---
title: "Understanding Time Tracking in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts"
url: "https://help.ontraccr.com/en/article/understanding-time-tracking-in-ontraccr-purpose-functionality-and-core-concepts"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2025-05-27T18:02:41.137Z"
---

# Understanding Time Tracking in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts

## ⏱ **Understanding Time Tracking in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts**

* * *

## ⚡ **Executive Summary:** ***Understanding Time Tracking in Ontraccr***  
 

-   **Time Tracking** is the foundation of labor management, job costing, and payroll inside Ontraccr.
-   It connects the field to the office by:
    -   Capturing accurate labor hours
    -   Assigning time to specific projects, phases, and cost codes
    -   Enabling real-time reporting, billing, and compliance tracking
-   Every time entry in Ontraccr supports:
    -   **Project costing and budgeting**
    -   **Payroll and accounting processes**
    -   **Field productivity tracking**
-   Time can be tracked in multiple ways:
    -   Live clock-in/clock-out
    -   Manual time entry
    -   Tablet mode (shared devices)
    -   Form-based timesheets or workflows
-   Well-structured time tracking eliminates payroll errors, improves job cost forecasting, and builds operational transparency between teams and management.  
     
-   Ontraccr uses a 3-tier approval hierarchy:

### **🔹 Tier 1: Project-Specific Approvers**

-   **If set, this overrides all other tiers**

### **🔹 Tier 2: Team-Based Supervisors**

-   **Approves time for users within their team (under Staff > Manage Teams)**

### **🔹 Tier 3: Company-Wide Approvers**

-   **Fallback if no project or team approver exists**

* * *

## 🧭 **What Is Time Tracking in Ontraccr?**

In Ontraccr, **Time Tracking** is the system for recording how workers spend their time on jobs, tasks, and service work.

It goes far beyond simple clocking in and out — it connects every hour worked to the bigger operational picture:

-   Which **project** the work was done on
-   What **phase** or **task** it belonged to
-   Which **cost code** it maps to for billing and analysis
-   Whether the hours qualify for **regular pay**, **overtime**, or **special rates** (e.g., weekends)

Time Tracking ensures that labor — the biggest cost on most projects — is accurately captured, validated, and turned into actionable insights.

* * *

## **🎯 Why Use Time Tracking?**

Accurate time tracking powers:

-   **Real-Time Job Costing**  
    Tie hours worked directly to budgets and cost codes, allowing proactive tracking of overruns.  
     
-   **Accurate Payroll**  
    Ensure workers are paid correctly for hours worked, overtime earned, and shifts completed.  
     
-   **Compliance and Auditability**  
    Maintain a traceable record of hours for union agreements, labor laws, and client reporting.  
     
-   **Productivity Analysis**  
    Understand crew performance, phase-level labor demands, and resource needs.  
     
-   **Change Management Support**  
    Document unforeseen work to justify change orders and billing adjustments.  
     

In short: **Time tracking is not just about paying people — it's about running profitable projects.**

* * *

## 🛠️ **How Time Tracking Functions Conceptually**

Time tracking in Ontraccr is built around **three core layers**:

| Layer | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| **Time Entry** | How time gets recorded (live clock, manual, tablet, form) |
| **Time Processing** | How time is validated (geofence checks, facial capture, rounding, approvals) |
| **Time Utilization** | How time flows into payroll, billing, reports, budgets |

Each time entry goes through a controlled lifecycle:

1.  **Creation** (user action or form submission)
2.  **Validation** (submission, review, approval)
3.  **Finalization** (push to payroll, cost reports, financial systems)

Throughout the process, Ontraccr captures metadata like:

-   Location (GPS stamps)
-   Method of entry
-   Associated project/phase/cost code
-   Approver actions
-   Rounding adjustments
-   Custom form fields (notes, equipment, safety info)

* * *

## 🧩 **How Time Tracking Fits Inside the Ontraccr System**

Time tracking integrates deeply across Ontraccr’s ecosystem:

| **Feature** | **How Time Tracking Connects** |
| --- | --- |
| **Projects** | Hours link to project budgets, phases, cost codes and financial reports |
| **Forms** | Daily logs or Timesheet Forms can auto-generate time entries |
| **Cost Tracking** | Labor costs flow directly into project cost management and invoicing workflows |
| **Boards & Tasks** | Time entries can influence scheduling and resourcing |
| **Payroll/Exports** | Approved time flows into custom exports and accounting integrations (e.g., QuickBooks, Sage, Eclipse) |
| **Compliance Reporting** | Full audit trails via timelines, signatures, facial capture, and GPS validation |

In Ontraccr, **time isn't isolated** — it's woven into every operational and financial function.

* * *

## 🏗️ **Time Entry Methods: Built for Flexibility**

Ontraccr offers **four different ways** to capture time, depending on your team’s needs:

| Method | Best For |
| --- | --- |
| **Live Clock-In/Out** | Field users needing real-time GPS/facial validation |
| **Manual Time Entry** | Office users or foremen entering time after the fact |
| **Tablet Mode** | Shared job site devices for large crews |
| **Form-Based Entry** | Teams needing to bundle time with daily logs, safety forms, or work reports |

This flexibility ensures that no matter how you operate — centralized, decentralized, scheduled, or service-driven — you can capture time reliably.

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/c40e427d-6861-485e-9513-9cda92b980d9)

* * *

## 🔁 **How Time Tracking Powers Automation**

When combined with Ontraccr’s automation features, time tracking can:

-   **Auto-prompt submissions** at clock-out
-   **Auto-calculate overtime** and double time
-   **Auto-create time cards from form submissions**
-   **Auto-approve time** based on custom workflows
-   **Auto-export approved hours** to payroll or accounting systems

Manual data collection and spreadsheet chaos are eliminated.

* * *

## 📈 **Why Time Tracking Matters (Beyond Just “Clocking In”)**

Without proper time tracking, companies face:

-   Budget overruns
-   Payroll mistakes
-   Poor visibility into project progress
-   Difficulty justifying change orders
-   Compliance risk during audits

**With Ontraccr Time Tracking:**

-   Labor is mapped clearly to activities and budgets
-   Hours are validated and approvable
-   Cost recovery improves
-   Field and office teams stay in sync
-   Operations become more scalable and auditable

In short: **Time Tracking transforms hours into dollars, compliance, and clarity.**

* * *

## 🧠 **Best Practices for Using Time Tracking**

-   **Require Projects and Cost Codes** to force proper assignment
-   **Use Auto-Submission** to avoid end-of-week bottlenecks
-   **Enable Geofencing or Facial Capture** for real-world validation
-   **Create Clear Approval Paths** (project approver > supervisor > company approver)
-   **Lock Pay Periods After Payroll** to protect data integrity
-   **Train Supervisors and Crews on Color Codes and Submission Flow**
-   **Pair Form-Based Time Entry with Daily Log Workflows** for field automation
-   **Use Rounding and Break Policies Thoughtfully** to minimize disputes

* * *

## 📌 **Quick Summary**

| Key Concept | Why It Matters |
| --- | --- |
| Time tracking connects field work to project budgets and payroll | True visibility and control over labor |
| Flexible time entry methods | Supports any operational model (real-time, manual, bulk, form-based) |
| Deep integration with projects, forms, cost tracking, and finance | Reduces admin burden, increases accuracy |
| Automation built around time tracking | Faster submissions, fewer mistakes |
| Best practices amplify impact | Smart setup prevents most common issues |