Best Time and Attendance Software in the UK

Are you still wrestling with paper timesheets, chasing team members for their hours and spending days on payroll admin? For business owners and HR managers, it’s a frustrating and inefficient process that drains time and opens the door to costly errors. Managing your team’s hours shouldn’t be a barrier to growth. It’s time to stop drowning in admin and embrace a smarter way to work.

This is where the best time and attendance software comes into play. It doesn’t just track hours; it gives you back control. From automating processes, supporting compliance with UK law and providing the insights you need to run your business more effectively. 

We’ll cut through the noise, showing you what to look for, how to choose the right system and which providers are leading the pack in the UK.

What is a time and attendance system?

At its core, the best time and attendance software is a tool that automates the tracking of employee working hours. It records when your team members start and finish their shifts, log breaks and accrue overtime. But modern systems do so much more than just clock-watching.

These powerful tools are essential for accurate, real-time record-keeping. They integrate directly with your payroll systems to eliminate manual data entry, ensuring everyone is paid correctly and on time. More importantly, they help you maintain compliance with UK labour laws, like the Working Time Regulations, by automatically tracking rest breaks and working hours. It’s a foundational piece of your compliance puzzle, just like a clear working hours policy.

So, how do these systems actually work their magic?

Understanding time and attendance software

Think of the best time and attendance software as your single source of truth for workforce management. These systems capture data through various methods, from biometric scanners and physical clock-in stations to mobile apps that use geofencing. This data is then fed into a central, cloud-based platform.

Once captured, the software streamlines everything. It automates timesheet creation, flags exceptions like late arrivals or missed breaks and generates powerful reports. This gives you unparalleled visibility into labour costs, productivity trends and attendance patterns. By automating these tasks, you slash admin time, dramatically reduce payroll errors and empower your managers with the data they need to make smarter decisions. 

Selection criteria

Choosing the right software can feel overwhelming, but it boils down to a few key factors. As a UK employer, here’s what you should be looking for:

• Integrations: Does it seamlessly connect with your existing HR and payroll systems? A lack of integration creates more manual work, defeating the purpose of the software.
• Compliance: Is the system built with UK Working Time Regulations in mind? It should help you effortlessly manage rest breaks, weekly hour limits and minimum wage calculations.
• Ease of use: If your team won’t use it, it’s worthless. The software should be intuitive for both employees and managers, with a clean interface and simple processes.
• Scalability: Will the system grow with your business? Choose a provider that can support your team whether you have 10 employees or 1,000.
• Pricing: Look beyond the headline price. Understand the pricing model—is it per user, per month? Are there hidden fees for setup or support?

Trends in time and attendance software

The world of work is changing and HR software is evolving with it. The rise of hybrid and remote work has accelerated the demand for more flexible and intelligent solutions. Mobile clock-ins with geofencing are no longer a novelty; they’re a necessity for managing a distributed workforce.

We’re also seeing the rise of AI-driven scheduling, which can predict staffing needs based on historical data and real-time analytics that give managers instant insights into labour costs and productivity. The best systems are moving away from simple tracking and towards becoming strategic workforce management platforms.

This strategic power is most evident when it comes to payroll.

Track timesheets and payroll

Manual timesheets are a recipe for disaster. They lead to guesswork, inaccurate records and hours of painful data entry. The best time and attendance software automates this entire process. Employees clock in and out digitally and their hours are automatically converted into pre-filled, manager-approved timesheets.

This data then syncs directly with your payroll system. This seamless integration eliminates human error and ensures every employee is paid accurately for every hour worked. It also provides an ironclad audit trail for your payroll compliance, effortlessly tracking overtime, breaks and adherence to National Minimum Wage laws. It gives both you and your HR manager total payroll compliance confidence.

With so much at stake, how do you find the perfect fit?

How to choose the right time and attendance system

The best time and attendance software is the one that fits the way your business actually works. A construction company managing rotating site teams will need something very different to a retail business with weekend staff or a remote-first digital agency. That’s why it’s important to start with clarity, not with a long list of features.

Here’s a simple framework to guide your decision.

1. Define your workforce setup
Do your employees work in fixed shifts, flexible hours or across multiple locations? Do you need mobile clock-ins, geofencing or biometric verification? Understanding your team structure will instantly narrow your options.

2. Prioritise compliance
UK employers must follow strict Working Time Regulations. Choose software that automatically tracks breaks, overtime and wage compliance,  so you’re never caught off guard during an audit.

3. Look for seamless payroll integration
Manual data transfers between systems are a major source of payroll errors. Ensure your labour management platform connects directly to your payroll,  ideally with real-time data syncing.

4. Test the employee experience
If clocking in isn’t fast and intuitive, your team won’t use it properly. Always test the experience from both a manager and an employee perspective before committing.

5. Make sure it can scale with your business

Pick a platform that can support you not just today, but as you grow. Whether you add locations, adopt hybrid work or expand headcount, your system shouldn’t slow you down.

Once you’ve mapped out these needs, it becomes much easier to compare providers and confidently choose the system that will deliver the best long-term value.

The best time and attendance systems in the UK

With so many options available, it can be really hard to decide what the best time and attendance software for your business is. So, to help you get started, we’ve reviewed some of the top options available for UK businesses.

Best time and attendance system overall

Employment Hero

Employment Hero isn’t just a HR management tool; it’s an Employment Operating System (OS) that takes the traditional isolated elements of employment and puts them all in one place. 

The time and attendance features are seamlessly integrated with rostering, leave management and UK payroll, creating a single, automated workflow.

Employees can clock in and out via a mobile app (with geofencing) and timesheets are automatically created for manager approval. Its powerful award interpretation engine helps ensure compliance with UK pay rules and the direct integration with payroll eliminates manual data entry.

Best for: Businesses of all sizes looking for a powerful, integrated solution to automate workforce management from end to end.

Best free time and attendance system

Clockify

Clockify is a simple and effective time tracking system designed for freelancers and small businesses. Its free plan includes reliable time tracking and basic reporting, allowing users to log hours across different projects or tasks.

The intuitive interface makes it easy to navigate, and users can generate project-based time reports to improve visibility and accountability. Paid plans unlock advanced features like scheduling, geofencing, and deeper integrations with payroll and accounting tools.

Best for: Small UK businesses or startups needing a straightforward, budget-friendly way to track work hours.

Best comprehensive time and attendance system

Deputy

Deputy is a comprehensive workforce management platform built for businesses with shift-based teams across industries such as hospitality, retail, and healthcare. Its intuitive tools simplify scheduling, time tracking, and attendance monitoring, helping managers stay organised and compliant.

Deputy connects with popular payroll systems, ensuring seamless data transfer, while forecasting and reporting features help track labour costs and optimise staffing levels.

Best for: UK businesses that rely heavily on shift work and need a proven solution for managing complex schedules.

Best time and attendance system for a low budget

Open Time Clock

Open Time Clock is a cloud-based time tracking solution designed for cost-conscious organisations. It offers essential clock-in/clock-out functionality, web and mobile access, and basic reporting tools to help keep attendance records accurate and accessible.

With support for unlimited users on its free plan, Open Time Clock provides flexibility for small teams. Upgraded plans include options for GPS tracking, exportable timesheets, and enhanced data management.

Best for: UK small businesses or charities that need a no-frills, reliable way to track time on a tight budget.

Best time and attendance system for integrations

TSheets

TSheets, backed by QuickBooks, is a flexible time tracking system known for its strong integration capabilities. It connects easily with QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, and a wide range of project management platforms, allowing businesses to centralise time data across multiple systems.

Its mobile app makes it simple for employees to track time anywhere, while automatic syncing with payroll and invoicing software reduces administrative workload and improves accuracy.

Best for: UK organisations that want flexible, dependable connections with their broader tech stack—ideal for streamlining payroll, billing and job tracking without manual export and upload steps.

Supercharge your time and attendance with Employment Hero

The best time and attendance software shouldn’t just track hours,  it should move your entire business forward. And Employment Hero does exactly that. Our Employment Operating System goes beyond basic clock-ins to connect time tracking with rostering, leave management, UK payroll and powerful compliance automation,  all in one seamless platform.

Whether you’re managing a remote, hybrid or shift-based workforce, Employment Hero gives you the tools to work smarter, stay compliant and save hours on admin every single week. No more manual data entry. No more guesswork. Just accurate timesheets, confident payroll and total visibility over your workforce at all times.

If you’re ready to take the stress out of labour management and unlock a faster, more scalable way to work,  we’re here to help.