Time and attendance guide
5 time and attendance reporting mistakes that cause payroll errors, and how to fix them
Most payroll errors that start in time and attendance come from five habits, not from the software: exporting before exceptions are cleared, approving hours without looking, changing rules mid-period, going live without a parallel run, and only opening the reports on pay day.
Each one is easy to fix once you know it is happening. This guide is for whoever runs payroll, HR or operations and has had to explain a wrong payslip.
In shortClear the exceptions, check what was edited, change rules from the start of a pay period, run old and new side by side before you switch, and have the reports come to you rather than the other way round.
The five mistakes
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Exporting before the exceptions are cleared
What goes wrong. Missed clockings, late arrivals and unusually long shifts are still sitting unresolved when the hours go to payroll, so someone guesses or they are paid as recorded.
The fix. Clear the exceptions list before anything is approved. In Syncro Connect, missed and unusual clockings are listed for a manager, and the Syncro Connect app can notify staff and managers about a late or missed clocking, so most gaps are fixed the next day rather than on pay day.
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Approving hours without looking at what changed
What goes wrong. A manager approves the week in one click without seeing that a clocking was edited, or that a long shift is really a forgotten clock-out.
The fix. Look at the edits before you approve. Every change to a clocking in Syncro Connect is logged with who made it and when, so an approver can see what was altered and why, and question it while the week is still fresh.
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Changing rules in the middle of a pay period
What goes wrong. Overtime thresholds, break rules or holiday entitlements change part way through a month, and the period ends up calculated on two sets of rules, or the wrong one.
The fix. Agree when a change takes effect, ideally from the start of a pay period, and check the first period after it. Keep a note of what changed and when, so a query months later can be answered.
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Going live without running alongside the old system
What goes wrong. A new system goes live on the same day the old one is switched off, and the first payroll is the test. That is when the errors show up, in people's pay.
The fix. Run the new system alongside the old one for at least one pay period and compare the totals. With Syncro Connect you have access from day one, and setting up rules and checking data usually takes about two weeks, with help from our team in Leeds, so there is time to compare before you rely on it.
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Only looking at reports on pay day
What goes wrong. Reports are opened once a month to get the payroll figures out, so patterns such as frequent short absences or creeping overtime are spotted months late.
The fix. Have the reports come to you. Syncro Connect can send reports by scheduled email, works out Bradford Factor scores, and reports total hours over any period you choose, so a manager sees a problem while it is still small.
Before any of this: record the time when it happens
All five mistakes are about checking and reporting. They assume the hours were recorded accurately in the first place. If people still fill in timesheets after the event, start there: our guide to common clocking in problems covers missed clockings, guessed hours and one person clocking in for another, and our guide to tracking overtime automatically covers the rules.
What software does not fix
A time and attendance system records, flags and reports. It does not decide whether an edit was reasonable, set your overtime policy, or make you compliant with the Working Time Regulations. Syncro Connect reports total hours over any period you choose, but it does not calculate the 48-hour average over the 17-week reference period. Those judgements stay with you.
Getting clean hours into payroll
Once the exceptions are cleared and the week is approved, Syncro Connect exports the hours in the layout your payroll package expects, so nothing is typed twice. Our guide to getting hours into payroll walks through the steps, and if you are moving from another system, our guide to switching time and attendance provider covers the changeover.
Frequently asked questions
What systems notify staff of missed or late time entries?
Time and attendance systems with a mobile app can. The Syncro Connect app sends a notification about a late or missed clocking, and missed and unusual clockings are also listed for a manager to resolve before the hours are approved.
How do I eliminate manual timesheet errors?
Stop writing hours down after the event. Record start and finish times when they happen, at a terminal, in an app or in a browser, apply your rules automatically, and have a manager clear any exceptions before approving the week.
How do we fix missing hours?
Find them before payroll, not on pay day. A system that lists missed clockings lets a manager add the correct time, with the change logged, while people still remember what happened.
How do we avoid payroll errors when leave rules change mid-month?
Agree a date for the change, ideally the start of a pay period, set the new rule from that date, and check the first period after it before you approve it.
What are the most common pitfalls in the first months of a new time and attendance system?
Going live without a parallel run, rules that do not match how people are actually paid, exceptions left unchecked, and managers approving hours without looking. Running the old and new systems side by side for a pay period catches most of them.
How do we avoid payroll errors when a new system goes live?
Run it alongside your old method for at least one pay period, compare the totals line by line, and only switch over once they agree or you understand every difference.
Does time and attendance software make us compliant with the Working Time Regulations?
No software can do that on its own. Syncro Connect reports total hours over any period you choose, which shows who is working long weeks, but it does not calculate the 48-hour average over the 17-week reference period.
How do approved hours get into payroll?
Syncro Connect exports approved hours in the layout your payroll package expects, including Sage, Xero, QuickBooks, BrightPay, IRIS, ADP and Pegasus. It is an export file you import, not a live connection.
Catch the errors before payroll does
Syncro Connect is £2 per employee per month, or £3 with the app, excluding VAT and billed annually. Start a free trial, with no card needed, and run it alongside your current system.
