Time tracking

Time tracking software: automatic clock-in, remote work and full labour law compliance

Your employees clock in from the app. You see who has clocked in, who hasn't, and how many hours each one has worked — in real time, from any device. And when a labour inspection arrives, the records are signed, traceable and ready.

Geolocation Tablet terminal Mobile app Official reports

From €2.50/employee/month · iOS & Android app included · Labour law compliant

Time tracking

How it works

How clock-in works with the time tracking software

Time recording runs on autopilot. HR has everything centralised in real time.

01

The employee clocks in

From their phone, the reception tablet, or a computer. With geolocation and real-time sync, no friction.

ML
María López
Dependienta · Tienda Centro
On shift
Clock-in 09:02
Location Gran Vía 22, Madrid
Device App iOS
Automatic sync
02

HR has it all

Hours worked, incidents, overtime and absences consolidated in one panel. Reports ready in one click.

HR Panel · today
Employees on shift 24 / 26
Pending clock-ins 2
Accumulated overtime 14h this week
Monthly report Ready
No paperwork, no emails, no errors All time records are centralised, traceable and ready for Labour Inspection at any time.
Compliance

Comply with Royal Decree Law 8/2019 effortlessly

Since 2019, all companies are required to record their employees' working hours. Plain automatically generates official records, signed and traceable, ready for any inspection.

Forget about paper, spreadsheets and email attachments. Everything is centralised, with a full exportable history.

Records signed and timestamped
Export to PDF or Excel for Labour Inspection
Complete history — cannot be edited without traceability
Working hours report Valid for Inspection
María López
Period: 1–30 jun 2025
168h / 168h
Date Clock-in Clock-out Total
02/06 09:00 18:00 9h
03/06 09:05 18:02 8h 57m
04/06 09:01 17:59 8h 58m
05/06 08:58 18:05 9h 07m
ML
María López · Remote Barcelona, ES · verified
Clocked in ●
09:02
Clock-in
11:15
Break (20 min)
13:00
Personal exit (45 min)
Now
Working · 5h 03m
5h 03m Net hours
1h 05m Breaks
8h Shift
Remote clock-in

Time recording for remote work

Monitor work done remotely and off-site. From their phone, computer or tablet, your team can clock in and record hours worked, holidays, overtime and special situations.

Log breaks, personal exits and work location automatically, free from manual errors. Extract real-time activity and performance reports.

Automatic geolocation on every clock-in
Breaks and personal exits logged without manual input
Real-time activity and performance reports
Overtime, holidays and special situations centralised
Multichannel

Time tracking from mobile app, tablet or web

Mobile app

iOS and Android. Clock-in with geolocation and identity verification.

Tablet terminal

Install Plain on any tablet as a shared terminal for on-site workplaces. Employees clock in by PIN.

Web and desktop

For office or remote teams. Access from any browser, no installation needed.

Automatic alerts

Real-time time tracking alerts and reports

Get all notifications about your employees' working activity straight to your inbox. Stay informed effortlessly and make shift decisions fast.

Plain emails you when it detects a missed clock-in or an open shift — those forgotten check-ins that leave the counter running — so you can act before the problem escalates.

  • Alert for employee who hasn't clocked in
  • Warning for open shift without clock-out
  • Notification for unauthorised overtime
  • Daily activity summary for the team
Plain Alerts · Inbox 3 new
Open clock-in · Joan Mas Joan clocked in at 09:05 but hasn't recorded a clock-out. Open for 10h 22m.
5 min ago
Employee not clocked in · Ana Puig Ana had a shift at 08:00 and there's no clock-in record. Please review.
2h ago
Shift summary · Warehouse Team 8/10 employees clocked in correctly. 2 incidents pending review.
09:00
Hours worked · week 24
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
41h Week total
+1h Overtime
98% Punctuality
Analytics

Actual vs. planned hours, always visible

Plain automatically compares clocked hours against the scheduled rota. Detects deviations, unauthorised overtime and punctuality patterns without any manual review.

Configure clock-in rounding to avoid unrealistic records. Set alerts when an employee has gone more than X hours without clocking out.

Overtime broken down: daytime, night, public holidays
Automatic alerts for open or missed clock-ins
Configurable rounding by contract type
Smart scheduling

Shift scheduling based on real records

Analyse hours worked, the most productive schedules and overtime to design a staffing plan tailored to your business needs.

Clock-in data feeds directly into planned shifts. Your scheduling is powered by real times: no stale data, no manual corrections.

Clock-ins integrate directly with Plain's shift module: what the team clocks in feeds tomorrow's schedule.

Planned vs. recorded shift · Monday
Planned
09:00 → 17:00 (8h)
Recorded
09:04 → 17:32 (8h 28m)
Deviation +28 min overtime
Week 40h 12m +12m vs plan
Punctuality 96% ↑ from 91%
Overtime 0h 48m this week
Payroll & integrations

Clocked hours sent straight to your payroll software

Plain automatically exports payroll variables derived from time tracking — ordinary hours, overtime, absences — to the leading HR management platforms.

No copying data between systems, no transcription errors. Every month-end, the data is ready.

a3innuva
SAP SuccessFactors
Grupo Castilla
Integrho
API REST
Variable export · June 2025 Synced
Employee Concept Hours Status
María López Overtime 6h Exported
Joan Mas Regular hours 160h Exported
Ana Puig Absence 8h Exported
Carlos Roca Night overtime 4h Exported
09:02 Mon 28 Apr 2025
Place your finger
María López · Clock-in recorded
Plain
Suprema ZKTeco Anviz Phuc + more
Physical terminals

Integration with physical time & attendance terminals

Connect Plain to the biometric and card readers already installed at your workplaces. Clock-ins recorded at the terminal appear in Plain automatically — no manual entry needed.

Compatible with the leading manufacturers: Suprema, ZKTeco, Anviz, Phuc and more. If your terminal has an API or data export, we'll connect it.

Fingerprint
Facial recognition
RFID card
PIN
  • Automatic sync of clock-ins to Plain's panel
  • No manual data entry: zero transcription errors
  • Compatible with multiple sites and simultaneous terminals
Time tracking
Tablet terminal
Mobile app
Excel / CSV
Payroll (a3, SAP…)
REST API
Integrations

Time tracking connected to your tools

Connect your everyday tools to Plain. Streamline time tracking tasks and monitor activity without interruptions.

Connect attendance terminals, export to Excel and integrate with the systems you already use. Centralise everything in Plain.

  • Tablet terminal for on-site clock-in at reception or entry
  • Excel and CSV export ready for audits
  • Integration with a3innuva, SAP, Grupo Castilla and Integrho
  • REST API to connect any in-house system

Everything you need for time tracking

Features designed to meet legal requirements, analyse your team's hours and integrate everything without friction.

Feature Description
Mobile app clock-in (iOS and Android)
Employees clock in from their phone with built-in geolocation and open-shift notifications
Web and desktop clock-in
Access from any browser without installation, ideal for office or remote teams
On-site tablet terminal
Install Plain on a shared tablet at reception; employees clock in by PIN
Geolocation on clock-in
Verifies the employee is at the right location at the moment of clocking in
Royal Decree Law 8/2019 compliance
Plain meets the legal obligation to record working hours for all companies in Spain
Official reports for Inspection
Generates the monthly working hours report per employee in the required format
Digital signature (Signaturit)
Reports are electronically signed with legal validity via Signaturit integration
Automatic overtime
Calculates and classifies daytime, night and public holiday overtime from clock-in data
Alerts for missed clock-ins
Automatically alerts when an employee hasn't clocked in at their usual time or leaves a shift open
Configurable rounding
Define rounding rules by contract type to avoid accumulation of insignificant minutes
Theoretical vs. actual hours
Compares hours scheduled in the rota with hours actually clocked by each employee
Payroll export (a3, SAP, Castilla…)
Send time tracking variables directly to your payroll software without manual exports
REST API for custom integrations
Access all clock-in data via API to connect Plain with internal systems
Immutable history with traceability
Every change is logged with user, date and reason; history cannot be deleted
Priority support
Dedicated support with guaranteed response times for urgent incident resolution

Frequently asked questions

What is a time tracking app?

A time tracking app is a digital tool that records each employee's clock-in and clock-out times, calculates hours worked, and generates attendance reports. It replaces paper, spreadsheets, and traditional physical terminals. Employees clock in from their mobile phone, computer, or a shared terminal, and HR accesses the data in real time.

Is time tracking mandatory?

Yes. Following the 2019 European Court of Justice ruling, EU member states are required to implement systems for the objective, reliable and accessible recording of daily working time. Most countries now mandate that employers keep records of start and end times for each employee. Records must be retained for at least two years and made available to labour inspectors and employee representatives.

What data must a time tracking system record by law?

The law requires recording, at minimum, the start and end time of each employee's daily working hours. Recording breaks is not always mandatory, though many employers do so voluntarily. Records must reflect actual hours worked, not contracted hours, and must be accessible to labour authorities and employee representatives.

Does the law require recording breaks and rest periods?

Current regulations focus on ensuring maximum working hours and minimum rest periods are respected. While precise break recording is not always mandatory, it is increasingly required in labour audits. If your system only captures start and end times, it is worth reviewing whether it meets your sector's requirements — especially as working time reform is progressing across Europe.

Does Plain track overtime and clock-in location?

Yes. Plain automatically classifies overtime as standard, night, or bank holiday hours, and generates alerts when an employee accumulates unauthorised overtime. For location, the app records the employee's geolocation at the exact moment of clocking in — HR can verify that the clock-in occurred at the workplace or an authorised location.

What is the difference between time tracking software and a time tracking app?

In practice, the access channel. Time tracking software is usually used from a desktop computer or physical terminal. A time tracking app allows employees to clock in from their mobile phone, with geolocation and without needing to be at the workplace. For teams with remote work, rotating shifts, or staff in different locations, the app is the most practical option.

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