Time clock for landscaping
Landscaping crew time tracking that starts at the yard.
A time tracking app for landscapers records when each crew member starts and stops work, across every property on the route. With TrackBadges, the crew lead scans each worker's printed QR badge at the yard or first stop: one scan in, one scan out. Workers need no app or phone, and the office sees who's on the clock live.
What the time clock has to handle
The day starts at the yard
When the crew must report to the yard to load equipment, the drive to the first property is work time under 29 CFR 785.38. Scan in at the yard and the timesheet matches the rule.
Seasonal hires every spring
You add ten people in March and lose half by July. Paste in names, print badges, and new hires are on the clock the day they start, with nothing to install.
Rain days and forgotten scans
When a storm sends everyone home at 10 a.m., someone forgets to scan out. Auto clock-out closes the shift after the limit you set and flags it for review.
How landscapers track crew time with badges
The crew lead's phone is the time clock. Pair it once, and it scans each worker's printed QR badge at the yard as the trailer gets loaded: once to clock in, again at the end of the day to clock out. Workers carry a badge, nothing else.
A typical mowing day for a four-person crew:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 6:30 a.m. | The crew lead scans four badges at the yard while the mowers go on the trailer. |
| 6:50 a.m. | The truck leaves for the first of nine properties. Everyone is on the clock. |
| 12:00 p.m. | Unpaid lunch: scan out, then back in at 12:30. |
| 3:45 p.m. | Back at the yard. Equipment is unloaded and the lead scans everyone out. |
That's 9 hours 15 minutes at the yard, minus a 30-minute lunch: 8.75 hours each. The office sees it on the live board as it happens, and on the timesheet with overtime already applied. Check the math with the timesheet calculator.
Where to scan: the yard, the truck or the first property
Scan where the paid day starts. Under 29 CFR 785.38, if you require the crew to report to the yard to load equipment or get the day's route, the drive from the yard to the first property is work time. Scanning at the yard puts that drive on the clock without anyone thinking about it.
- Crews that meet at the yard: pair a tablet by the shop door, or use the crew lead's phone, and assign it to the yard.
- Crews that meet at the first property: the crew lead scans there. Turn on the GPS stamp and each scan records where it happened, without a location set up for every customer.
- Several trucks: pair every crew lead's phone. Scanners and locations are unlimited on every plan, and the office sees every crew on one board.
Moving between properties during the day is also work time, so don't scan out between stops. One scan in and one scan out per day is all a route crew needs. More in tracking time across job sites.
Seasonal hires, H-2B crews and language barriers
Most landscaping companies hire in March and thin out in November. New people start the day they're hired: paste in their names, print badges (eight to a letter page) and hand them out. There's no app to install, no account and no password to forget.
Badges also work around language. A worker doesn't read or type anything; they hold up a card with their name and QR code, and the crew lead runs the scanner. TrackBadges' screens are in English, but your crew never has to look at them.
If you bring in H-2B seasonal workers, the program has its own pay and recordkeeping requirements. Accurate daily hours are the base of all of them, and the CSV export gives your payroll provider or agent a clean record. Check the Department of Labor's H-2B rules for exactly what you must keep.
When the season ends, archive the people who aren't coming back. Archived people don't count toward your plan, and you can restore returning workers next spring.
Rain days, short days and overtime
When a storm sends everyone home at 10 a.m., the crew lead scans them out and the short day is on the record. Some states, including California, require reporting-time pay when a worker shows up and is sent home early. TrackBadges shows exactly when they arrived and left; your payroll applies any premium.
Someone always forgets to scan out on a wet, chaotic day. Auto clock-out closes any shift left open after the limit you set, say 12 hours, and flags it, so you fix one entry instead of paying for a phantom evening. Every edit keeps a history. See what happens when someone forgets to clock out.
In peak season a crew can hit 50 hours a week. Set a 40-hour weekly threshold and overtime shows up on each timesheet as it accrues, not as a surprise on payday. Add a daily threshold if your state has daily overtime, like California.
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 12-person company is $22.50 a month. Billing follows your active headcount, so when you archive the fall crew in November, the bill goes down with it.
When it isn't the right fit
If you mow alone or run one-person routes, there's nobody to scan your badge, and a GPS app on your own phone is the better tool. TrackBadges also tracks the crew's day, not each property: it won't tell you that one customer's lawn took 40 minutes and the next took 25. If you need per-property job costing, look at apps built around job codes.
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
Is drive time from the yard to the first job paid for landscapers?
Usually, if you require the crew to report to the yard first to load equipment or get the route. Under 29 CFR 785.38, travel from that required meeting place to the work site is part of the day's work. A worker's commute from home to the yard, or straight to a first property, generally isn't.
How do I track hours for seasonal landscaping workers?
Give each one a printed QR badge on their first day and have the crew lead scan them in and out. Nobody installs an app or makes an account, so new hires are on the clock right away. Archive them at the end of the season so they stop counting toward your plan.
Can one crew lead clock in the whole truck?
Yes. The crew lead's phone is the scanner, and each worker holds up a badge to be clocked in. A four-person crew is on the clock in well under a minute, and the lead sees each person as they scan.
What happens on a rain day when the crew goes home early?
The crew lead scans everyone out when work stops, and the short day is recorded to the minute. If anyone is missed, auto clock-out closes their shift and flags it for review. Some states require reporting-time pay for workers sent home early; your payroll applies it from the recorded times.
Can I track time per property for job costing?
Not really. TrackBadges records when each person starts and stops and which location the scanner was at, not time per customer or job code. Most landscaping crews scan once at the start of the day and once at the end, which keeps travel between properties on the clock.
Keep reading
- 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.
- Time across job sitesHow to track time across multiple job sites, which drive time you must pay (29 CFR 785.38), one punch a day vs a punch per site, and what location stamps prove.
- Forgot to clock outForgot to clock out? You're still owed pay for the hours you actually worked. How to fix a missed punch, when auto clock-out is legal, and a sample policy.
- 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.
- Timesheet calculatorFree weekly timesheet calculator: enter clock-in and clock-out times with lunch breaks to get total hours, overtime and gross pay. Rounding options too.
- 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.
Clock in your landscaping 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.