Timesheets and time clocks: how they differ

No, they aren't the same thing. A timesheet is the record. A time clock is one way of capturing the times that go into it.

The short version

• Timesheet: a method for recording the time a person spends on each job. It may hold start and end times, or just the duration.¹
• Time clock: a device that records start and end times for hourly employees.²
• How they connect: the time cards stamped by time clocks can serve as a timesheet or provide the data to fill one.¹

Software blurs the line. A clock-in button in an app is a time clock. The weekly grid it produces is a timesheet. Many products offer both under one name.

Where they differ

The table is a general guide. Individual products vary, so check the maker's own help pages.

Ways people use each

• Clock only. Staff punch in and out. The software builds the totals. This suits shift work where start and end are what matter.
• Timesheet only. Staff type in hours for each day or task. This suits office work or jobs billed by project.
• Both. Staff clock in, then add a project or note. The clock supplies the times and the sheet holds the extra detail.

Clockify's help describes a kiosk that allows employees to clock in and clock out using a shared device while working onsite.³ Its help also says you can log the hours you spend on tasks using a timer, manual input, timesheet, or calendar view.⁴ Those are two routes into the same records.

Are time clocks required?

Not in the US federal rules for hours worked. The Department of Labor's text on time clocks says plainly that time clocks are not required.⁵ That's one country's federal rule, and states can add their own. Rules in Australia, the UK and elsewhere differ. Ask the official body for your country, such as the US Department of Labor, the Fair Work Ombudsman or HMRC, or an employment lawyer.

What clocks add, and what they risk

• Less guessing. A stamp made at the time is harder to misremember than a total typed on Friday. That's a reasonable expectation, not a promise.
• Buddy punching. This is where one employee records time for another.² It's a known problem with clocks, and later pages cover ways software tries to limit it.
• A device to look after. A shared tablet, a wall unit or a phone app all need someone responsible for them.

Choosing between the two

Ask these questions about your own team:

• Do people work at fixed places, or move between sites?
• Does pay depend on exact start and end times?
• Do you need hours split across jobs or clients?
• Who'll fix an entry when someone forgets?

If start and end times drive pay, a clock-in method helps. If hours go to clients by project, you'll want the sheet's extra fields. Most small teams end up wanting both.

For the methods themselves, see ways staff clock in. For what a sheet holds, see what a timesheet records.