Accurate payroll starts with accurate time capture. Raken's time tracking tools connect the field and the office — letting supervisors enter crew time, workers clock themselves in and out, and payroll admins review and export everything from one central place. This guide walks you through the recommended setup sequence to get your account ready.
Quick Answer
To get started with time tracking in Raken:
Set up your Time Policy under Company > Time > Policies.
Configure General Time Settings — pay period, approvals, and classifications.
Invite workers if using Time Clock — assign the Project Worker role in Directory > Employees.
Start tracking time from Daily Logs > Time Cards or the global Time tab.
Complete setup before your first pay period to ensure all time cards follow the correct rules from day one.
Work Logs vs. Time Cards — Which Should You Use?
Raken has two ways to record time on a project, and they serve different purposes.
Work Logs are for tracking manpower and progress on site by company. General Contractors typically use Work Logs to log subcontractor headcount and activity — grouped by company so it's reportable across projects. If you currently track the number of people and hours worked in Work Logs, you can continue to do so.
Time Cards are for tracking individual employee hours for payroll. They include pay type, classification, cost code, and automatic overtime calculations — everything needed for accurate payroll processing.
You can use both on the same project. The same employee can appear in a Work Log (company-level activity entry) and a Time Card (individual payroll record) on the same day — they are separate records serving different purposes.
If your primary goal is payroll accuracy for individual employees, start with Time Cards. If your primary goal is manpower reporting by company or subcontractor, Work Logs are the right tool.
Step 1: Set Up Your Time Policies
Time Policies define the rules that govern how your employees track and verify time — overtime rules, breaks, pay types, shifts, and more. Setting up your policy before anyone logs time ensures every time card is accurate from the start.
What are Time Policies in Raken?
How to Set Up Time Policies in Raken
Creating Overtime Rules for Time Policies
Overtime Rule Templates
Creating Breaks for Time Policies
Creating Shifts for Time Policies
Creating Rounding Rules for Time Policies
Creating Pay Types for Time Policies
Assigning Employees to Time Policies
Some employees may work on projects with unique time tracking requirements that differ from their default policy. Use project-level exceptions to handle these cases without creating a separate policy.
Enabling and Managing Project Level Time Policy Exceptions
Step 2: Configure General Time Settings
Additional settings control how pay periods work, how time cards are approved, and how employees are classified for payroll purposes.
Navigate to Company > Time to access these settings:
Setting Up Your Company's Pay Period
Approving & Signing Off On Time Cards
Employee Classification Setup and Management For Your Company
Step 3: Set Up Time Clock (if applicable)
If your organization wants workers to clock themselves in and out on their own devices, enable Time Clock in your Time Policy and invite workers to Raken.
How to Use Raken Time Clock
How to Use Raken Kiosk
Raken Photo ID
Raken Clock In & Clock Out Questions
Raken Time Clock Geolocation Verification and Reporting
How to Manage Clock Status on the Web
Step 4: Start Tracking Time
Once your policies and settings are in place, your team can start capturing time. The Time tab is the recommended path for creating and managing time cards across all projects from one central place.
From the global Time tab: Click or tap Time in the navigation menu, then click + Time card — recommended for most workflows
From a project: Navigate to Daily Logs > Time Cards within any project — use when entering time as part of a specific project's daily report
How to Create Time Cards in Raken
Raken Time Cards Overview
Copying Work Logs and Time Cards in Raken
Tracking Overnight Shifts in Raken
Step 5: Review and Approve Time
At the end of each pay period, review and approve time cards before exporting to payroll. The Time tab gives you a central place to review all entries across all projects.
Time Card Management on the Web
Approving & Signing Off On Time Cards
Employee Time Card Reports
Step 6: Export to Payroll
Once time is approved, export your time card data to your accounting or payroll system using one of Raken's supported integrations.
Accounting Software Integrations
Additional Features
Per Diem
Record per diem owed to employees for travel, meals, lodging, or other work-related expenses. Per diem entries are day-based and independent of time cards — created by supervisors and admins from Time > Review > Per Diem.
How to Submit a Per Diem Request in Raken
How to Review and Report on Per Diem in Raken
Overtime Premiums
Automate pay type assignment for hours worked on weekends, during defined shift windows, or on company holidays. Premiums are configured inside your Time Policy and apply automatically — no manual overrides needed.
How to Set Up Overtime Premiums in Raken
Considerations
Complete Time Policy setup before your first pay period — policy changes only apply to future time cards.
The project dashboard time card tile has been removed — use Daily Logs > Time Cards or the Time tab.
Workers need to be assigned the Project Worker role in Directory > Employees before they can use Time Clock.
Offline time entry is supported via Daily Logs > Time Cards on mobile only. The Time tab requires an active connection.
Per Diem requires the Performance Plan.
Overtime Premiums (Weekend, Shift, Holiday) require the Performance Plan.
Overtime is calculated automatically server-side — no need to enter time in chronological order.
Technical Specifications
Compatibility: iOS 15+, Android 10+, and all major web browsers
Offline Capability: Yes (mobile app via Daily Logs > Time Cards only) — entries sync automatically when connection is restored. The Time tab and web app require an active connection.
Data Format: Exportable as PDF or CSV
Plan Required: No plan restrictions for core time tracking. Time Clock add-on required for worker self-clock-in. Per Diem, Premiums, and Holidays require the Performance Plan.
Add-on Required: Time Clock add-on for worker clock-in, Kiosk, Photo ID, Clock questions, and Geofencing
Role Required: Account Administrator for setup. Supervisors, Project Administrators for time entry.
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More Questions?
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