Payroll Integration and Compliance

Defines the downstream vocabulary — how time data becomes payroll-ready, what compliance obligations attach to timekeeping and where audit trails live.

Payroll-Ready Export

A payroll-ready export is a formatted data file, typically CSV, XML or a direct API feed, that transfers approved, exception-cleared employee hours from a time and attendance system into a payroll platform, eliminating manual re-entry and reducing transcription errors.

Also known as: Payroll Export

A payroll-ready export differs from a raw time report in that exceptions have been resolved, overtime calculated and hours approved before the file is generated. EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software produces payroll-ready exports compatible with 20+ payroll systems, triggered automatically at pay period close.

Overtime Calculation

Overtime calculation is the process of identifying hours worked beyond a defined threshold, typically 40 hours per workweek under the FLSA or 8 hours per day under certain state laws, and applying the applicable premium pay rate, usually 1.5 times the regular rate.

Also known as: OT Calculation

California, Alaska and Nevada require daily overtime over 8 hours per day; most other states follow the federal weekly threshold only. EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software applies federal and state overtime rules automatically, flagging projected overtime before the threshold is reached so managers can adjust scheduling.

Audit Trail (Timekeeping)

In timekeeping, an audit trail is an immutable, timestamped log of every clock event, manual correction and approval action taken on an employee's time record, providing the evidentiary documentation required to defend payroll accuracy in wage-and-hour disputes or regulatory audits.

Also known as: Time Audit Log

The FLSA requires employers to retain payroll records, including time records, for at least three years; audit trails are the primary mechanism for satisfying this obligation. EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software logs every edit with the editor's identity, timestamp and reason code.

Employee Time Clock Glossary: 22 Key Terms Defined

Foundational Concepts

Fair Pay Starts at the Clock

Hardware Clock Types

Digital and Mobile Clock Methods

Punch Mechanics and Time Data

Payroll Integration and Compliance

How These Terms Relate

Learn More