Time clock for agriculture
A farm time clock that works at the edge of the field.
A farm time clock records when each farmworker starts and stops work, often at a field rather than a building. With TrackBadges, the crew leader scans each worker's printed QR badge with a phone where the day starts: once in, once out. Workers need no smartphone or app, and every punch records the time, the crew leader's scanner and, optionally, GPS.
What the time clock has to handle
Workers without smartphones
Many farmworkers don't have a smartphone, or have no data in the field. A printed badge and the crew leader's phone are all it takes.
Paper tallies at dusk
Crew leaders writing hours from memory at the end of a long day get them wrong. Scans are timestamped to the minute where the work happens.
H-2A records that have to hold up
20 CFR 655.122 requires accurate daily records of hours worked. Every scan records the time, the crew leader and, optionally, where it happened.
How a farm time clock works at the field edge
The crew leader's phone is the time clock. Pair it once from a setup link, and it scans each worker's printed QR badge where the paid day starts: the field edge, the packing shed or the pickup point. One scan clocks a worker in, a second clocks them out. Workers carry a card, not a phone.
A summer harvest day for a crew of 24:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 5:30 a.m. | The crew leader scans 24 badges at the field edge, seeing each worker face to face. It takes a few minutes. |
| 9:00 a.m. | A paid rest break with water and shade. Nobody scans out. |
| 11:30 a.m. | Unpaid lunch: scan out, and back in at noon. |
| 2:00 p.m. | Work stops for the heat. The crew leader scans everyone out. |
| That evening | The office sees 8 hours for each worker, stamped with the crew leader's scanner and GPS if it's on. |
If a crew moves to a second field mid-morning, leave them on the clock. Every scan records the scanner's location and, with the GPS stamp on, where it happened. The live board shows every crew that's working right now, across every ranch you run.
Cell signal at the field edge
The scanner runs in the phone's browser and needs a connection while it scans. There's no offline mode. Before the season, check the signal where each crew starts. If a field has none, scan the crew at the shop, the packing shed or the pickup point where there is coverage, and make sure that's where your paid day starts.
Records for H-2A and farm labor rules
The H-2A rules (20 CFR 655.122) require accurate records of the hours offered and the hours actually worked each day, plus earnings, and an earnings statement for each worker every pay period. The three-fourths guarantee means offering work for at least three-quarters of the workdays in the contract period, and records are kept for 3 years.
- Hours worked: every scan is a timestamped record of when a worker started and stopped, and who scanned them. Edits keep a full history.
- Hours offered: a scan can't record work a worker was offered and declined. Keep that note alongside your export.
- Earnings statements: TrackBadges doesn't run payroll. Export the week as a CSV for your payroll provider or farm labor contractor.
The H-2A recordkeeping guide goes through what to keep, and FLSA recordkeeping requirements covers the federal basics. This isn't legal advice; check with the Department of Labor or your agent.
Overtime and piece rate
Federal law exempts most agricultural work from FLSA overtime, but several states, including California, Washington and New York, have phased in overtime for farmworkers on their own schedules. Set your weekly and daily thresholds to match your state's current rule, and every timesheet splits regular and overtime hours.
TrackBadges doesn't track piece counts or calculate piece-rate pay. If you pay by the bin or the bucket, you still need accurate hours worked to check minimum wage and meet H-2A rules. TrackBadges gives you the hours; your bin tallies stay where they are.
Workers without smartphones, in any language
Many farmworkers don't have smartphones, or don't have data in the field. A badge needs neither. Workers don't read or type anything: they hold up a card with their name and QR code, and the crew leader runs the scanner. TrackBadges' screens are in English, so the crew leader needs to be comfortable with that, but nobody else does.
When the harvest ends, archive the season's workers so they stop counting toward your plan, and restore the ones who come back next year.
A headcount when you need one
When a heat emergency or an accident stops work, open the dashboard on your phone and tap Roll call. It lists everyone on the clock right now, across every field, with a checklist to tap off each person as they're accounted for. See emergency roll call.
What it costs
TrackBadges is free for up to 3 people with every feature. Pro is $9 a month for your first 3 people, plus $1.50 a month for each person after that, so a 40-person crew is $64.50 a month during the season.
When it isn't the right fit
If you need piece-rate pay calculated, yields tracked by worker or a payroll system built for agriculture, TrackBadges is only one part of that. It also doesn't suit a lone irrigator moving between fields at night with nobody to scan them; a GPS app on their own phone is better.
Set it up in three steps
- 01
Add your crew
Name your business and paste in your team. No signup, sales call or card — make an account once you like it.
- 02
Print their badges
Everyone gets a QR badge. Print them on plain paper or card stock. There's nothing for your crew to install.
- 03
Scan with any device
A supervisor's phone, a warehouse tablet — any device can be a scanner. Scan a badge once to clock in, and again to clock out.
Frequently asked questions
How do you track hours for H-2A workers?
Record when each worker starts and stops every day, keep a record of hours offered as well as hours worked, and keep it for 3 years (20 CFR 655.122). With TrackBadges, the crew leader scans each worker's badge in and out, and the timestamped hours export as a CSV for payroll and earnings statements. Hours offered but declined need a separate note.
What's the best time clock for farmworkers without smartphones?
A badge time clock run by the crew leader. With TrackBadges, each worker carries a printed QR badge and the crew leader's phone clocks the whole crew in at the field edge. Workers need no phone, app or account.
Does TrackBadges calculate piece-rate pay?
No. TrackBadges records hours worked and applies overtime thresholds, but it doesn't track bins, pounds or piece counts. Piece-rate employers still need accurate hours to check minimum wage and meet H-2A rules, and that's the part TrackBadges handles.
Does the scanner work in fields without cell service?
No. The scanner needs a connection while it scans; there's no offline mode. If a field has no signal, scan the crew at the shop, packing shed or pickup point where there is coverage.
Do farmworkers get overtime?
Under federal law, most agricultural work is exempt from overtime. Several states, including California, Washington and New York, have phased in farmworker overtime with their own thresholds and timelines. Check your state's current rule and set TrackBadges' thresholds to match.
Keep reading
- H-2A recordkeepingH-2A recordkeeping under 20 CFR 655.122: hours offered and worked each day, earnings statements, the three-fourths guarantee worked through, and retention.
- Employees without smartphonesHow to clock in employees without smartphones: phone dial-in, a PIN kiosk, a foreman crew app, or QR badges a supervisor scans. Compared on speed and cheating.
- Crew time clockA crew time clock where the foreman scans each worker's QR badge with one phone: 8 people clocked in in under a minute, no app for the crew. Free for 3 people.
- Emergency roll callAn emergency roll call built into your time clock: one tap lists everyone clocked in, with a checklist to account for each person at the muster point.
- Crew timesheetFree printable weekly crew timesheet: one row per crew member, a column per day, totals and overtime. For foremen tracking a whole crew's hours. PDF or Excel CSV.
- FLSA recordkeepingFLSA recordkeeping requirements: the time and pay records 29 CFR 516 requires, how long to keep time cards (2 years) and payroll (3 years), and state rules.
Clock in your agriculture crew with one phone.
Print a QR badge for everyone and scan them in and out with any phone or tablet. Free for up to 3 people — try it with your real crew before you sign up.