Tired of manual PTO tracking spreadsheets?
Juggling leave requests and calculating accruals by hand is a recipe for mistakes. It’s a constant headache for you and your HR team.
The real issue is that inaccurate accrual balances frustrate employees and put your company at risk. This creates a compliance nightmare nobody wants.
These small, manual errors add up quickly, chipping away at productivity and morale. You end up spending far more time correcting problems than preventing them.
The right software automates this entire messy process. It will help you eliminate errors and save time for everyone on your team.
In this guide, I’m going to review the best time off tracking software available. I’ll break down the features that matter to help you find the perfect fit.
You’ll discover solutions that streamline approvals, ensure accurate balances, and give your employees the easy-to-use self-service options they actually want.
Let’s get started.
Quick Summary:
| # | Software | Rating | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BambooHR → | Small to mid-sized businesses | |
| 2 | Rippling → | Mid-sized companies | |
| 3 | Paycor → | Mid-sized companies | |
| 4 | Clockify → | Mid-sized companies | |
| 5 | When I Work → | Managers focusing on efficiency |
1. BambooHR
Is inaccurate time off tracking consuming your team’s valuable time? You’re likely dealing with manual errors and complex approval processes.
BambooHR helps you streamline time off requests, manage multi-rate pay, and simplify benefits enrollment, all from one platform. This means you can finally eliminate the headaches of manual data entry and approval workflows. You’ll simplify processes and enjoy accurate payroll.
This is how you get your HR processes running smoothly.
BambooHR provides a single platform to combine all your HR systems, which significantly improves efficiency and user-friendliness. You can track hours and manage time off requests directly within its comprehensive payroll and time features. This integration means no more data double entry or manual approval processes, ensuring accurate payroll for everyone. Additionally, the platform offers pre-built reports, automated workflows, and in-depth analytics, providing instant answers to your HR data questions.
Stop wasting precious hours on tedious tasks.
Key features:
- Centralized HR platform: Consolidate hiring, onboarding, payroll, time off, benefits, and reporting into one easy-to-use system, eliminating manual double entry and saving your team significant time.
- Streamlined time off management: Simplify time off requests and accruals, ensuring accurate balances and reducing administrative burdens for HR and operations teams.
- Integrated payroll capabilities: Run accurate payroll with automated data flow, handling multi-rate pay and providing comprehensive reporting for compliance and efficiency.
BambooHR features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: If you’re seeking the best time off tracking software to eliminate manual errors and improve efficiency, BambooHR is an excellent choice. Users report saving hundreds of hours weekly and reducing HR costs by up to 40% annually by centralizing data, automating processes, and simplifying time off management.
2. Rippling
Tired of time off tracking headaches?
Rippling’s workforce management simplifies time and attendance, automating tracking for you. This means you can eliminate manual errors and ensure accurate accrual balances with ease. You’ll gain enhanced control over compliance and administrative tasks. Here’s how to streamline operations.
Rippling introduces an all-in-one platform for HR, IT, and Spend, allowing you to manage employee data and operations from a single place. I appreciate that you can automate time tracking and build smarter schedules. This consolidates your workforce data for comprehensive insights. Additionally, you can utilize the Workflow Studio to trigger advanced workflows using any data, enforce company rules automatically with Policies, and leverage Analytics to report on anything across your applications. Plus, Integrations enhance third-party app performance, unifying your systems. The result is a more efficient, error-free time off process.
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Key features:
- Time & Attendance: Automate time tracking to ensure accurate accrual balances and reduce manual errors, giving you precise control over employee time.
- Workflow Studio: Trigger advanced workflows using any data, streamlining approval processes and policy enforcement for time off requests efficiently.
- Integrations: Push third-party apps to perform better, ensuring seamless data flow between your existing payroll and HR systems, reducing administrative burden.
Rippling features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Rippling stands out as a powerful, integrated solution for mid-sized companies seeking the best time off tracking software. Its ability to automate time tracking, combine HR, IT, and spend management, and ensure compliance provides a unified system that eliminates errors and saves significant administrative time, as seen with customers like Blank Street Coffee saving 40 hours during open enrollment.
3. Paycor
Is your time off tracking costing you time and accuracy?
Paycor’s comprehensive workforce management solutions streamline your operations by integrating time and attendance with advanced scheduling. This means you can control labor costs, manage overtime, and minimize compliance risks through accurate timekeeping.
Their platform offers a single source of truth for all employee data, helping eliminate manual tracking errors and saving significant administrative time. Plus, features like employee self-service via a mobile app simplify things further.
Here’s how Paycor delivers a streamlined system.
You gain powerful insights to make critical business decisions, and their configurable software helps manage schedules effectively. This integrated approach ensures optimal coverage, allowing you to organize your team efficiently and communicate real-time information. Additionally, leaders can effectively manage labor spend and maximize productivity. Their robust system also simplifies compliance management, helping you stay ahead of ever-changing labor laws and protecting your data.
The result is reduced administrative burden and improved compliance.
Key features:
- Integrated Time + Attendance: This capability helps control labor costs and mitigate risk with accurate timekeeping for your entire workforce.
- Employee Scheduling Software: Organize your team, manage complex schedules efficiently, and communicate critical information in real-time.
- Mobile Self-Service: Employees can access and manage their own time off, reducing administrative tasks and improving overall satisfaction.
Paycor features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Paycor truly stands out as a strong contender for the best time off tracking software, especially for mid-sized companies seeking to eliminate errors and save time. Their integrated workforce management, robust compliance features, and employee self-service options, as highlighted by Kansas Heart Hospital’s significant time savings, directly address common pain points for HR Managers and Operations Directors.
4. Clockify
Struggling with complex PTO tracking and administrative burdens?
Clockify offers time off management, approval workflows, and scheduling to streamline your processes. This directly addresses your challenges in managing employee leaves and holidays efficiently.
Imagine eliminating manual tracking errors and ensuring accurate accrual balances; Clockify brings clarity and control to your team’s time.
Here’s how Clockify helps.
Clockify provides robust timekeeping options like a timer, timesheet, and kiosk, ensuring accurate work hour capture. It then integrates with features such as attendance tracking for daily employee presence and overtime.
You can manage leaves and holidays with dedicated time off functionality, and simplify workflows with timesheet approval capabilities. This means less manual reconciliation and more reliable data for compliance and payroll. Additionally, its planning features allow you to manage resources, capacity, and utilization effectively.
Plus, you can analyze time spent with detailed reports, track project budgets, and even calculate payroll and employee costs directly within the system. This provides a comprehensive overview of your team’s productivity and cost implications, from tracking daily attendance to processing pay.
The result is reduced administrative time.
Key features:
- Time Off Management: Centralize the tracking and management of employee leaves, holidays, and accruals, providing clear visibility and reducing manual errors.
- Approval Workflows: Streamline the submission and approval of timesheets and time off requests, ensuring accountability and compliance for your team.
- Comprehensive Reporting: Gain insights into where time goes, analyze costs, track attendance, and prepare data for accurate payroll and invoicing.
Clockify features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Clockify stands out as a strong contender for the best time off tracking software, particularly for mid-sized companies aiming to eliminate errors and save time. Its robust features like dedicated time off management, approval workflows, and payroll calculation address core pain points, ensuring compliance and efficiency for HR and Operations Directors.
5. When I Work
Tired of time off tracking headaches?
When I Work offers robust features like a time clock that precisely tracks attendance, breaks, and time off. This means you can easily manage time off requests and reduce manual errors.
You can onboard new employees and approve time off requests in seconds, streamlining your HR tasks and ensuring compliance without hassle.
This means less administrative burden for you.
When I Work simplifies managing employee time off with its intuitive mobile and desktop apps. You can approve time off requests instantly, fostering team empowerment.
While we’re discussing streamlining operations, my guide on ambulance management software could be helpful if you’re in that specific industry.
Here’s how: your team can manage availability and submit time-off requests directly, reducing back-and-forth communication. Additionally, the time clock feature ensures accurate attendance tracking, which helps control labor costs by limiting clock-ins to shifts and locations. Plus, with payroll integration, you can import timesheets to process payroll quickly and accurately, eliminating errors and saving valuable time.
The result is a smoother workflow.
Key features:
- Integrated Time Clock: Transforms any device into a time clock, efficiently tracking attendance, breaks, and crucial time off requests to streamline operations.
- Effortless Time Off Approvals: Empowers your team to submit and manage availability and time-off requests, allowing managers to approve them in seconds, enhancing efficiency.
- Payroll Integration: Seamlessly imports timesheets for quick and accurate payroll processing, eliminating manual errors and reducing overall administrative time.
When I Work features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: When I Work excels as the best time off tracking software, simplifying employee scheduling, time tracking, and communication. Its core features like the versatile time clock and one-click scheduling help you control labor costs and reduce overtime, making it ideal for managers focused on efficiency and accuracy.
6. UKG
Are manual time off processes slowing you down?
UKG offers Human Capital Management (HCM) and Workforce Management solutions to streamline your HR, payroll, and time processes. This means you can eliminate manual tracking errors, ensuring accurate accrual balances.
Here’s how UKG helps: their solutions are designed to streamline and automate administrative and HR tasks. This directly addresses the pain point of overwhelming choices and the need for administrative controls.
Automate your time off management.
UKG Pro and UKG Ready provide intuitive, all-in-one HR and payroll software that scales with your organization. This helps you achieve streamlined systems for better compliance and reduced administrative time.
You can combine HR, payroll, talent, and time management in a single solution, meaning your team can spend more time on strategic initiatives rather than administrative burdens. This includes reducing PBJ reporting time by 99% for some customers, significantly boosting efficiency.
This ensures long-term success and growth.
If you’re also looking into healthcare-specific software, my article on best patient engagement software covers seamless EHR integration and compliance.
Key features:
- Integrated HCM Solution: Combines HR, payroll, and workforce management to eliminate errors and ensure accurate time off accruals and balances.
- Automated Administrative Tasks: Streamlines workflows for time off requests and approvals, reducing manual effort and improving compliance with labor laws.
- Scalable and Intuitive Platform: Designed to grow with your business, providing a user-friendly experience for both employees and HR managers.
UKG features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: If you’re a mid-sized company struggling with manual errors and complex processes, UKG offers the best time off tracking software. Its integrated HCM, payroll, and workforce management capabilities help eliminate inaccuracies and streamline operations, saving your team valuable time as seen with the Dallas YMCA saving over 600 hours annually.
7. Harvest
Is managing employee time off giving you headaches?
Harvest offers simple time tracking your team will actually use, making it easier to log hours and manage projects. This means less administrative burden for you.
You’ll gain crucial insights into your projects and team, helping to monitor budgets and track expenses effectively.
Here’s how to eliminate manual tracking errors.
Harvest simplifies time tracking across all your projects, turning that data into instant reports. This helps you maintain accurate accrual balances.
With features like 1-click time tracking, mobile apps, and automatic reminders, your team can easily track time daily. Additionally, you can set hourly or fixed-fee budgets for projects and receive alerts when limits are reached, ensuring your projects stay profitable. Plus, Harvest integrates with tools like Google Calendar and Slack, streamlining your workflows.
The result is reduced administrative time and improved compliance.
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Key features:
- Simple time tracking: Offers 1-click tracking via desktop, mobile, and web apps, including subtle daily reminders to ensure accurate time logging.
- Comprehensive reporting: Generates instant reports on project budgets, time spent on tasks, team capacity, and expenses, with drill-down capabilities for detailed insights.
- Budget and cost monitoring: Allows you to set project budgets with real-time tracking and alerts, plus easily track and upload receipts for client and project expenses.
Harvest features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: If you’re seeking the best time off tracking software that is simple to use and provides powerful reporting, Harvest is an excellent choice. It’s trusted by over 70,000 companies for its intuitive time tracking, budget monitoring, and seamless integrations, helping you streamline operations and gain valuable insights.
8. Timetastic
Tired of manual time off tracking errors?
Timetastic eliminates chaotic spreadsheets and paper forms, centralizing your absence records. This means you can finally streamline your time off management process.
The result? Better planning and smarter operations.
Timetastic introduces a holiday tracker with a centralized, up-to-date record of all absences. This means you can say goodbye to tedious manual updates. You can easily book leave via mobile, check the Wallchart to see who’s off, and managers can approve requests with a simple click. Additionally, each team member gets a personal holiday calendar, providing a complete overview of their annual leave. Plus, you receive instant email notifications, ensuring everyone stays informed. With over 200,000 users, Timetastic makes managing team absences a breeze.
Before diving deeper, you might find my analysis of customer self service software helpful.
Key features:
- Centralized absence record: Maintain an accurate, real-time overview of all staff absences, eliminating the need for messy spreadsheets and paper forms for better planning.
- Mobile leave booking & Wallchart: Empower your team to book leave from anywhere via mobile and visualize team availability instantly on a shared Wallchart.
- Personal holiday calendar & notifications: Provide each employee with their own holiday calendar for self-service allowance tracking and receive instant email notifications for all requests.
Timetastic features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Timetastic streamlines absence management, making it an excellent choice for teams and small companies seeking the best time off tracking software. Its ability to eliminate manual errors and provide clear visibility of allowances saves significant time and boosts employee satisfaction, as attested by over 200,000 users.
Conclusion
Ready to finally fix PTO tracking?
Choosing from so many options is tough. The wrong tool creates more work, inaccurate balances, and frustrated employees, which nobody wants.
The real issue is the hidden cost of manual tracking. It isn’t just about hours lost to spreadsheets. It’s the constant risk of compliance issues and low morale that truly hurts your business.
So, what’s my top recommendation?
After testing these tools, BambooHR is the clear winner. It solves these exact problems by centralizing all HR systems into one simple platform.
Their users report saving hundreds of hours. When you implement the best time off tracking software like this one, you automate processes and reclaim that valuable time.
Speaking of optimizing your business systems, exploring solutions for automating asset tracking is also vital for ensuring overall operational compliance.
I suggest you start a free trial of BambooHR to see the immediate impact it has on your team’s operations.
You will streamline your entire HR process.
