Punch-based time record payroll uses to review start times, end times, and total hours before pay is calculated.
A timecard is a record that shows when an employee started and ended work during the pay period.
It may be digital rather than physical, but the payroll job is the same: it gives payroll and supervisors a punch-based record to review before hours are approved for pay.
A timecard matters because it helps payroll and supervisors confirm:
Without a reliable timecard or similar record, payroll may have trouble verifying the hours used to build employee pay.
The timecard appears early in the process, before earnings are finalized. In practice, payroll may:
That means the timecard supports payroll accuracy even though it is not itself a payroll payment record.
| Record | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Timecard | Shows clock-in and clock-out detail |
| Timesheet | Summarizes hours, leave, and totals for the pay period |
Some employers use the words interchangeably, but the timecard usually points to the punch-level record while the timesheet points to the summarized record payroll approves.
An employee’s digital timecard shows clock-in and clock-out entries for the week.
After review, payroll uses the approved total hours from that timecard data to calculate the employee’s regular pay and any overtime pay in the weekly payroll run.