Digital Time Cards That Generate Themselves

A time card app is software that digitally records employee work hours and generates time cards for payroll processing and client billing. It replaces paper time cards, punch clocks, and manual spreadsheets with automatic time capture that produces accurate, verifiable records of hours worked by employee, task, and project.

When employees start the HiveDesk timer on their desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux), mobile (iOS), or Chrome browser, the app records hours by task and project in the background. At the end of each pay period, HiveDesk automatically generates time cards with total hours, overtime, and project breakdowns. Managers review and approve the time cards, then export them as PDF or Excel for payroll.

Yes. Paper time cards rely on employees remembering to fill them out, which leads to rounding, forgotten entries, and errors. Digital time cards from HiveDesk are generated from actual tracked time — every minute is recorded as it happens. This eliminates guesswork and produces time cards that accurately reflect hours worked.

Yes. HiveDesk time cards can be exported as Excel or PDF files for use with any payroll software. The exports include employee hours, overtime, project breakdowns, and approval status — everything your payroll team needs to process payments accurately.

HiveDesk costs $5 per user per month — one plan that includes every feature. No tiers, no hidden fees. You get automatic time card generation, activity monitoring with screenshots, employee scheduling, attendance tracking, leave management, and timesheet approval workflows. There is a free 14-day trial with no credit card required.

Yes. HiveDesk has an iOS mobile app that lets employees track time from anywhere. The mobile app includes GPS location tracking for field workers. Time recorded on mobile flows into the same time cards as desktop and browser tracking.

HiveDesk has a built-in time card approval workflow. At the end of each period, managers review auto-generated time cards, verify hours against activity data and screenshots, then approve or request corrections. Approved time cards are locked and ready for payroll export.

Yes. HiveDesk tracks billable and non-billable hours by client and project. You can generate client-facing time card reports that show hours worked, tasks completed, and screenshot verification. This eliminates billing disputes and ensures you capture every billable hour.

A time clock app focuses on the act of clocking in and out — recording start and end times. A time card app focuses on the output — the time card record itself that summarizes hours worked over a period for payroll and billing. HiveDesk does both: employees clock in with one click, and the app generates complete time cards with project breakdowns, overtime calculations, and export-ready data.

Yes. Employee time tracking is legal in the United States and most countries when employees are informed. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) actually requires employers to keep accurate records of hours worked. HiveDesk operates transparently — employees always know when tracking is active, and screenshot frequency is configurable by managers.