Gusto Time tracking lets you track, review, and approve your team's hours. Approved hours sync to regular and dismissal payrolls automatically.
As an admin, you can also:
Set up time tracking for projects
Request that team members share their location when clocking in and out
Turn any internet-connected device into a kiosk for clocking in and out
Review and manage non-US employee and non-US contractor timesheets in Gusto
Get payroll alerts before approving hours
Review this section before setting up time tracking. It covers plan requirements, which team members are eligible, and key behaviors that affect how hours and pay are calculated.
Plan requirements
Gusto Time tracking is available on Plus, Premium, and Time and Attendance Plus Simple add-on plans. You can upgrade at any time.
Note: If you are on the Simple plan, you will need to add the Time and Attendance Plus add-on to access time tracking. Go to Time and Attendance, select Time tracking, and click Add Time and Attendance Plus to get started. You will not see a Time tracking toggle under Customization.
Who is eligible
Time tracking is available to:
Salaried employees (both overtime eligible and overtime ineligible)
Salary-exempt employee's hours will not sync to payroll
US-based and non-US based contractors paid by the hour
Important: Time tracking is not supported for commission-only employees or US-based contractors with multiple pay rates. Hours will not sync for salary-exempt employees.
Important: All overtime-eligible employees must be assigned to an overtime policy before you can start using time tracking.
Things to know
Hours are recorded by the minute based on when a team member clocks in.
Your time tracking workweek start day matches your pay schedule. To change it, update your pay schedule. Your pay schedule must be set up in arrears.
For overtime-eligible salaried employees, only overtime hours sync to payroll. For overtime-ineligible salaried employees, hours do not sync to payroll.
Time tracking replaces default hours in payroll with actual clocked hours.
International contractors log hours by creating shifts in Timesheets, using their local time. They cannot clock in or out or use the Time Kiosk. Only admins, not managers, can view their timesheets, and Time Tracking reports are not available for their hours.
Simple plan users: Go to Time and Attendance, select Time tracking, and click Add Time and Attendance Plus. Once added, click Set up time tracking to begin. Skip step one below.
To set up time tracking for Plus and Premium plans, follow these steps:
Click your company name at the bottom of the left menu.
Click Customization.
Click Edit next to Time tracking and toggle to Enabled.
Click Save.
Go to Time and Attendance and select Time tracking.
Click Set up time tracking.
Select which team members to enroll. All eligible team members are selected by default. Remove anyone you do not want tracking time. Ineligible team members are listed below the dropdown.
Choose how your team will clock in and out. For personal devices, team members use the Gusto mobile app or Gusto.com. Contractors can use Gusto.com only and cannot be restricted to a kiosk.
Or set up a shared, on-site Time kiosk device as a central clock-in station. Learn how to set up a kiosk.
Choose which devices team members can clock in from.
Turn Employees can edit timesheets on or off. If off, team members must ask a manager or admin to make changes. Contractors can always edit their own timesheets. If editing is on, you can require a note when edits are made. Turn on edit alerts to flag entries where changes have been made.
Set up break policies if your state requires breaks. See Set up meal and rest breaks for details.
Set an overtime policy. Gusto may suggest one based on your teams work locations. All overtime-eligible employees must have a policy assigned before time tracking can start.
Click Save and finish setup.
Pro tip: To check or change your workweek start day after setup, go to Pay, then Pay settings, then Pay schedule.
To set up time tracking, follow these steps:
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
In the top-right corner, tap the You icon.
Select Company.
Tap Customization.
Next to Time tracking, tap Edit.
Select Enabled.
Tap Save.
Tap the x in the top-right corner.
Go to the Time tab.
Under Time tracking team members, all eligible team members are selected by default. Tap the field to make changes. To remove someone from time tracking, tap the checkbox next to their name to un-select it. Then tap Save.
Tap Next.
Choose how your team will clock in and out. Tap the checkbox for using personal devices, where team members use the Gusto mobile app or Gusto.com, or for using a shared, on-site Time kiosk. Contractors can use Gusto.com only and cannot be restricted to a kiosk.
Tap Next.
Choose whether team members can edit their own timesheets. Turn Allow W-2 employees to edit their own timesheets on or off. If off, team members must ask a manager or admin to make changes. Contractors can always edit their own timesheets. If editing is on, you can require a note when edits are made. Turn on edit alerts to flag entries where changes have been made.
Set up break policies if your state requires breaks. See Set up meal and rest breaks for details.
Set an overtime policy if prompted. Gusto may suggest one based on your teams work locations. All overtime-eligible employees must have a policy assigned before time tracking can start.
Tap Save and finish.
Use this section to add or remove team members, add contractors, and set up overtime policies. At least one team member must stay enrolled to keep time tracking active.
To add or remove team members:
Go to Time and Attendance, then Time tracking.
Click Settings and policies in the top-right corner.
On the General tab, find People assigned to time tracking and click + Add or remove people.
To add someone, select their name from the dropdown. To remove someone, click the x next to their name.
Click Next.
Assign an overtime policy (required for overtime-eligible employees) and a break policy (optional).
Click Save.
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Tap Time.
In the top-right corner, tap More.
Select Settings & policies.
Scroll to People assigned to time tracking and tap Add or remove people.
Tap Search for a team member and enter the name of the person you're adding or removing.
Tap the checkbox next to someone's name to add or remove them.
Tap Save.
Tap Next.
Assign an overtime policy (required for overtime-eligible employees) and a break policy (optional).
Tap Save.
Notes:
Team members will be able to clock in on the Kiosk as soon as they're added.
Removing a team member takes effect at the end of the current pay period.
Only hourly contractors and non-exempt employees with a Gusto login are eligible.
All employee information needs to be added before they can be enrolled in time tracking.
Hourly contractors — both US-based and international — can track time in Gusto. Multiple pay rates are not supported. This feature is not available on the Contractor Only plan.››
Time tracking works automatically for international contractors once you add them — there's no separate toggle to turn on. For details on how international contractors log hours and what admins can see, see Time tracking requirements.
Go to Time and Attendance, then Time tracking.
Click Settings and policies in the top-right corner.
On the General tab, find People assigned to time tracking and click + Add or remove people.
Select the contractor from the dropdown. Only hourly contractors are eligible.
Click Next, then Save.
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to the Time tab.
In the top-right corner, tap More.
Select Settings & policies.
Scroll to People assigned to time tracking and tap Add or remove people.
Tap Search for a team member and enter the name of the person you're adding or removing.
Tap the checkbox next to a contractor's name to add them. Only hourly contractors are eligible.
Tap Save.
Tap Next.
Tap Save.
Go to Time and Attendance, then Time tracking.
Scroll to Contractor timesheets and click View and sync.
Select the date range you want to pay for.
Click View timesheet to review or edit hours.
Click Sync hours to payments.
Go to Pay contractors to process payment.
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to the Time tab.
Scroll down to Contractor timesheets and tap Review.
Tap Sync hours to contractor payments.
Select Sync and lock timesheets.
Gusto calculates overtime based on the policy assigned to each employee. Review your state's overtime laws before creating or editing policies. Changes take effect during the current workweek and apply to the entire workweek.
Overtime policy types
Weekly overtime — employees earn 1.5x their regular rate after a set number of hours in a workweek.
Daily overtime — employees earn 1.5x their regular rate after a set number of hours in a workday.
Daily double overtime — employees earn 2x their regular rate after a set number of hours in a workday.
7th consecutive day overtime — employees earn 1.5x their regular rate on the seventh consecutive day of a workweek.
You can assign overtime policies to specific employees.
Go to Time and Attendance, then Time tracking.
Click Settings and policies in the top-right corner.
On the General tab, find Overtime policies.
Click Create new overtime policy.
Add a nickname, choose team members to assign, and set the overtime rules.
Click Create policy.
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to Time.
Select More.
Tap Settings & policies.
Scroll down to Overtime policies and tap Create new overtime policy.
Add a name for the policy and set the overtime rules.
Tap Save.
To add team members to the policy: In time tracking settings, scroll down to People assigned to time tracking.
Tap Edit assignments.
Find the name of a team member person you're adding to the policy. Select a policy for them under Overtime policy.
Scroll down and tap Save.
Note: If you change your workweek start day, the change takes effect with the next pay period. The current pay period uses the previous workweek for overtime calculations.
Note: Timesheet entries created from a scheduled shift are included in this review. They show the scheduled time next to the actual hours worked, so you can spot differences at a glance.
Use this section to review timesheets, correct hours, handle overnight shifts, and approve hours for payroll. You need timesheet approval permissions to approve and sync hours to payroll. Once you approve a timesheet, it is locked and cannot be edited by anyone — including admins and managers.
Use these steps to find and review open or past timesheets for your team.
Note: Once payroll runs for a pay period, we move its timesheet out of Open employee timesheets. Find it under View timesheet history instead.
To open and review timesheets:
Go to Time and Attendance, then Time tracking.
In Open employee timesheets, choose:
View for active pay periods
View and sync for past pay periods
You’ll see the first three open timesheets. Select View more if needed.
Click View timesheet to see a detailed breakdown for a team member.
To view timesheets for pay periods where payroll has already run, click View timesheet history and select the pay period.
To open and review timesheets:
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to Time.
Under Open employee timesheets, tap Review to see details for any pay period.
Tap a team member's name to see a detailed breakdown.
To view timesheets for pay periods where payroll has already run, tap Select a pay period near the top of the Timesheets page. Select a past pay date to see details.
Use these steps to correct a team member's hours before payroll processes. For corrections after payroll has run, see the prior period guidance below.
To edit hours on an open timesheet:
Click View timesheet.
Scroll to the day you want to change and click Edit.
Make your updates and click Save.
To see all changes made to a timesheet, scroll to the bottom and open Version history.
To edit hours on an open timesheet:
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to the Time tab and find the pay period.
Tap Review.
Select a team member's name to see their timesheet.
Find a day you need to change and tap to select it.
Select Add or Edit to update their hours.
Contractor hours
For contractors, you see total hours per shift, not clock-in and clock-out times. For example, a shift shows as “2 hrs 15 min” instead of “12:00 pm – 2:15 pm.”
For international contractors, their time is recorded in their local time zone. If you edit their hours, enter the time as it appears to them — Gusto treats it as local to the contractor automatically.
You can edit a contractor’s total hours. If there are no shifts logged for that day yet, editing works the same way it does for employees. If the contractor already logged hours for that day, you can edit one shift at a time. If your entry conflicts with theirs, you’ll see this message, “Contractor has recorded hours for this day that conflict with your entry. Ask them to update their timesheet first.”
Editing a contractor’s project or notes does not change their recorded time.
When you edit or add a contractor’s hours, we notify the contractor and flag the change in their view. In version history, you see your own edits to contractor hours. You do not see the contractor’s own edits.
Correcting a team member's time zone
If a team member's tracked hours appear in the wrong time zone, they can update it themselves under Time tracking, then Settings, then Current time zone. If they need help, direct them to the employee time tracking article for steps.
Correcting hours for a prior pay period
If payroll has already processed, you cannot edit the timesheet directly. To correct prior period hours:
Go to View timesheet history and select the pay period.
Review the hours and identify what needs to be corrected.
Run an off-cycle payroll to pay any missed or corrected hours. Learn how to run an off-cycle payroll.
Shifts that go past midnight are split automatically. If a team member does not clock out before midnight, Gusto ends the shift at 11:59 pm and starts a new one at 12:00 am.
For example, a shift from Thu 10:00 pm – Fri 2:00 am appears as:
Thu 10:00 pm – 11:59 pm
Fri 12:00 am – 2:00 am
Because the shift is split, overtime is calculated separately for each portion. If this causes incorrect overtime:
Open the employee's timesheet and review both shift segments.
Select Edit on the affected shift and adjust the hours manually.
Add a note explaining the change.
Select Save.
If a team member forgot to clock out, edit their hours manually in the Time tracking tab.
Once you've reviewed a timesheet and hours look correct, approve them to sync to payroll.
Toggle to Approved from the employee's timesheet or from the My team's hours page. To approve all at once, select Approve all timesheets.
Important: Approving locks the timesheet. No one can edit it after that point.
When you approve hours for an overtime-eligible employee, those hours sync to payroll automatically. You can edit hours in the payroll flow, but this is not recommended — those edits do not update the time tracking record.
If there are unapproved timesheets when you run payroll, Gusto prompts you to review them before continuing.
When unapproved timesheets exist for a pay period, a Review timesheets step appears at the start of the payroll flow.
Select Approve all to approve every timesheet at once.
Review and approve timesheets one team member at a time.
Select a team member's name to make edits before approving.
Once all timesheets are approved, select Continue.
Gusto sends you a summary of outstanding time issues after each pay period ends, so you can review and resolve them before payroll is due. These alerts surface unapproved timecards and flagged anomalies — like missed clock-outs or missed shifts — that your team members have not yet resolved.
When there are issues to review, Gusto rolls them into your existing Run payroll task on your Home screen. Tapping that task takes you directly into the payroll flow, where the step you land on depends on how many items need attention.
Note: Payroll prep alerts are only available to admins and payroll runners on accounts with Gusto Time Tracking enabled. Alerts begin after the pay period ends — you will not get mid-period notifications about employee time issues.
After a pay period ends, Gusto sends you an email summarizing what needs attention before your payroll deadline. Your Run payroll task on the Home screen updates to reflect any outstanding items and stays visible until payroll is submitted or all items are resolved.
As the deadline approaches, Gusto sends follow-up reminders so nothing falls through the cracks.
Payroll alerts are automatic and can't be turned off.
Gusto sends reminder emails leading up to your payroll deadline:
Immediately after the pay period ends — a summary of unapproved timecards, flagged issues, and your payroll deadline
One to two days before the deadline — a follow-up with any remaining outstanding items
On the payroll due date — a final reminder
When there are time issues to review, your Run payroll task updates to let you know. It groups outstanding items by team member so you can see exactly who needs attention before you run payroll.
Task structure:
Main task: "Pay period [dates]: [X] items need your review" — labeled Due today in red on the payroll due date
Subtasks: One per team member with outstanding issues, for example:
“Amina Daniels — 1 missed clock-out, 1 unapproved timesheet”
“Laura Jones — time-off request pending"
Tapping the task takes you into the payroll flow. If there are items to review, you’ll land on the timesheet review step first. If everything is already resolved, you’ll go directly to the next step in the payroll flow.
The task updates automatically when:
Payroll is submitted for that pay period
You approve an individual timecard (the corresponding subtask clears; the parent clears when all subtasks are resolved)
A team member resolves their own flagged issue
Emails remain in your inbox regardless of resolution status.
Note: A contextual summary of outstanding time issues also appears in the Time section of Gusto and in Step 1 of the payroll flow, so you have a full picture of what needs attention before you run payroll.
Several states require meal and rest breaks for employees. Use this section to understand break types, set up policies, and handle break violations. Check your state's laws before creating policies.
Break policies only apply to overtime-eligible employees — not contractors or overtime-ineligible employees.
Missed required breaks are flagged on timesheets for admin review. Extra breaks are not flagged.
If break premiums are enabled, they are calculated automatically and sync to payroll with timesheet hours.
Before setting up break policies, it helps to understand how meal breaks, rest breaks, and break premiums work in Gusto.
Rest breaks are short, paid, and count toward overtime.
Meal breaks are longer, typically unpaid, and have separate rules and penalties that vary by state.
Break premiums are extra pay owed when a required break is skipped, delayed, shortened, or interrupted. If enabled in your policy, they are calculated automatically and appear on employee timesheets.
Example (California): One additional hour of pay at the employee's regular rate for each missed break, up to two hours per workday.
When a break violation is flagged on a timesheet, the right next step depends on what actually happened.
If the break was taken but not recorded — edit the timesheet to add the break. The violation clears automatically.
If the break was missed and a premium applies — the premium is calculated automatically. Review and approve the timesheet as normal.
If the violation was flagged by mistake — edit the shift to correct the break details and save.
To edit a break:
Go to Time and Attendance, then Time tracking.
Open the employee's timesheet and find the shift with the violation.
Select Edit, update the break details, and select Save.
Gusto may suggest break policies based on where your team members work. Always confirm local rules before assigning a policy.
Add a break policy
Go to Time and Attendance, then Time tracking.
Click Settings and policies in the top-right corner.
On the General tab, find Break policies.
Choose a suggested policy or click Add to create your own.
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to Time.
Tap More.
Select Settings & policies.
Scroll down to Break policies. You can tap Review & add to select a suggested policy, or tap Add a break policy.
Ceate a custom break policy
Click Add a break policy.
Add a nickname and choose which team members to assign.
Enter meal break rules — length, frequency, and whether it is paid.
Optionally select the checkbox next to Automatically add missed meal breaks so Gusto adds a missed meal break to the timesheet automatically at clock-out.
Enter rest break rules — length, frequency, and whether it is paid.
Optionally select the checkbox next to Automatically add missed rest breaks so Gusto adds a missed rest break to the timesheet automatically at clock-out.
Optionally set allowable clock-in times and a four-digit kiosk override PIN.
Choose whether to pay break premiums for missed breaks.
Click Create policy.
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to Time.
Tap More.
Select Settings & policies.
Scroll down to Break policies. Tap Add a break policy.
Select the state and tap Next.
Add a name for the policy and choose team members to assign to it.
Select meal break rules — length, frequency, and whether it is paid.
Optionally select Automatically add missed meal breaks so Gusto adds a missed meal break automatically at clock-out.
Select rest break rules — length, frequency, and whether it is paid.
Optionally select Automatically add missed rest breaks so Gusto adds a missed rest break automatically at clock-out.
Optional: Set allowable clock-in times and a four-digit kiosk override PIN.
Choose whether to pay break premiums for missed breaks.
Tap Create policy.
Auto breaks adds a missing meal or rest break to your timesheet, so you don't have to add it by hand before payroll. Turn it on for team members who clock in and out for their shift but do not separately record their breaks — common in field-based work.
When auto breaks are on, Gusto uses each team member’s break policy and their clock-in and clock-out times to add any missing break automatically. You no longer need to add missing breaks on a shift-by-shift basis.
Auto breaks are set per break policy, so you turn them on when you create or edit a break policy — there's no separate setting. See Add a break policy and Edit or delete a break policy in this section. In the Provided breaks area of that form, select the checkbox next to Automatically add missed meal breaks, Automatically add missed rest breaks, or both, depending on which breaks you want Gusto to add automatically. When you turn it on for a policy, it applies to every team member assigned to that policy.
Note: Automatically added breaks are not recorded by employees, so confirm your team actually took their breaks before you run payroll.
How to tell auto breaks apart
Gusto labels each break it adds with an "Automatically added" tag, so you can tell it apart from a break a team member records
Gusto saves every auto-added break in the timesheet's version history
If a team member records their own break, it stays a normal break with no tag. Gusto only adds a break when one is missing.
If you add a break directly to a shift in Scheduling instead of relying on your break policy, that break only carries into the timesheet when it has a start time, not just a length. This is a compliance requirement, so a break with no start time is left out of the timesheet rather than guessed at. Selecting Automatically add missed meal breaks and Automatically add missed rest breaks in your break policy avoids this, since Gusto calculates and adds the break start time for you based on each shift's start and end time.
Changes take effect the same day and do not apply retroactively.
Edit a break policy
Go to Time and Attendance, then Time tracking.
Click Settings and policies, then the General tab.
Find Break policies and click Edit next to the policy.
Make changes and click Save.
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to Time.
Tap More.
Select Settings & policies.
Scroll down to Break policies. Tap Edit.
Make changes and tap Save.
Delete a break policy
Follow steps 1–3 above.
Click Edit next to the policy, then Delete this break policy.
Click Delete policy and unassign from [X] people.
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to Time.
Tap More.
Select Settings & policies.
Scroll down to Break policies. Tap Edit.
Select Delete this break policy.
Tap Delete policy and unassign from [X] people.
Rules vary by state and sometimes by city or county. Consult an HR professional or legal counsel to confirm what applies to your company.
This table was last revised Jun 2025.
State
Meal break requirements
Rest break requirements
Additional notes
California
30 min unpaid for every 5 hours worked. A second 30 min break for every 10 hours worked.
10 min paid rest for every 2 hours worked (shifts over 3.5 hours).
Missed break premium: one additional hour at regular rate per missed break, up to two hours per workday. Some exempted industries.
Colorado
30+ min unpaid for shifts of 5+ hours.
10 min paid rest: one for 2–6 hours, two for 6–10 hours, three for 10–14 hours, and so on.
Some exempted industries.
Connecticut
30+ min unpaid for shifts over 7.5 hours. Break must fall between the first two and last two hours of the shift.
None required.
Some exempted industries.
Delaware
30+ min unpaid for shifts over 7.5 hours. Break must fall between the first two and last two hours of the shift.
None required.
Some exempted industries.
Illinois
20+ min for shifts of 7.5+ hours, no later than 5 hours after work begins. An additional 20 min for every 4.5 continuous hours after that.
None required.
Some exempted industries.
Kentucky
30+ min unpaid, as close to the middle of the shift as possible, between three and five hours after start.
10 min paid rest for every four hours worked.
Does not apply to collective bargaining agreements. Some exempted industries.
Maine
30+ min unpaid or rest break for shifts of 6+ hours.
Same as meal break.
Does not apply to collective bargaining agreements. Some exempted industries.
Maryland
30+ min for employees in certain retail establishments working 6+ hours.
None required.
Only applies to retail establishments with 50+ employees.
Massachusetts
30+ min for shifts of 6+ hours.
None required.
Employees may voluntarily waive with written agreement.
Michigan
No requirements for employees 18 and older.
Employees under 18 may not work more than 5 hours without a 30 min uninterrupted break.
Daily records must reflect shift start, end, and break times.
Minnesota
30+ min for shifts of 8+ hours.
None required.
Does not apply to collective bargaining agreements.
Nebraska
30+ min for shifts of 8+ hours in certain industries.
None required.
Only applies to assembly plants, workshops, or mechanical establishments.
Nevada
30+ min unpaid for each 8-hour work period.
10 min paid rest for every 2–4 hours worked (shifts over 3.5 hours).
Employees may voluntarily waive with written agreement. Does not apply to collective bargaining agreements.
New Hampshire
30+ min for shifts over 5 hours, unless the employee can eat while working and the employer allows it.
None required.
Employees may voluntarily waive with written agreement.
New York
30+ min for shifts of 6+ hours spanning 11:00 am – 2:00 pm. 45+ min for shifts starting between 1:00 pm and 6:00 am.
None required.
Factory workers have different requirements.
North Dakota
30+ min for shifts over 5 hours.
20+ min between 5:00 – 7:00 pm for shifts starting before 11:00 am and ending after 7:00 pm.
Applies when two or more employees are on duty. Employees may voluntarily waive with written agreement.
Oregon
One 30+ min break for 6–14 hour shifts. Two for 14–22 hours. Three for 22–24 hours.
10 min paid rest: one for 2–6 hours, two for 6–10 hours, four for 10–18 hours, five for 18–22 hours, six for 22–24 hours.
Does not apply to collective bargaining agreements.
Rhode Island
20 min for 6-hour shifts. 30 min for 8-hour shifts.
None required.
Some exempted industries.
Tennessee
30+ min after the first hour for shifts of 6+ hours.
Same as meal break.
Some exempted industries. Employees in certain industries may voluntarily waive with written agreement.
Vermont
Reasonable opportunity to eat during work.
Reasonable opportunity to use the restroom during work.
Applies to both meal and restroom breaks.
Washington
30+ min unpaid for shifts of 5+ hours, between two and five hours after the start of the workday. An additional 30 min within 5 hours of the last meal break.
10+ min paid rest for every 4 hours worked. No more than 3 hours without a rest break.
Employees may voluntarily waive with written agreement. Additional requirements during overtime.
West Virginia
20+ min for shifts of 6+ hours.
None required.
Use this section to control how and where team members can clock in, whether they can edit their own timesheets, and how to view a full history of timesheet changes.
The timesheet settings control clock-in access and editing permissions for all employees using time tracking.
Note: Timesheet settings apply to all employees using time tracking. You cannot set different rules for different employees. Contractors can always view and edit their own timesheets.
To set up timesheet settings:
Go to Time and Attendance, then Time tracking.
Click Settings and policies in the top-right corner.
Select the Timesheets tab and click Edit.
Choose where employees can clock in and out, and whether they can edit their timesheets.
Click Submit.
To set up timesheet settings:
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to Time.
In the top-right corner, tap More.
Select Settings & policies.
Tap Timesheets.
Next to Worker timesheet settings, tap Edit.
Choose where workers can clock in and out, and whether they can edit their timesheets.
Select Save settings.
If you use Scheduling with Time tracking, you can build timesheets from your published shifts.
We create a timesheet automatically at the end of the pay period and send the hours to payroll, so you do not need to enter shifts by hand.
When this setting is on:
Employees cannot clock in or out. Their hours come from the published schedule.
We make the timesheets at the end of the pay period, not the moment you turn on the setting. If your current pay period is still open, your first timesheets show up once it closes.
Turn off the setting to bring back clock-in and clock-out.
Before you start
Make sure you use Gusto Scheduling with Time tracking.
Publish shifts for every worker whose hours you want to include.
Set up your break policy and your overtime policy, if you use one, before you publish your shifts. Break policies are applied on the date they were created. Shifts published before that date will not have the break policy applied, and changes will not be applied retroactively. If you published shifts before setting up or changing your break policy, delete those shifts, confirm your break policy is set up the way you want, then recreate and republish the shifts.
To turn on schedule-based timesheets (in a web browser):
Go to Time and Attendance, then Time tracking.
In the top-right corner, click More.
Select Settings and policies.
Select the Timesheets tab.
Next to Team member access, click Edit.
Toggle to Using schedule-based timesheets. Here's what to know:
Gusto automatically adds employee shifts at the end of each pay period, with no clocking in or out.
You need to add contractor shifts by hand. Gusto cannot add them to timesheets yet.
You need to check timesheets before you run payroll. Scheduled shifts sync to timesheets on the last day of the pay period, so review and update each entry to match the actual hours worked.
To capture real clock-in and clock-out times, select the other option instead.
Click Save.
To turn on schedule-based timesheets (mobile app):
Open the Gusto app and sign in.
Go to Time.
In the top-right corner, tap More.
Select Settings & policies.
Tap Timesheets.
Next to Team member access, tap Edit.
Select Using schedule-based timesheets. Here is what to know:
Gusto automatically adds employee shifts at the end of each pay period, with no clocking in or out.
You need to add contractor shifts by hand. Gusto cannot add them to timesheets yet.
You need to check timesheets before you run payroll. Scheduled shifts sync to timesheets on the last day of the pay period, so review and update each entry to match the actual hours worked.
To capture real clock-in and clock-out times, select the other option instead.
Tap Save.
Why your timesheets have not shown up yet
Gusto makes timesheets when the pay period closes. If the period is still open, the timesheets are not ready yet. They show up automatically once it ends.
Version history shows every change made to a timesheet — who made it, when, and what changed. Use this to audit edits or resolve disputes.
Changes include adding or removing hours, editing shift times, clocking in or out, changing breaks, and changing jobs or projects.
To see version history:
Go to Time and Attendance, then Time tracking.
Open the timesheet and scroll to the bottom.
Click Version history.
Edits are sorted oldest to newest by default. You can sort by time within a workday.
To see version history:
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to Time.
Select the pay period you want to see history for.
Select the name of the worker whose timesheet you want to see.
Scroll to the bottom of their timesheet and tap Version history.
When an employee has multiple pay rates, Gusto splits overtime and double overtime hours across each rate using a ratio based on hours worked. Use this section to understand how that calculation works.
Example:
Rate 1: $10/hr — 20 hours worked
Rate 2: $15/hr — 30 hours worked
Total: 50 hours, including five overtime hours and five double overtime hours
How overtime is split:
Rate 1 overtime: (20 ÷ 50) × 5 = two hours
Rate 2 overtime: 5 − 2 = three hours
How double overtime is split:
Rate 1 double overtime: (20 ÷ 50) × 5 = two hours
Rate 2 double overtime: 5 − 2 = three hours
Total hours check: 16 + 2 + 2 + 24 + 3 + 3 = 50 hours ✓
Important: Hours for employees with multiple pay rates are tracked by workweek. Only compare one workweek of hours at a time — not a full pay period.
When you dismiss a team member, their time tracking hours move to a separate off-cycle period so you can still review and approve them before running the dismissal payroll.
Their hours move to an off-cycle pay period labeled Off-cycle on your time tracking dashboard.
Admins and managers can still review, edit, and approve these hours.
For international contractors, only admins — not managers — can review, edit, or approve their hours, whether or not they've been dismissed.
To sync dismissed team members' hours to a dismissal payroll, select Sync hours to payroll, then Sync hours and go to payroll.
Managers can review hours but will not see anything about the dismissal.
Team members can view and confirm their timesheet until their last day.
Disabling time tracking affects all enrolled team members. To remove just one person, see Add or remove team members instead. The process for removing time tracking varies by product plan.
Note: If you generate timesheets from scheduled shifts, turning off time tracking also stops Gusto from making them and brings back clock-in and clock-out. When you turn time tracking back on, Gusto goes back to making timesheets from the schedule at the end of each pay period.
To turn off time tracking for Plus and Premium plans, follow these steps:
Click your company name at the bottom of the left menu.
Under Settings click Customization.
Scroll to Time tracking and click Edit.
Toggle to Disabled and click Save.
To turn off time tracking for the Simple plan with the Time and Attendance add-on, follow these steps:
Click your company name at the bottom of the left menu.
Under Settings click Plan and billing.
Click Remove under Add-ons.
To turn off time tracking, follow these steps:
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
In the top-right corner, tap the You icon.
Select Company.
Tap Customization.
Next to Time tracking, tap Edit.
Select Disabled.
Tap Save.
Q: Will team members be notified about deadlines to enter time?
A: Yes. Here's when each person gets notified:
Employees get an email on the final business day of the pay period reminding them to enter time.
Contractors get an email every Friday afternoon.
Managers get an email the business day after the pay period ends to review hours.
Team members get in-app notifications to review timesheets and correct clock-out times before the pay period ends.
Q: Can I use Gusto Time tracking and Payroll on AutoPilot® together?
A: We do not recommend it. There may not be enough time for managers and admins to review and approve hours before payroll processes.
Q: How does time tracking affect an employee's default hours?
A: Time tracking replaces default hours with actual clocked hours.
Q: Can hours for a future date be entered?
A: No.
Q: How do I correct hours for a past pay period after payroll has run?
A: You cannot edit a timesheet after payroll has processed. Go to View timesheet history, review the hours, and run an off-cycle payroll to correct any missed or incorrect hours.
Q: How does Gusto handle overnight shifts?
A: Gusto splits shifts at midnight. A shift from 10:00 pm to 2:00 am appears as two shifts — one ending at 11:59 pm and one starting at 12:00 am. If this affects overtime, edit the shift segments manually to correct the hours.
Q: Can an employee choose to skip a meal or rest break?
A: In most states, yes — if the break was offered. In some states like California, employees may only skip breaks under certain conditions. Consult an HR professional or legal counsel to confirm what applies to your team.
Q: Are employees entitled to both meal and rest breaks?
A: Many states require both. Confirm your exact obligations with an HR professional or legal counsel.