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A quick reference for the words PayPunch uses. Terms are grouped so related concepts sit together.

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People & organizations

The top-level tenant — the bookkeeping firm that uses PayPunch. It owns every client company, employee, and payroll run beneath it, plus org-wide settings.
A business the bookkeeper does payroll for. Each company is isolated and has its own pay periods, job codes, employees, and users.
A staff member at the bookkeeper org. Admin roles are SUPER_ADMIN, ADMIN, and VIEWER. Admins sign in at /login.
A user at a client company. Client roles are OWNER, MANAGER, and VIEWER. They review and submit their own company’s payroll.
A worker at a client company who clocks time. Employees authenticate with a PIN rather than a password.
A time-limited, audited mode that lets an admin view PayPunch as one of their client users to help with setup or troubleshooting.

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Time & clocking

The 4–6 digit code an employee enters (with their Employee ID, email, or phone) to clock in and out at the time clock.
The shared-device screen at /timeclock where employees punch in, take breaks, and punch out.
A single clock-in/clock-out record. PayPunch calculates its regular hours, overtime hours, and break time, and tracks its approval status.
A recorded pause within a shift. Breaks can be paid, unpaid, meal, or rest, and affect how hours are totaled.
Hours beyond the threshold (40/week by default). The applicable rule can be Federal, California, Alaska, Colorado, or None, depending on the company.
Whether an employee is exempt (salary, no overtime) or non-exempt (eligible for overtime).

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Payroll & export

The date range payroll is calculated for — weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, or manual. Time entries roll up into the active period.
Freezing a pay period after approval so no further edits can be made. Locks and unlocks are recorded with a reason.
The sequence a payroll run moves through — from draft to customer-submitted, reviewed, approved, exported to QuickBooks, and completed.
A recap of an approved period that the bookkeeper can send to the client for a final confirmation before processing.
The QuickBooks Desktop .IIF file PayPunch generates from approved hours. The flagship feature that removes manual re-keying. See IIF export.
A short code (e.g. PROJ001) used to tag time to a project or cost center for reporting and job costing.

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Other terms

The guided steps for setting up a new employee — personal info, employment details, ID, W-4, direct deposit, and more.
Requested non-working time — PTO, sick, personal, or unpaid — tracked against an employee’s balance and approved by a manager or admin.
A company, federal, or state date configured at the org level that can affect pay and scheduling.
White-label settings (name, logo, colors) that let a bookkeeper present PayPunch under their own brand.
A predefined category assigned to a client company, used for organization and reporting.
An in-app alert about an event — payroll submitted, timesheet rejected, document required, time-off requested, and so on.
Still fuzzy on the big picture? Revisit How PayPunch works or the Resources FAQ.