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QuickBooks Time Review

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QuickBooks Time is a solid time-tracking tool. It provides remote workers with numerous ways to clock in and offers geo-tracking so employers can monitor where their workers are. Up against its competitors, it stacks up well. That said, there’s somewhat limited customer support, and small businesses on a budget will have to pay monthly and per-employee fees.

QuickBooks Time home page

Compare QuickBooks Time to the Best Time Tracking Software

QuickBooks Time is a valuable option for businesses that need to manage their mobile workforce. However, the software did not make our top picks list due to its limited customer support and dual monthly fees, the latter of which isn’t ideal for small businesses just getting started.

We picked the six best time tracking software, looking in detail at the features of each. We found Time Doctor to be the best for most because of its affordable price tag, ease of use, and exhaustive reporting options. See all of our top picks to get an idea of how each stacks up.

QuickBooks Time: The Good and The Bad

The Good

Robust Geo-Technology: QuickBooks Time provides geo-technology that allows you to geofence boundaries to ensure workers are clocking in (and out) on mobile devices. QuickBooks can send notifications to remind employees to clock in and out when they enter and leave a job site. 

Useful Job Tracking: QuickBooks offers competitive job-tracking features that allow you to manage employee hours against specific projects and tasks. Managers and employees can easily see an in-app activity feed, write project notes, and add digital signatures to timesheets. 

Full Mobile App: QuickBooks Time provides you with mobile time tracking and a timesheet app to capture, submit, and approve time on the go. Mobile scheduling makes it simple to update and share employee schedules, and the app is available on Google Play and the App Store. 

The Bad

Slight Learning Curve: A few functions can be hard to use for those just getting started, and things could be more detailed. The overtime calculator and job costs function would benefit from having an itemized list. QuickBooks Time isn’t horrendous to use, but there could be improvements. 

Limited Customer Support: Customer support is typically professional and can provide help when needed. That said, the phone and live chat support are available only from Monday through Friday, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. PT. You can find 24/7 support elsewhere as standard. 

Expensive Dual Fees: QuickBooks Time charges a flat monthly fee in addition to a monthly per-employee fee, which isn’t ideal for small businesses on a budget. Others on the market tend to charge one or the other, not both—it’s expensive software and not that competitively priced. 

QuickBooks Time Pricing and Options

QuickBooks Time comes in two main tiers: Premium and Elite.

QuickBooks Time pricing for Elite and Premium plans

The Premium tier allows you to track time and attendance for your team and includes a mobile app with GPS, job scheduling, and unlimited live customer support. It costs $20 per month plus $8 per user per month—the base fee includes one admin. At the time of writing, you can get started for $10 a month, saving you 50% for three months.

The monthly base fee covers the data storage, account setup, webinars, and tutorials.

The Elite tier comes in at $40 per month, in addition to $10 per user per month, and includes everything from the Premium tier as well as mileage tracking, the ability to track project progress, timesheet signatures, geofencing, and more. You can save 50% on this tier for three months.

A free trial is available for both tiers and lasts 30 days—a reasonable amount of time and more than enough to decide whether it’s for you. No credit card, contract, or signature is required, and at the end of the trial, you need to enter your credit card information to keep your account operational.

During the trial, you’ll receive help setting up a QuickBooks Time account and supplementary training for your employees on how to use it. Also, note that you can cancel your subscription at any time.

So how do the plans shape up? Compared to others, they’re a little on the pricey side. For example, Time Doctor’s first plan comes in at $7 per user per month and includes time tracking, unlimited screenshots, and activity tracking. There’s no additional monthly fee like there is with QuickBooks Time. For some, this will be a dealbreaker.

While integration with QuickBooks is beneficial, the extra cost to use QuickBooks Time compared to others on the market renders it a service where you’re essentially paying more for the same features. Small businesses typically have to budget carefully, so this additional cost isn’t going to be attractive, despite the solid performance of the software overall.

We recommend QuickBooks Time only for those that explicitly have mobile workforces and need to track employees’ locations, as well as have access to multiple clock-in options. 

QuickBooks Time Customer Service

Despite the limited operation times, QuickBooks Time’s customer support is highly professional. The support is known to be helpful, friendly, and efficient, with customer representatives answering calls immediately. The representatives aren’t pushy and focus on solving problems without hassle.

Customer support is available by phone and live chat Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT. The website contains valuable resources, including a learning resource center with tools, webinars, tutorials, and FAQs. In other words, there’s a wealth of practical content, and you won’t feel left to solve things on your own.

QuickBooks Support page

The tutorials available include step-by-step videos which are well put together and look the part, aiming to help you with some of the biggest problems. Even better, when a chat agent isn’t available, you can still send a message, and the next available representative will get back to you as soon as possible.

QuickBooks Time Mobile Functionality

With the QuickBooks Time mobile app, you’re getting a lot. You can clock in or out from an Android phone or iPhone, regardless of whether you have cell coverage or not. It’s worth mentioning that QuickBooks Time works on tablets too.

From the app, you can track labor estimates versus actuals, see the status of each project and adjust as you go, as well as create, edit, and publish scheduled jobs or shifts. You can also set up notifications so that workers get alerts when you post or update the schedule, and the ability to capture signatures for project sign-offs is there. Employees can even add signatures to their timesheets without your input.

QuickBooks Time page that says "Mobile time tracking made easy"

The QuickBooks Time mobile app can track paid time off, sick days, and holidays, as well as give crew managers the option of clocking team members in (and out) individually or all at once—a dedicated crew time card makes this easy to do. The QuickBooks Time app reduces timesheet errors too, and employees can track time wherever they’re working.

Keep in mind that QuickBooks Time only records employee locations while on the clock. For example, the app needs constant access to employees’ locations if geofencing is enabled. As for privacy concerns, the GPS data received off the clock isn’t accessible by employers, admins, or QuickBooks Time itself.

Overall, the mobile app and functionality provided are one of the most substantial parts of the QuickBooks Time package. There’s a feature for almost everything you and your mobile workforce could need.

QuickBooks Time Employee Scheduling

All QuickBooks Time plans include employee scheduling capability, so the ability to improve shift planning is available right from the start. Managers can use drag-and-drop features to build custom schedules, and employees can see the latest program in real time by logging in to the system or the app itself. Employees are notified on their mobile phones when new schedules or shift changes occur.

Additionally, employees can add their work schedules to calendar apps that support iCalendar, including the iOS, Google, and Outlook calendars. You can email, text, or use Twitter to notify workers when they are approaching the end of their shifts—most employers prefer not to use social media channels, but the option is here for those that do.

QuickBooks Time page that says "Add some automation to your scheduling software"

When you create jobs, you’ll be able to stipulate the job codes, billable or non-billable time, and add notes to the shift as required. Employees clock in through the QuickBooks Time schedule, and all the information they need is pre-populated. Even better, at the end of the pay period, you’ll have a record of all employee hours that can then be synced with payroll software and used to create invoices.

What about if none of your employees are available? You can simply schedule the job as unassigned and include any relevant details in the provided notes section. When someone becomes available, they’ll automatically get sent all the information, helping you save a great deal of time.

QuickBooks Time Reporting

QuickBooks Time is cloud-based software that you and your team can access via the web dashboard and the mobile app we spoke about earlier. The system was built for mobile workforces first and foremost and gives employees workplace flexibility in how they clock in and out.

QuickBooks Time page that shows the time tracking app on a laptop, cell phone, and tablet

Employees can use the QuickBooks Time Kiosk, the web dashboard, or the app on mobile devices, including tablets, to clock in and out with a single click. In other words, a healthy range of choices, and most of the time, it all works seamlessly. However, there are some intermittent problems with the web dashboard; it can lag and occasionally freeze up, so be aware of that.

QuickBooks Time PTO Management

Team managers can use QuickBooks Time to set custom PTO policies that fit your workforce as required. Employees themselves use the web dashboard or app to request time off, check PTO balances, or even directly enter time off without the approval process. You can create customizable notifications so employees can see whether their time off got approved or rejected via email and text alerts.

QuickBooks Time PTO management page

Not only that but approved and direct-entered time off will appear in the calendar view under the Schedule tab. Time-off data is available digitally and available for download if needed. For public holidays, managers can simply enter bulk time off for multiple or all employees simultaneously.

QuickBooks Time Alerts

With QuickBooks Time, you can create and manage employee schedules, and the ability to send notifications about shift changes is available. You’ll be able to notify employees with alerts and push notifications and can customize them to suit your precise needs.

QuickBooks Time page that says "Alerts and approvals for employee time management"

You’ll be able to receive alerts before overtime begins, and the QuickBooks Time Pay Rate Engine automatically tracks overtime and holiday rates for individuals or the whole company. Advanced overtime settings include multiple rates by hours of the day and overtime rates by week or selected pay period—the notifications here are taken care of automatically (if desired).

How QuickBooks Time Ranks 

For the right company, QuickBooks Time is great time tracking software. The geo-technology is impressive, the mobile apps are free and complete, and the job-tracking features are competitive.

That said, QuickBooks Time didn’t make our top picks list due to its expensive fees that can quickly add up, the somewhat limited customer support times, and the slight learning curve when using the software.

We created a comprehensive list of the best time-tracking software—to see our top picks, check out our guide.

  • Time Doctor – Best time tracking software for most
  • Timely – Best for automatic time tracking
  • Timesheets – Most affordable time tracking tool
  • Tick – Best project management time tracking software
  • Harvest – Best for small to midsize businesses
  • Toggl – Best free time tracking tool

Summary 

QuickBooks Time isn’t the best time tracking software available. There are some solid features here, but it falls short in a few key areas, especially when it comes to the pricing. We only recommend the software for businesses with mobile workforces, specifically those needing multiple clock-in options and the ability to track employees’ locations with advanced tech.


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