Final Verdict:
The 6 Best Florida-Compliant Time Tracking Software

Written by Asim Qureshi
By Asim Qureshi, CEO Jibble

As a CEO of a time tracking software company, my team and I are constantly looking at the best B2B software to know what’s going on in the market. That means we’re often researching about and/or playing around with their products. You know, it’s part of the job. Here, I share my findings from that research on the best Florida-compliant time tracking software, giving credit to those products where credit is due and being honest about which products I believe you really need to avoid. And so, there you have it, this review, and in it, I try to be honest, fair, and insightful. I hope it helps you make the right decision…

Overview

As organizations strive for greater efficiency, productivity, and profitability, more and more of them are recognizing the value of time-tracking software. It has become a key tool in the arsenal of modern businesses, empowering them to effectively manage their most valuable resource – time.

But here’s the thing – not all time tracking software are created equal, especially when it comes to meeting the unique compliance requirements of the Sunshine State. That’s where our hand-picked selection of the best Florida-compliant time-tracking software comes into play. We’ve scoured the digital landscape, comparing features, functionality, and user reviews to bring you the crème de la crème of time-tracking solutions that are tailor-made for businesses operating in Florida.

Whether you’re a small business looking to streamline your team’s time management or a large corporation needing a robust system to handle complex labor laws, our list has got you covered. So, if you’re ready to supercharge your productivity, improve compliance, and unleash the true potential of your workforce, read on!

What are Florida Time Management Laws?

In the United States, federal laws play a vital role in protecting the rights of employees and ensuring they receive fair pay for their work. These laws serve as employers’ guidelines, preventing abuse or exploitation.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which has been around since 1938, sets hourly wages and overtime pay standards. It requires employers to track their employees’ working hours accurately. Overtime pay is set at 1.5 times the regular hourly rate for employees who work more than 40 hours per week. However, certain job categories like executives, professionals, and administrative employees may be exempt from overtime pay based on their job responsibilities and salary.

Another important federal law is the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which governs time management in the workplace. It provides eligible employees with an unpaid leave of up to 12 weeks for important family and medical reasons, such as childbirth, adopting, or caring for a family member with a serious health condition. The FMLA also requires employers to maintain employees’ health benefits during their leave and ensure they return to their previous or equivalent positions upon returning to work.

Employers who violate federal time management laws can face serious consequences, including fines, back pay, and damages. If for example, employees believe their employer has violated these laws they can file complaints with the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. The department will then investigate the matter and take legal action if necessary.

Both the FLSA and the FMLA are important federal laws that govern time management and worker rights. They promote fair labor practices in nonprofit, public, and private organizations.

Minimum Wage $13 per hour
Overtime 1.5 times regular wage for any hours worked over 40 hours/week ($20.50 for minimum wage workers)
Breaks Breaks not mandated by law

What are the 6 Best Florida Compliant Time Tracking Software?

The definitive list

1. Jibble

Jibble is the ultimate solution for efficient time and job management in Florida. Its customizable settings make it a great fit for businesses in the Sunshine State. Florida follows the federal law regarding overtime, imposing a rate of 1.5 times the regular hourly pay for hours worked beyond 40 in a week. And Jibble’s time tracker can be tailored to this requirement.

Managers can set the standard rate for various types of overtime, whether it’s daily overtime, rest day overtime, accelerated overtime, weekly overtime, or public holiday overtime. And they can define when these overtimes start and end. The software also automatically computes the corresponding overtime pay, ensuring accuracy and saving you a TON of time.

Besides overtime tracking, Jibble has a sophisticated leave and PTO management system. This can make navigating through Florida’s several Required and Non-Required Leaves easier. Employers can set the standard leave policies on the app and make each policy available only to eligible employees.

To help businesses stay on top of time records, Jibble provides users with comprehensive reports that cover worked days, time offs, overtime, and breaks. These reports are also important in complying with Florida’s Record-keeping Laws that require employers to keep key employment records, including wage rate computation and work schedules. Plus, they can be used with Jibble’s payroll integrations for accurate employee compensation.

Jibble pretty much has everything that businesses need to comply and thrive in the Florida business scene. On top of all the essential features, the software is also equipped with GPS, Facial recognition, RFID, and NFC technology. It’s the all-in-one time tracking platform for all your business needs.

Don’t just take my word for it – Jibble is the highest-rated app on platforms like Capterra, GetApp, G2, App Store, and Play Store. The reviews speak for themselves!

What Users Like

  • Free
  • Easy to set up and use
  • Affordable with a stacked free version
  • Accurate time-tracking due to facial recognition and GPS tracking
  • Excellent customer support
  • Feature-rich software

What Users Don’t Like

  • Jibble’s reminders are so effective that you’ll never forget to clock in and out again.

Key Features

  • The attendance kiosk makes punctual attendance a habit
  • Entry settings 
  • Mobile access
  • RFID and NFC attendance
  • Customizable settings
  • Chrome Extension
  • Detailed reporting and analytics
  • Facial recognition and GPS tracking eliminates buddy punching
  • Automated timesheets and reports
    Screen monitoring
  • Automated alerts
  • User-friendly interface

2. Apploye

Apploye has a great line-up of features that can make it easy for businesses to accurately track time, manage work, and comply with Florida’s labor laws. The software offers both manual logging and real-time tracking options, allowing employees to conveniently record their work hours, including overtime.

Users simply need to enter the task/project they’re working on and press the start button to start tracking time. If they want to take a  break they can simply press stop. And since breaks are not required by state law, monitoring these breaks isn’t necessary.

All the data recorded on the software’s time tracker is translated into the timesheets to give employers a better view of team activity. It also provides calculations based on the standard wage rates to ensure accurate payroll.

You’ve got to hand it to Apploye for the extensive reports they provide users. Users can generate reports on:

  • Time and Activity
  • Manual Time
  • URL Usage
  • App usage
  • Due amount
  • Paid amount
  • One time payment

These reports are great for productivity analysis and record-keeping purposes. But they can be complex and lack some details.

For those managing remote teams, the optional RemoteTrack add-on feature of Apploye offers app and URL tracking, random screenshots, and productivity tracking. Employers can set a time frame for regular screenshots of employees’ screens or take random screenshots as needed. But while this feature can be convenient for employers, it might raise privacy concerns from some employees.

All things considered, Apploye remains a good choice for Florida business to efficiently manage time while staying in line with Florida law.

What Users Like

  • Responsive customer support
  • Easy to use and intuitive interface

What Users Don’t Like

  • Limited customization options
  • Lacks integration options
  • Reports lack details

Key Features

  • Allows for real-time tracking or manual logging of work hours
  • Shift creation and attendance tracking
  • Permits project and task management using past data
  • RemoteTrack allows URL tracking, screenshot taking, and productivity tracking

Why not check out our full, and of course completely honest, Apploye review?

3. QuickBooks Time

QuickBooks Time is a cloud-based solution for managing employee time. This software does a good job of simplifying payroll, invoicing, and job costing for businesses.

The PTO and leave tracking feature is particularly noteworthy, allowing users to streamline time off tracking. Florida offers employees various Required Leaves and Non-Required Leaves, including Parental and Family Medical Leave, Jury Service Leave, Sick Leave, and so on. Managers can set different time off codes to match these leave policies for easier management and compliance. Employees can also see a report on how many time off hours they’ve consumed and the accruals and balances they have left for transparency.

QuickBooks Time also does a great job of helping businesses comply with overtime regulations. It keeps an accurate record of all regular work and overtime hours. These hours are reflected on the timesheets and auto-calculated for more accurate payroll. Managers can also set the standard work hours for employees and send them notifications when approaching the daily limit.

As a bonus, employee timesheets on the app can be directly exported to QuickBooks and other third-party POS or payroll integrations for convenient invoicing and billing. QuickBooks Time is definitely a good fit for businesses in the Sunshine State.

What Users Like

  • Comprehensive tracking that determines workers’ location while on the job
  • Custom PTO management tool to help manage time off
  • Very easy to set up and use
  • Employee scheduling to improve shift scheduling

What Users Don’t Like

  • It doesn’t let employers track employees’ online activity
  • Limited customer support
  • Lacks more complex data
  • It has random glitches that randomly clock out employees

Key Features

  • Timesheet Management
  • Real-time reporting
  • QuickBooks integration
  • Time off management
  • User-friendly interface

Why not check out our full, and of course completely honest, QuickBooks Time review?

4. Clockify

Clockify offers a range of features designed to streamline attendance tracking and simplify time management. This software is fairly easy to use. Employees can log their activity using the time tracker and edit time entries for the tasks they’re working on.

One notable feature of Clockify is its Pomodoro timer. Now, although breaks are not mandated by Florida law, employers and employees may agree to create rest intervals between 5 to 20 minutes. These are subsequently recognized as compensatory time. Employees are not entitled to compensation for meal breaks, otherwise referred to as bona fide meal periods, as they are not regarded as working hours. But if your business has its own policy for employee breaks, having this feature will come in handy.

Clockify also keeps track of overtime, leaves, and PTO balances. This data is visible via the app’s scheduling tab and can be exported for record-keeping purposes. For filing leaves, the app allows employees to send requests to their managers with just a few clicks. Managers can pre-set the type of policies employees can avail of under Florida law. This makes compliance much easier for both parties.

Overall, with its simple interface and practical features, Clockify is a suitable time-tracking solution for Florida businesses.

What Users Like

  • Auto tracker
  • Easy to use
  • 80+ integration
  • Good customer service

What Users Don’t Like

  • Manual clock off
  • Difficult time-zone coordination
  • Issues with app synchronization
  • Glitches while using the mobile app
  • Confusing reporting data

Key Features

  • Real-time tracker
  • Reporting
  • Payroll Management
  • Integration with software tools such as payroll and project management
  • User-friendly interface
  • Kiosk attendance
  • PTO management system

Why not check out our full, and of course completely honest, Clockify review?

5. When I Work

Designed for shift-based workplaces, When I Work simplifies attendance and absence tracking. All employee records can be accessed on the platform at any time. This includes overtime and breaks, allowing employers to compare logged hours with scheduled shifts.

The app already has pre-set overtime rates that match Florida’s overtime rates, at 1.5 times the hourly rate for any hours worked over 40 hours/week. The employer can change the overtime thresholds to manage labor costs and approve all overtime rendered. And employees can receive notifications when they reach their fixed weekly hours.

When I Work also has an Auto Scheduling feature allowing managers to create work schedules with a single click. The software displays staff availability indicators, making it easy for managers to assign shifts to available employees. To request time off, employees can fill out the app form for specific time off policies. Managers can customize these policies to match Florida’s mandated leaves.

When I Work is equipped with necessary features that simplify compliance with federal and state laws.

What Users Like

  • Easy to use and navigate
  • Good customer service
  • Many sub-features for scheduling

What Users Don’t Like

  • Notifications do not always work
  • Automatically signs out
  • Very limited features for the free plan
  • Higher pricing than competitors
  • The mobile app does not sync well
  • Glitches in the time clock

Key Features

  • Geofencing
  • Face recognition
  • Automatic scheduling
  • Reporting
  • Absence and leave management system
  • Integrated with POS and scheduling software
  • Task management for each shift

Why not check out our full, and of course completely honest, When I Work review?

6. Buddy Punch

Buddy Punch is a cloud-based time-tracking solution accessible from any internet-connected device. This makes it a great choice for businesses that manage remote teams in Florida.

From Buddy Punch’s dashboard, managers can get a bird’s eye view of scheduling requests, clock-ins and outs, hours worked for each employee, and real-time employee activity. The great thing about Buddy Punch is that it allows managers to customize the settings for each employee; they can set specific rules for:

  • Overtime
  • Automatic Breaks
  • Wage Rate

This is very helpful in keeping with Florida’s overtime rules and minimum wage rate set at $11. And even though the Sunshine State doesn’t mandate breaks, you can still set automatic breaks if you and your employee agree to it.

In addition to all of that, the software also includes advanced scheduling features, allowing managers to plan shifts, accept or reject time-off requests, and set up automated alerts and notifications. There are also available reports that summarize data on daily hours, in/out activity, and PTO. This is great for complying with record-keeping regulations.

All in all, Buddy Punch’s intuitive layout simplifies team management and provides a streamlined experience for administrators and employees alike.

What Users Like

  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Facial recognition and geofencing
  • Makes it easy to plan shifts and create schedules
  • Multiple punching options

What Users Don’t Like

  • Enterprise-only API
  • Lags on Android devices
  • Difficulties with punching out
  • Complicated editing of time entries

Key Features

  • Facial recognition
  • Geofences
  • Department codes for structured project tracking
  • Zapier integration
  • Time card for viewing work hours and department code details

Why not check out our full, and of course completely honest, Buddy Punch review?

How To Choose a Florida-Compliant Time Tracking Software

When choosing a Florida-compliant time tracking software, there are specific features that businesses should prioritize. Don’t get caught up with all the advanced features, here are the essential features that you should care about:

  • Attendance Tracking: Look for software that accurately records employee clock-ins and clock-outs. It should provide real-time visibility into employee attendance to ensure compliance with Florida labor laws.
  • Overtime Tracker: The software should have the capability to track and calculate overtime hours accurately. It should consider the specific rules and regulations outlined by the FLSA.
  • PTO Management: Choose a software that enables efficient management of paid time off (PTO). It should allow employees to request time off, managers to approve or deny requests, and automatically track accrued PTO hours.
  • Mobile Access: Opt for a time tracking solution that offers mobile access, allowing employees to clock in and out, request time off, and view their schedules using smartphones or tablets. This is particularly important for businesses with remote or field-based workers.
  • Reporting: Look for robust reporting capabilities that provide detailed insights into employee attendance, hours worked, PTO usage, and more. Customizable reports can help businesses analyze data and make informed decisions.
  • Automated Timesheets: Choose a software that generates automated timesheets based on employee clock-ins and outs. This saves time on manual data entry and ensures accurate records for payroll processing and compliance.

It’s also important to take the time to evaluate your business requirements. Consider factors such as the size of your workforce, remote work capabilities, scheduling complexities, and integration needs with other systems like payroll or HR. This will better guide you in selecting a software solution that caters to your unique needs.