By Melissa Grant, field-service payroll systems coordinator with 9 years of experience reviewing technician time, payroll exports, and job-cost records
Last reviewed: July 21, 2026
FieldPulse includes General Timesheets for an employee’s workday and Job Tracking Timesheets for time spent on a particular job or task. Businesses can review, edit, report on, and connect those records to job costing or QuickBooks Time, but overlapping entries can create synchronization and overtime problems.
This independent guide is not operated by or affiliated with FieldPulse.
Verify the original clock-in and clock-out records before payroll is processed. Skip correcting totals only inside the payroll system when FieldPulse remains the source of the inaccurate entry.
What is FieldPulse?
FieldPulse is field service management software for scheduling, dispatching, customer records, estimates, invoices, technician activity, payments, and operational reporting. Its reporting tools can track team performance, job profitability, revenue, expenses, schedules, and job status data through configurable dashboards and reports.
Time tracking sits between field operations and payroll.
A technician can record an ordinary workday, time spent on a specific service call, or both, depending on the company’s configuration. Those hours may then affect payroll review, labor billing, job profitability, and QuickBooks Time.
One bad entry can travel far.
That is why the first question should not be “What total appears on payroll?” It should be “Which FieldPulse timesheet produced that total?”
General Timesheets and Job Timesheets
FieldPulse offers two time-tracking methods. A General Timesheet records the employee’s overall day and is commonly used for payroll, while a Job Tracking Timesheet is connected to a specific job or task and records the time spent there.
Administrators enable the feature under Company Settings, Features & Plugins, and Employee Timesheets. They can then choose a single-timesheet setup or a two-timesheet setup that separates general working time from job-specific time.
| Timesheet type | Main purpose |
|---|---|
| General | Tracks the employee’s overall workday |
| Job Tracking | Records labor against a particular job or task |
The choice has consequences.
A company that uses General Timesheets for payroll and Job Timesheets for costing must prevent the same hours from being counted twice. A company that uses only job-based time must decide how meetings, shop work, travel, and other non-job activity will be recorded.
Define the policy first. Skip enabling both methods without telling technicians when each one should be used.
How employees clock in and out
In the web application, users can open My Timesheets, choose General or Job Tracking, and select Clock In. A Job Tracking entry can be connected to a related job. The user can add a title, time, and notes before saving the entry.
On mobile, the documented route begins from the bottom menu under Timesheets. The employee selects Clock In beneath General Timesheet and must use Save Clock-In or Save for the entry to be recorded.
That final save is a concrete friction.
A technician can open the clock-in form, enter notes, and assume the action is complete without saving it. The office later sees no starting time and interprets the absence as a synchronization problem.
Check the entry itself before changing the employee’s hours.
FieldPulse also records a location tag when a team member clocks in or out through the mobile app. Authorized users can select the employee and open the blue location marker associated with the clock event.
The location identifies where the mobile clock action occurred. It should not automatically be treated as proof of all work performed during the recorded period.
Why timesheet hours look wrong
Incorrect totals usually begin with one or more entries, not the final report.
Common causes include:
- A forgotten clock-out
- A duplicate entry
- General and Job Timesheets covering the same period
- A backdated record attached to the wrong employee
- A manual edit that changed the original times
- An offline entry that has not synchronized
- A job entry connected to the wrong work order
FieldPulse allows authorized users to adjust clock-in and clock-out times. When a record is changed, its Clock-In Method changes from Automatic to Manual, creating an important clue during review.
Look for that field first.
A manual label does not prove misconduct or an incorrect change. It shows that the original automatic event was modified, which means the reviewer should inspect the reason, notes, and surrounding entries.
Do not simply force the weekly total to match an expected number. Correct the underlying record so payroll, reporting, and job costing use the same revised data.
Logging backdated time
FieldPulse supports backdated time entry from the web application even while the employee is currently clocked in. The Log Backdated Time control appears in the upper-right area of the Timesheets screen. At minimum, the user must provide clock-in and clock-out times; tags, notes, and a related job or project can also be added.
Permissions differ by role.
A Service Agent’s own name is filled automatically and cannot be changed. Team Managers can select users within the teams they manage, while Admins can select any user in the business.
This helps explain why two managers see different employee choices.
A missing name may be a role boundary rather than a broken search. Check the manager’s assigned team before creating the entry under another employee.
Backdated time should also carry enough context to be reviewed later. A note such as “forgot clock-in, arrived at warehouse at 7:10” is more useful than a silent adjustment made days after the pay period closed.
Clocking time without internet
FieldPulse allows employees to clock in and out through Offline Mode using either General or Job Timesheets. Current-day time entries can be viewed offline, and an entry can be linked to a job cached for that day. Once the connection returns, the timestamps are synchronized to the appropriate timesheet.
Offline access is narrower than normal online access.
Employees cannot view other team members’ timesheets offline, and prior-day entries are unavailable until the device reconnects. When a clock event does not appear immediately after service returns, FieldPulse advises establishing a stable connection and allowing the entry to synchronize.
Reconnect first. Skip entering the time again.
A duplicate can be created when the technician assumes the cached event was lost and adds a second online entry. Payroll then shows excessive hours even though each individual record looks plausible.
Before adding anything, search the current day and wait for the offline record to finish syncing.
FieldPulse and QuickBooks Time
QuickBooks Time is a separate Intuit product that can connect with QuickBooks Online or Desktop. FieldPulse’s integration sends clock-in and clock-out dates, times, tags, and notes to QuickBooks Time whenever a timesheet is created or updated. Deleting the FieldPulse timesheet also removes it from QuickBooks Time through the documented integration.
The major limitation is overlap.
FieldPulse warns that overlapping entries will not synchronize to QuickBooks Time. For example, a General Timesheet from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. combined with job-specific entries during that same period creates overlapping time. This can cause sync errors and failed overtime calculations.
Choose one source for payroll time.
A business can use FieldPulse General Timesheets, FieldPulse Job Timesheets, or the QuickBooks Time mobile application, but it should not casually mix overlapping methods for the same employee. FieldPulse explicitly advises choosing either job-based or general timesheets when using this integration.
Another caveat: timesheet locations and related FieldPulse job or project information do not sync to QuickBooks Time. Duration is calculated there from the transferred clock-in and clock-out times rather than sent as a separate duration value.
Overtime and payroll review
FieldPulse sends time data to QuickBooks Time, while QuickBooks Time applies its configured overtime rules. Those overtime rules are managed within QuickBooks Time rather than calculated by FieldPulse through the documented integration.
This division matters when an overtime total looks wrong.
Check the source timestamps in FieldPulse. Then check for overlapping or missing entries. After those are confirmed, review the overtime policy configured in QuickBooks Time.
Do not change an employee’s clock record merely to force a preferred overtime result. The time record should reflect the work performed; payroll rules should be applied in the appropriate payroll or timekeeping system.
In the United States, employers may also have obligations under the Fair Labor Standards Act and applicable state laws. The U.S. Department of Labor notes that the FLSA uses a broad employment concept, and worker classification can differ across federal laws.
FieldPulse is a recordkeeping tool, not a substitute for payroll or legal review. Overtime requirements and record-retention rules vary by worker classification and jurisdiction.
Building a timesheet report
FieldPulse’s Timesheets reporting tab can produce reports by employee, job, project, duration, and notes. The company specifically describes these reports as a way to verify logged time before payroll is run.
The report date can be based on:
- Created Date
- Clock In Time
- Clock Out Time
Preset date ranges include Today, Yesterday, This Week, Last Week, Last 7 Days, This Month, Last Month, Last 30 Days, and Custom.
Selecting the wrong date type creates a subtle error.
A backdated entry created on Monday for work performed the previous Friday may appear in a Created Date report for Monday but in a Clock In Time report for Friday. Neither report is inherently wrong; they answer different questions.
For payroll, use the date tied to the work period. For auditing late submissions, compare that result with Created Date.
FieldPulse also added separate date and time reporting columns and a decimal-duration field, which can make exported time easier to compare with payroll calculations.
How timesheets affect job costing
FieldPulse’s Job Costing tab compares projected and actual financial performance for each job. Projected figures can use estimates and material lists, while actual figures can use final invoices, material records, purchase orders, and timesheet labor data, depending on the company’s chosen settings.
Actual labor is only as accurate as the timesheets.
If a technician records eight hours against the wrong job, one project appears less profitable while another appears unusually efficient. Payroll may remain correct overall, yet the job-cost report becomes misleading.
Check labor allocation, not only total labor.
Administrators configure costing sources under Company Settings, Jobs, and Job Costing. The Job Costing tab can be enabled for Admins and Team Managers, but visible information is limited by their permissions for records such as timesheets, invoices, purchase orders, estimates, and material lists.
A manager who sees incomplete costing may lack access to one of those source records.
Getting FieldPulse support
FieldPulse lists customer support at (469) 382-5668, with phone availability Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central Time. Chat support is also offered.
Contact support when entries repeatedly fail to sync, expected timesheet controls are missing despite correct permissions, or several users experience the same behavior.
Before reporting the problem, note:
- Employee and user role
- General or Job Timesheet
- Web, mobile, or Offline Mode
- Clock-in and clock-out date
- Whether the entry was manually edited
- Related job or project
- QuickBooks Time connection status
- Exact sync error, when shown
Do not include account credentials or authentication codes.
Frequently asked questions
Does FieldPulse track employee time?
Yes. It supports General and Job Timesheets.
Can technicians clock in without internet?
Yes. Current-day General and Job Timesheets can be used through Offline Mode and synchronized after connectivity returns.
Why did my timesheet fail to sync to QuickBooks Time?
Overlapping time is a documented cause. General and job-based entries covering the same period are not accepted by QuickBooks Time through the FieldPulse integration.
Can employees change their own timesheets?
Administrators can decide whether Service Agents may manually edit their clock-in and clock-out times.
How can I tell that a time entry was edited?
The record’s Clock-In Method changes from Automatic to Manual after the clock times are adjusted.
Does FieldPulse calculate overtime?
The documented QuickBooks Time integration sends clock data, while QuickBooks Time applies the overtime rules configured in that product.
Why does a backdated entry appear in the wrong report?
The report may be using Created Date rather than Clock In Time. A backdated record can fall into different reporting periods depending on the selected date field.
What should be checked before payroll?
Review missing clock-outs, manual changes, overlaps, duplicate offline entries, employee assignment, job allocation, and the selected report date range.
