As a contractor, you may have multiple options to track your hours, depending on your employer’s Time tracking settings.
If you're an international contractor: You can log your hours by creating shifts in Timesheets, using your local time. Clocking in/out and the Time Kiosk aren't available to you. Only your admin — not your manager — can see and manage your timesheets.
Important: If you do not see the option to track your hours using the methods below, or if you do not have a “Time tracking” section, ask your employer to grant you access to the Time tracking feature.
You can manually enter start and end times for each day worked in the Time tracking section of your Gusto account or in the mobile app under the Time tab. Your employer may also choose to enable a clock in/out functionality for you, either through your Gusto account or a Gusto kiosk on-site.
Your admin can see your total hours in Gusto. If you’re not an international contractor, your manager can see them too. No one but you can see your clock-in and clock-out times. It’s up to you to keep your hours accurate.
You’ll be able to edit your hours in your Gusto account up until your admin processes the payment for those hours.
To manually enter hours in your web browser:
Click Time & Attendance, then Time tracking.
Select a date range from the dropdown.
To clock in and out, hover over the Hours column and click +Add hours or edit if you’ve already entered hours worked.
If you’re unable to edit or add hours, the company has already submitted a payment for that date range. In this case, you'll need to reach out to your payroll admin for further assistance.
Select your clock-in and clock-out time period(s) for the day and whether you took a break.
(Optional) Enter a note.
Click Submit.
To manually enter hours in the mobile app:
Sign in to the Gusto mobile app.
Tap the Time tab at the bottom of the screen.
Tap the Current week.
Tap Add hours or Edit if you’ve already entered hours worked.
If you cannot edit or add hours, the company has already submitted a payment for that date range. Reach out to your payroll admin for further assistance.
Select your clock-in and clock-out time period(s) for the day and whether you took a break.
(Optional) Enter a note.
Tap Save.
To view the hours you've submitted, go to the Time tracking section of your account. Change the date range in the top-right corner if needed.
Your admin can edit your total hours. For example, they might fix a mistake before payment. When they make a change, your timesheet shows an “Edited by admin” flag so you know something changed. The flag reads, “Admin edited total hours. Time stamps reset by Gusto. Contact admin if total hours do not look correct.”
You can always see your own hours and any edits made to them. If you clock in and out, you can also see those exact times. If your total hours do not look right, contact your admin.
To clock in and out in your web browser:
Find the Time tracking tile on your dashboard and click Clock in.
When you're done working, click Clock out.
Gusto will automatically calculate your time worked for the day and log it in your Time tracking tab. You can go to the Time tracking tab to make changes as-needed.
To view the hours you've submitted, head to the Time tracking section of your account. Change the date range in the top right corner if needed.
To clock in and out in the Gusto mobile app:
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Tap the Time tab at the bottom of the screen.
Tap Clock in to start your shift.
Tap Clock out when you’re done working.
Tracking contractor hours on a kiosk is only available for domestic (US) contractors who are paid an hourly rate.
To clock in:
On any device that's been set up as a Time kiosk, navigate the device's browser to kiosk.gusto.com.
Find your name on the Time kiosk entry screen by scrolling or using the search bar and select your name.
Enter your PIN.
You can reset your PIN from your Gusto account on the web by following the steps in Set up or reset your PIN.
Tap Clock in.
After a few seconds, the screen will automatically switch back to the entry screen for the next person to clock in or out.
You can also tap Sign out to send it back to the entry screen sooner.
To clock out:
On any device that's been set up as a Time kiosk, navigate the device's browser to kiosk.gusto.com.
Find your name on the Time kiosk entry screen by scrolling or using the search bar and select your name.
Enter your PIN.
You can reset your PIN from your Gusto account on the web by following the steps in Set up or reset your PIN.
Tap Clock out.
After a few seconds, the screen will automatically switch back to the entry screen for the next person to clock in or out.
You can also tap Sign out to send it back to the entry screen sooner.
To take a break, simply clock out. When you are ready to start work again, you can clock in again. There’s no limit on how often you can clock in and out.
Gusto will automatically calculate your time worked for the day and log it in your Time tracking tab. You can go to the Time tracking tab to make changes as-needed.
To view the hours you've submitted, head to the Time tracking section of your account. Change the date range in the top-right corner if needed.
You can clock in and out multiple times in one day, for example, if you take a break.
Live Activities are an iPhone feature that shows real-time info from an app on your lock screen and in the Dynamic Island (available on iPhone 14 Pro or newer).
Gusto uses Live Activities for Gusto Time Tracking. When you clock in from the Gusto mobile app, a Live Activity for your shift appears. From there, you can:
See your shift timer. It shows how long you've worked so far.
Tap Take a break to start your break. The Live Activity turns orange and shows a coffee cup icon while you're on break.
Managing breaks through Live Activities is not yet available for contractors.
Tap End break to go back to work.
Tap Clock out to end your shift.
Open the app. Tap the Live Activity to go to the Time tab in the Gusto mobile app.
Note: This feature is still in beta and not yet available to everyone.
When you clock in, your iPhone may ask whether to allow Live Activities from Gusto. Tap Allow to turn them on.
How to turn on Live Activities if it was initially denied
If you tapped Don't Allow when your iPhone asked earlier, this option will not populate the next time you sign in. To turn Live Activities on:
Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Scroll down and tap Apps.
Tap Gusto.
Use the toggle to turn Live Activities on.
You always need to clock in from the Gusto mobile app. You cannot clock in from a Live Activity.
Open the Gusto mobile app and sign in.
Go to the Time tab.
Tap Clock in.
Lock your phone or leave the app. Your Live Activity appears on your lock screen and in the dynamic island.
Note: The placement of the Live Activities on your lock screen is not something Gusto controls.
You can turn off Live Activities in your iPhone's Settings app:
Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Scroll down and tap Apps.
Tap Gusto.
Use the toggle to turn Live Activities off.
When you turn Live Activities off for an app, that app will not prompt you to enable it again. You’ll need to manually turn Live Activities back on.
Note: Live Activities are separate from push notifications. You can turn off notifications from Gusto and still see Live Activities.
If you do not see your Live Activity, here are some common troubleshooting tips:
Check your company's time tracking setup. Live Activities are not yet available for companies that require location sharing for time tracking or have a break policy. Your company must also allow you to track time from your mobile device.
Check your iPhone settings. Make sure Live Activities is turned on for Gusto.
Update the app. Make sure you have the latest version of the Gusto mobile app.
Open the app.
If you work a long shift without opening the app, your Live Activity may go away. Your shift is not affected. Open the Gusto mobile app to refresh your status.
If an action does not go through (ex. you lost internet connection), the Live Activity shows “Couldn't update the status." Open the Gusto mobile app to check your status and try again.
Check your lock screen privacy settings. Some iPhone privacy settings can hide Live Activity details on your lock screen.
Keep in mind: If you change your time somewhere else (like on a web browser), the Live Activity will not update until you open the Gusto app.
If your employer uses Gusto Scheduling and you have a published shift, you can clock in directly to it. This links your worked time to the schedule, so you can see planned and actual hours together on your timesheet.
To clock in to a scheduled shift in a web browser, you can do it from your Home page or from Time tracking.
From your Home page
To clock in from your Home page, follow these steps:
On your Home page, find the Time tracking tile.
If you have an upcoming scheduled shift, you'll see the shift time and job or role. Select Clock in.
If you clock in before your shift is scheduled to start, Gusto asks you to confirm. Select Clock in early to continue, or Cancel to wait.
When your shift ends, select Clock out.
From Time tracking
To clock in from Time tracking, follow these steps:
Go to Time tracking.
Find your scheduled shift for the day. It shows as No hours tracked, with the scheduled time, breaks, and project.
Select Clock in.
When your shift ends, select Clock out.
To clock in to a scheduled shift in the Gusto mobile app:
On the Home screen, tap Clock in.
If you have a scheduled shift, tap it to clock in directly to that shift.
If you clock in before your shift is scheduled to start: Select Clock in early to continue, or Cancel to wait.
When your shift ends, tap Clock out.
To clock in to a scheduled shift at the kiosk:
Find your name on the Kiosk and select it.
Enter your PIN.
If a scheduled shift is available, select it. Then confirm to clock in.
Note: If you don't have a scheduled shift, or prefer not to link one, select Clock in for an unscheduled shift instead. Your worked time is recorded without a shift link.
Create a timesheet entry from a scheduled shift
On your timesheet, an unworked scheduled shift shows as a placeholder with the scheduled time, breaks, and project. Select Clock in on that row to start your shift, or select Add to enter your hours manually.
Note: If your employer builds timesheets from your schedule, you cannot clock in or out. Your hours come from your published shifts, and Gusto makes your timesheet automatically at the end of the pay period. To see your shifts, check your work schedule.
Until your scheduled hours sync, a day with no hours logged shows Add instead of Edit. Select Add to enter your actual start and end time for that day, including any time worked beyond your scheduled shift. Hours you add or edit yourself are not overwritten when your scheduled hours sync in. If your hours still look wrong after they sync, edit or remove them, or contact your employer.
Your PIN is used to access the Time kiosk to clock in and out. Do not share your PIN with anyone else.
Set up your PIN for the first time in your Gusto account
Click Time & Attendance, then Time tracking.
Toggle to the Settings tab.
Under the Time kiosk PIN section, click edit.
Enter a custom 4-digit PIN.
Click Save.
Your PIN will be immediately updated across all Time Kiosks.
Set up your PIN for the first time at a Time kiosk
On any device that has been set up as a Time kiosk, navigate the device's browser to kiosk.gusto.com.
Find your name on the Time kiosk entry screen by scrolling or using the search bar and select your name.
Enter a custom 4-digit PIN.
Re-enter your PIN on the next screen to confirm.
Your PIN will be immediately updated across all Time Kiosks.
Reset your PIN in your Gusto account
Click Time & Attendance, then Time tracking.
Toggle to the Settings tab.
Under the Time kiosk PIN section, click Edit.
Enter a new 4-digit PIN.
Click Save.
Your PIN will be immediately updated across all Time Kiosks.
Reset your PIN from a Time kiosk
On any device that has been set up as a Time kiosk, navigate the device's browser to kiosk.gusto.com.
Find your name on the Time kiosk entry screen by scrolling or using the search bar and select your name.
Click Forgot your PIN? below the number keypad.
We’ll email you with instructions to reset your PIN to your work email. If you don't have a work email entered in Gusto, it will be sent to your personal email that's in Gusto.
If your admin has assigned you to a project, you can tag your hours to projects and tasks when you track time.
Project and task dropdowns appear when you clock in or manually enter your hours.If a project has no tasks, the task dropdown does not appear.
Selecting a project is optional. You can still log hours without tagging them to a project or task.
If your tracked hours appear to be associated with the incorrect time zone, follow the steps below to update the time zone.
Click Time & Attendance, then Time tracking.
Toggle to the Settings tab.
Click edit next to Current timezone.
Select the correct timezone from the dropdown list.
Click Save.