HR & Payroll
Time & Attendance Software
Updated August 2026 · By the ERP Research Editorial Team · Independent and vendor-neutral — no vendor pays for placement or ranking.
Time and attendance software replaces paper timesheets and manual punch cards with digital clock-ins, automated schedules and real-time absence tracking -- giving managers accurate hours and giving payroll a clean feed instead of a reconciliation job.
This guide compares the leading time and attendance platforms on the features that matter most: clock-in methods, scheduling and shift management, compliance with labor rules, pricing, and -- critically for finance and HR teams -- how cleanly each one passes hours through to your ERP or payroll system.
Compare time and attendance software
| Product | Works with | Pricing | Deployment |
|---|---|---|---|
 NetSuite Sage Intacct SAP+1 more | Quote-based | Cloud | |
 Workday+1 more | From $4.99/user/mo + $19/mo base fee (Starter plan, billed annually) | Cloud | |
| Sage+3 more | Tiered per-user subscription (Standard, Pro) | Cloud | |
| NetSuite+2 more | From $5/user/month (Lite plan) | Cloud | |
| QuickBooks | Free (Basic plan, up to 10 employees, 1 location) | Cloud | |
| QuickBooks | From $20/month base + $10/user/month (Premium, standalone Time) | Cloud | |
| SAP+2 more | From $6/user/month (Time and Attendance tier) | Cloud | |
| Workday+1 more | Tiered per-user subscription (Basic, Standard, Premium) plus a custom-priced Enterprise plan; billed monthly or annually | Cloud | |
 OracleWorkday+1 more | Quote-based | Cloud | |
| ERP-agnostic | Quote-based | Cloud | |
| NetSuite+1 more | Quote-based | Cloud | |
| QuickBooks | From $2.50/user/month (Essentials plan) | Cloud |
ERP integration coverage
Which time & attendance products have a standard connector to your ERP — and how deep it goes. Badges link to the marketplace listing or vendor documentation we verified.
| Product | NetSuite | Sage Intacct | QuickBooks |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADP Workforce Now | Partner | Prebuilt | Partner |
| UKG Pro | Certified |
Certified = listed on the ERP vendor's official marketplace. Prebuilt = productised vendor-built connector. iPaaS = official integration-platform template. API = integration is possible via documented APIs but no productised connector was evidenced. A dash means we found no evidence — not that no integration exists.
NetSuiteSage IntacctSAPQuickBooksWorkdayQuickBooksSageQuickBooksXeroMYOBNetSuiteQuickBooksXeroSAPQuickBooksXeroWorkdayXeroOracleWorkdayQuickBooksNetSuiteQuickBooksSAPOracleWorkdayWhat is time and attendance software?
Time and attendance software tracks when employees start and stop work -- via badge, biometric, mobile app or web clock -- then converts those punches into accurate hours, overtime and paid-time-off balances. Most platforms also handle shift scheduling, shift swaps and coverage gaps, and apply labor rules automatically so overtime, breaks and rounding are calculated the same way every pay period. The best systems then feed those approved hours directly into payroll or ERP, so finance and HR are not re-keying timesheets or reconciling two systems by hand.
How to choose time and attendance software
Clock-in methods
Badge, biometric, mobile GPS, kiosk or web clock-in -- match the method to your workforce (office, retail, field or hourly).
Scheduling & shift management
Build and publish schedules, handle shift swaps and open-shift claiming, and flag understaffed shifts before they happen.
Labor rule & compliance automation
Automatic overtime, break and rounding rules by jurisdiction, plus audit trails for wage-and-hour compliance.
Payroll / ERP sync
A direct integration or certified connector that pushes approved hours into your payroll or ERP system without manual export.
Absence & PTO tracking
Time-off requests, accrual rules and approval workflows that stay in sync with the schedule and payroll.
Pricing model
Per-employee-per-month is standard, but confirm whether hardware clocks, scheduling and advanced compliance are extra.
Time & Attendance that works with your ERP
Time and attendance data is only useful once it reaches payroll and the general ledger without manual re-entry. The platforms below vary widely in how they connect to ERP and payroll systems -- some ship native modules for a single ERP (NetSuite SuitePeople, Dynamics 365 HR), others are standalone tools with certified connectors to ADP, UKG, Paylocity or major ERPs, and a few are pure point solutions that export files for a human to import. Each profile notes exactly which ERPs and payroll systems it integrates with, so you can shortlist tools that fit your stack rather than adding another manual step to close.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time and attendance software?
The best time and attendance software depends on your workforce and payroll stack. Hourly, multi-location or union workforces typically need compliance automation and hardware clock support (TimeClock Plus, WorkForce Software); shift-based teams often prefer scheduling-led tools (When I Work, Homebase, Deputy). If you already run ADP, UKG or Paylocity payroll, their native time modules avoid an extra integration. Compare the options by clock-in method, compliance depth and payroll fit.
How much does time and attendance software cost?
Pricing is typically per employee per month, commonly in the $2-$8 range for standalone time-tracking tools, with scheduling, biometric hardware or advanced compliance features often priced as add-ons. Enterprise workforce-management suites with global compliance and ERP integration are usually quote-based. Each product page below lists the vendor's published pricing where available.
Does time and attendance software integrate with payroll and ERP?
Most established vendors offer a direct integration or certified connector to major payroll and ERP systems -- ADP, UKG, Paylocity, NetSuite, SAP and Microsoft Dynamics 365 among them -- so approved hours flow into payroll without manual export. Integration depth varies significantly by vendor and by which payroll system you run, so confirm support for your specific stack before shortlisting; each profile below notes what it connects to.
What features should time and attendance software have?
Look for flexible clock-in options (mobile, biometric, kiosk), automated overtime and break-rule compliance, shift scheduling with swap/coverage tools, PTO and absence tracking, and a direct payroll or ERP sync so hours post without manual re-entry. Use the buyer checklist on this page to score each option against your workforce type.
Is time and attendance software the same as payroll software?
No. Time and attendance software tracks hours worked, schedules and absences; payroll software calculates pay, taxes and deductions from those hours. Some vendors (ADP, UKG, Paylocity) sell both as one suite, while many time-and-attendance specialists integrate into whichever payroll or ERP system you already run rather than replacing it.