{"id":13518,"date":"2026-11-11T12:52:16","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T11:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hoorayhr.io\/en\/hr-glossary\/time-clock\/"},"modified":"2026-11-11T12:52:16","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T11:52:16","slug":"time-clock","status":"publish","type":"knowledgebase","link":"https:\/\/www.hoorayhr.io\/en\/hr-glossary\/time-clock\/","title":{"rendered":"Time clock: what it is and how a digital time clock works"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is a time clock?<\/h2>\n

A time clock is a way of tracking time in which employees actively clock in at the start and clock out at the end of their work. With the classic punch clock, you insert a card into a machine that stamps the time on it. Modern time clocks use a badge, a smartphone or a browser and send every entry straight to the software. The principle has not changed: clock in, clock out, done.<\/p>\n

Time clock, punch clock and clock in system: the terms<\/h3>\n

A punch clock is the traditional machine with punch cards. A time clock terminal is its electronic successor, usually a wall-mounted device with a card or badge reader. A digital time clock, also called a clock in system, is software that runs in the browser and as an app, without a fixed device.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What types of time clocks are there?<\/h2>\n

There are four types of time clocks, and they differ mainly in where employees clock in and how the data is processed afterwards.<\/p>\n

Types of time clocks at a glance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Type<\/th>\nHow employees clock in<\/th>\nBest for<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Mechanical punch clock<\/td>\nPunch card, the time is stamped on it<\/td>\nRarely used today, data has to be typed up<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Electronic terminal<\/td>\nBadge, card or PIN at the device<\/td>\nBusinesses with a fixed entrance and shifts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Time clock app<\/td>\nStart\/stop timer on the smartphone<\/td>\nField staff, remote work and changing locations<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Web and QR code<\/td>\nBrowser at the workplace or a scan on site<\/td>\nOffices and branches without their own hardware<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

If your team works in shift work<\/a>, a time clock helps you see who is present per shift and how many hours were worked.<\/p>\n

How does a digital time clock work?<\/h2>\n

A digital time clock works like the classic punch clock, only without cards and without typing up the data. A typical workday looks like this:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n