> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.paypunch.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Glossary

> Plain-language definitions of the PayPunch terms you'll see across the admin, client, and employee guides.

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

## People & organizations

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Bookkeeper Org">
    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.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Client Company">
    A business the bookkeeper does payroll for. Each company is isolated and has its own pay
    periods, job codes, employees, and users.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Admin User">
    A staff member at the bookkeeper org. Admin roles are **SUPER\_ADMIN**, **ADMIN**, and
    **VIEWER**. Admins sign in at `/login`.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Client User">
    A user at a client company. Client roles are **OWNER**, **MANAGER**, and **VIEWER**. They
    review and submit their own company's payroll.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Employee">
    A worker at a client company who clocks time. Employees authenticate with a **PIN** rather
    than a password.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Impersonation">
    A time-limited, audited mode that lets an admin view PayPunch as one of their client users to
    help with setup or troubleshooting.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Time & clocking

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="PIN">
    The 4–6 digit code an employee enters (with their Employee ID, email, or phone) to clock in
    and out at the time clock.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Time Clock (kiosk)">
    The shared-device screen at `/timeclock` where employees punch in, take breaks, and punch out.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Time Entry">
    A single clock-in/clock-out record. PayPunch calculates its regular hours, overtime hours, and
    break time, and tracks its approval status.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Break">
    A recorded pause within a shift. Breaks can be **paid**, **unpaid**, **meal**, or **rest**, and
    affect how hours are totaled.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Overtime">
    Hours beyond the threshold (40/week by default). The applicable rule can be **Federal**,
    **California**, **Alaska**, **Colorado**, or **None**, depending on the company.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="FLSA status">
    Whether an employee is **exempt** (salary, no overtime) or **non-exempt** (eligible for
    overtime).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Payroll & export

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Pay Period">
    The date range payroll is calculated for — **weekly**, **bi-weekly**, **semi-monthly**,
    **monthly**, or **manual**. Time entries roll up into the active period.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Locking">
    Freezing a pay period after approval so no further edits can be made. Locks and unlocks are
    recorded with a reason.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Payroll Workflow">
    The sequence a payroll run moves through — from draft to customer-submitted, reviewed,
    approved, exported to QuickBooks, and completed.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Payroll Summary">
    A recap of an approved period that the bookkeeper can send to the client for a final
    confirmation before processing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="IIF Export">
    The QuickBooks Desktop `.IIF` file PayPunch generates from approved hours. The flagship feature
    that removes manual re-keying. See [IIF export](/admin/iif-export).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Job Code">
    A short code (e.g. `PROJ001`) used to tag time to a project or cost center for reporting and
    job costing.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Other terms

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Onboarding">
    The guided steps for setting up a new employee — personal info, employment details, ID, W-4,
    direct deposit, and more.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Time Off / PTO">
    Requested non-working time — **PTO**, **sick**, **personal**, or **unpaid** — tracked against
    an employee's balance and approved by a manager or admin.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Holiday">
    A company, federal, or state date configured at the org level that can affect pay and
    scheduling.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Branding">
    White-label settings (name, logo, colors) that let a bookkeeper present PayPunch under their
    own brand.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Industry">
    A predefined category assigned to a client company, used for organization and reporting.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Notification">
    An in-app alert about an event — payroll submitted, timesheet rejected, document required,
    time-off requested, and so on.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

Still fuzzy on the big picture? Revisit [How PayPunch works](/get-started/how-paypunch-works) or
the [Resources FAQ](/resources/faq).