Check-In Records & Timesheet Accuracy for Field Crews

A timestamp can improve reconstruction; it cannot decide what time the law requires an employer to count and pay.

General information, not legal or payroll advice. Review federal, state, local, contract, and union requirements with qualified professionals.

The federal baseline

The U.S. Department of Labor states that an employer may use any timekeeping method, provided required records are complete and accurate. Required information for covered nonexempt workers includes hours worked each day and total hours worked each workweek, along with other identifying and pay data. A CheckInForWork event export contains only the events recorded in this product.

Why check-in time is not automatically “hours worked”

A worker may perform required duties before tapping check in or after tapping check out. Waiting time, on-call time, training, travel during the workday, interrupted meal periods, and work performed away from the board may be compensable depending on the facts and applicable rules. Conversely, a recorded arrival may not by itself establish that paid work began at that instant.

A safer reconciliation workflow

Keep the designated payroll/time system as the system of record.
Use check-in events as supporting evidence. Compare them with schedules, work orders, dispatch, corrections, and employee reports.
Investigate discrepancies without assuming intent. Ask what work occurred before or after the event and whether a technical or access problem existed.
Correct both understatements and overstatements. Accuracy is not a one-way cost-control exercise.
Retain required records for the required period. The board’s current retention is not a promise that it meets your legal retention schedule.

Travel and breaks need their own analysis

DOL guidance says time spent traveling during normal work hours is generally compensable, while ordinary home-to-work commuting is treated differently. DOL also distinguishes short rest breaks—typically 5 to 20 minutes and generally counted as hours worked—from bona fide meal periods. Do not infer pay treatment solely from the event label in a CSV.

Correction controls worth adding to the business process

A same-day method for workers to report missed or wrong events
A record of who made a correction and why
Employee review before payroll closes
A prohibition on off-the-clock work
A documented escalation path for unresolved disputes

What CheckInForWork’s export is good for

The export can help reconstruct when a worker tapped check in, started or ended a break, or checked out; identify missing events; and compare the day with schedules and work orders. It does not calculate wages, overtime, travel time, break pay, or certified payroll.

Official sources

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