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The FieldTime Punch Clock is the primary time-tracking tool for non-exempt (hourly) employees. Every clock-in starts a live elapsed timer, and every clock-out saves a complete, California-compliant shift record — including meal breaks — to your weekly timesheet automatically. You never have to enter hours manually.
California law requires a 30-minute meal break before your 5th hour of work. FieldTime will remind you with a color-coded alert as the deadline approaches, and will flag a compliance issue on your timesheet if a required break is missed.

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Clocking In

1

Open the Punch Clock

Navigate to Punch Clock in the main menu. If you have no active shift, you’ll see the Start Your Shift panel.
2

Tap Clock In

Tap the green Clock In button. Your shift timer starts immediately — project and labor classification assignment happens in the next step, so your exact start time is captured right away.
3

Assign your project

An assignment form appears in the active-shift banner. Type a project code or name in the Project field to filter the list, then select your project. Choose a Phase and Task if applicable, then pick your Labor Classification.
4

Confirm the assignment

Tap Confirm Assignment. The banner updates to show your project name, phase, task, and classification. Your timer continues uninterrupted.
Select a Favorite Project to pre-fill project, phase, and task and skip the dropdowns. See Favorite Projects to set one up.

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The Live Elapsed Timer

Once you are clocked in and your assignment is confirmed, the active-shift banner displays a live HH:MM:SS elapsed timer. The timer runs against the server clock, so it stays accurate even if your device’s clock is slightly off. The banner also shows the exact time you clocked in, your current project and phase, and your labor classification. If you are on a meal break, the banner switches to a yellow ON MEAL BREAK state and the timer pauses counting your working time.

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Adding Shift Notes

While clocked in, a Notes box appears below the compliance panel. Type any notes about the shift — they are saved directly to your time entry and will appear in your timesheet detail after you clock out. Tap Save Notes to store changes; an “Unsaved changes” indicator appears if you have typed but not yet saved.

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Taking a Meal Break

1

Start the break

Tap the yellow Start Meal Break button. The active-shift banner switches to the ON MEAL BREAK state and records the exact start time.
2

Return from break

When you return, tap End Meal Break. FieldTime records the duration.
3

Check the duration

If your break was under 30 minutes, a warning dialog will ask you to confirm before returning to work. A break shorter than 30 minutes does not count as a qualifying meal period under California Labor Code §512.
FieldTime automatically tracks your first and second meal break deadlines (5-hour and 10-hour marks) and escalates the on-screen alert from blue → amber → red as each deadline approaches. If you and your employer have a mutual agreement, you can tap Waive First Meal Break or Waive Second Meal Break when the waiver buttons appear; waivers can be revoked at any time during the shift.

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Changing Projects Mid-Shift

You can move to a different project without clocking out. This is treated as one continuous shift for California §512 meal-break timing purposes — the 5-hour clock does not reset.
1

Tap Switch Project

In the active-shift banner, tap Switch Project. The button is disabled while you are on a meal break — end the break first.
2

Select the new project

Choose the new project, phase, task, and labor classification in the modal. Your current classification carries over by default unless it is not allowed on the new project.
3

Confirm the switch

Tap Confirm Switch. The current punch closes at the current moment and a new punch opens immediately on the selected project. You’ll see a confirmation toast: “Switched project. Shift continues uninterrupted.”

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Clocking Out

When your shift is complete, tap the red Clock Out button in the active-shift banner. A confirmation dialog appears — tap Yes, Clock Out to end the shift. FieldTime records your clock-out time, calculates net hours (total time minus qualifying meal breaks), and saves the completed entry to your weekly timesheet.
You must have a project and labor classification assigned, and you must not be on an active meal break, before you can clock out. If either condition is unmet, the Clock Out button is disabled with an explanatory message.
If you accidentally tapped Clock In, tap Undo Clock-In within 5 minutes (before you’ve assigned a project). The punch is canceled and no time entry is created.

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Offline Support

FieldTime records every clock-in, meal break, and clock-out action locally on your device when you lose network connectivity. A sync hint appears at the bottom of the screen reminding you to keep FieldTime open. When your connection returns, all pending actions sync automatically to the server.

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NFC Tap-to-Clock

If your job site has an NFC tag configured by your administrator, hold your phone near the tag to clock in or clock out instantly — no tapping through the UI required. The same project assignment flow opens after an NFC clock-in so you can confirm your assignment.