Accurate construction time cards help payroll teams calculate pay correctly and let operations leaders track labor costs. A missed punch can affect a worker’s paycheck, and an incorrect cost code can hide which part of a project has exceeded its labor budget.
Thankfully, a reliable time tracking system minimizes these issues. This guide compares six apps contractors can use to monitor time cards, support field crews, and accurately track cost codes.
What is a construction time card?
A construction time card records a given worker’s hours by job and cost code, supplying the field data for payroll and job costing. Payroll uses those entries to calculate wages, and project managers use them to assign labor costs and compare spending with the job’s budget.
Time cards go beyond tracking hours or attendance. They feed payroll records that federal law requires employers to keep. Under Code of Federal Regulations Title 29 CFR 516.2, key recordkeeping requirements for covered, nonexempt employees include:
- Daily and weekly hours: Hours worked each day and the total for each workweek
- Workweek start: The day and time the employee’s fixed workweek begins
- Regular hourly rate: The regular rate for any workweek
- Straight-time and overtime pay: Total daily or weekly straight-time earnings and a separate total for overtime premium pay
- Employee identity: The employee’s full name and home address, including ZIP code
- Other employee details: Records identifying sex and occupation (and birthdate if the employee is under 19)
Employers can retain personal information in linked employee or payroll records. Records may identify workers on field time cards by name or employee ID.
For payroll purposes, construction clock-in systems should also capture:
- Job and cost code: A code identifying the work performed, such as formwork or concrete placement, on each specific jobsite
- Clock-in and clock-out times: The beginning and ending of each work period
- Jobsite location: The address or location identifier for the construction project
Main types of construction time cards
Contractors can use different time recording methods across crews, depending on the company’s size and budget. Jobsite conditions shape how crews record hours, while payroll and compliance requirements influence the detail those records need to capture. Below are a few options contractors may rely on.
Paper time cards and spreadsheets
Paper cards and spreadsheets require little technical setup and give crews a familiar way to log hours. Templates often include job and cost-code fields alongside hours-based tracking.
But many workers fill out these sheets at the end of the week, so accuracy relies on workers remembering how they spent their time every day. Using this system also increases the risk of time theft and buddy punching, since there’s no way to track who’s making updates and why.
Physical time clocks
Physical clocks sit in a shared check-in point on the construction jobsite, where workers can tap a key fob or badge to record their time. Some models even use biometric identification. Rugged, battery-powered clocks can suit outdoor projects where crews report to the same location each day.
Kiosk or shared-device clock-in
A shared kiosk, tablet, or smartphone runs the time clock app, and employees identify themselves with a unique PIN or facial recognition. Some apps also offer supervisor entry, allowing a foreman to log several workers’ hours together while maintaining an individual time card for each employee. This option ties the time card to the jobsite without requiring workers to use their personal devices.
Mobile time clock apps
With mobile time clock apps, workers clock in and out from a smartphone and select the job they’re working on. Time clocks for construction with GPS capture the device’s location, and geofencing checks that location against a jobsite boundary. Depending on the settings, the geofenced time tracking app can flag or block an out-of-bounds punch. Mobile time clock apps are especially useful for crews who travel to multiple jobsites in the course of the day, since they don’t have to worry about punching in on a separate device at each site.
Key features and best practices for accurate construction time cards
Construction time card software should make it easier to record hours as work happens and catch errors before payroll runs. The following features support the daily practices that keep those records accurate.
On-site time entry with GPS and geofencing
Crews need to clock in when work begins and clock out when it ends using a mobile app or kiosk. GPS should record the punch location, while geofencing flags entries outside the jobsite boundary for review or blocks them entirely. Offline entry keeps that routine on track even when mobile service or coverage drops. Together, these features ensure accuracy and reduce the need to reconstruct hours through end-of-week paper recall.
Cost codes selected at clock-in
Workers should be able to select the job and cost code when they start work, then update the entry when their task changes. For example, a worker moving from excavation to backfilling should switch to the corresponding code the moment they change trades or jobsites. Doing so means logged hours are tied to the right part of the project’s budget.
Supervisor review before payroll
Approval workflows should route time cards to supervisors for verification to catch any errors before proceeding with payroll. Foremen might check recorded hours and resolve missing punches, while project managers might confirm job and cost-code assignments before payroll receives approved time. To make sure all adjustments are accurate, a reliable construction time card software should also offer edit history that records who changed an entry and why.
Payroll integration and regular job-cost reviews
Payroll system integration should move approved hours into pay calculations without manual re-entry since this reduces the chance of introduced errors. Project managers should review hours by cost code during the week to spot activities that might be approaching their labor budget limits to stay on top of the total project budget.
Overtime checks and pay based on recorded minutes
The software should apply the contractor’s configured overtime and break rules as crews log time, allowing payroll teams to review exceptions before the pay run. On prevailing-wage jobs, that review should also confirm that hours spent working different tasks match the appropriate work classification and pay rate, calculating the blended overtime accordingly.
Pay calculations should use recorded work minutes to avoid losing paid time through rounding. Federal rules permit rounding only when it fully compensates workers over time, and the Department of Labor’s May 2026 opinion letter highlighted the risk of rounding early work up to a scheduled start time because that practice benefited only the employer.
6 best construction time card apps
Here we’ve compiled our six top construction time card apps for companies with different needs, from small construction crews looking for a free plan to contractors managing certified payroll.
1. Miter
Miter is a flexible, construction-first option for timekeeping and payroll. The platform offers over 10 time entry methods, including mobile and kiosk clock-ins, so companies can choose methods based on jobsite needs. Supervisors can also enter crew time in bulk. GPS tracking and geofencing help verify location, and facial recognition checks workers’ identities.
Miter Time Tracking ties each worker’s hours to a job and cost code. After approval, those hours go straight into Miter Payroll, which calculates pay using the rates and overtime rules the contractor sets. Custom approval workflows route time cards through designated reviewers before payroll processes the hours. Approved hours also sync to existing ERPs, tagged by job and cost code for job costing.
2. Workyard
Workyard keeps a GPS trail while workers are clocked in, showing jobsite visits and travel between stops. Managers can compare that trail with each time card and send the hours directly to QuickBooks or ADP for payroll.
3. busybusy
busybusy tracks labor hours and equipment use, with entries tied to projects and cost codes. busybusy’s free plan supports unlimited users and includes time tracking, job costing, and equipment tracking, which gives a smaller crew a way off paper without a per-seat bill.
4. ClockShark
ClockShark lets managers assign workers to jobs and send schedule updates to the workers’ phones. Crews can clock in individually through the app, or share a tablet running ClockShark Kiosk, which uses facial recognition to confirm who is punching.
5. Arcoro Time (formerly ExakTime)
Arcoro Time’s battery-powered JobClock Hornet lets workers clock in with key fobs on outdoor jobsites and stores up to 20,000 time punches locally when cell service drops. The platform’s mobile app also offers Spanish and French language options for multilingual construction crews.
6. Jibble
Jibble offers free AI-powered facial recognition clock-ins for unlimited users, either on personal devices or a shared one. Identity checks also work offline and sync with the central tracking system once the device is back online.
Accurate time and cost data across jobsites with Miter
Construction time cards should capture hours as work happens and tie each entry to the right cost code. When approved records flow directly into payroll, contractors spend less time transferring data and project managers can follow labor spending by job.
Miter Time Tracking connects field records with payroll in one workforce management platform. Crews select their job and cost code when clocking in through the mobile app or a shared kiosk. Foremen can also enter hours for an entire crew, while custom approval workflows route entries through foreman and project manager review before they reach Miter Payroll.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best timesheets for construction workers?
Digital timesheets with job and cost-code tracking work well for construction crews. Mobile entry suits workers moving between jobsites, and a shared kiosk suits crews clocking in at one location.
What’s the best time clock option for contractors with small crews?
A mobile time clock is often the best option for lean crews because workers can use their smartphones. Software providers such as busybusy and Jibble offer free plans for basic timekeeping. Platforms like Miter support mobile or shared tablet entry, with approved hours flowing directly into payroll and job costing.
How long do you have to keep construction time cards?
Under the FLSA, contractors must keep basic time cards for at least two years and payroll accounting records for at least three years, measured from the last entry. Davis-Bacon records require safekeeping for at least three years after all work on the prime contract finishes. Contractors should follow the longest applicable retention requirement for the job.
