Why Bad Timecards Are Wrecking Payroll (and How to Fix Them)

The most common causes of mismatches, and how to get ahead of them. 

Let’s talk about timecards. Not the clean, approved ones that get filed without issue. We’re talking about the messy ones. The ones that show up missing tasks, with mismatched hours, or that trigger a bunch of flags before payroll even starts. 

When timecards don’t match up with care assignments or EVV records, everything starts to fall apart. 

• Payroll gets delayed 

• Caregivers start calling 

• Admins spend hours fixing old visits 

• Claims get denied or underpaid 

It’s frustrating. It’s avoidable. And unfortunately, it’s extremely common. 

Where Timecards Usually Go Wrong 

These issues don’t happen because your team isn’t working hard. They happen because your tools don’t work together. Most errors come from the same five trouble spots: 

1. Clock-ins that don’t match the care window
   Caregivers arrive early or leave late. Sometimes they miss the window tied to the client’s authorization altogether.
2. Missed or skipped EVV tasks
   If tasks aren’t completed or if location tracking is off, the visit may not be considered valid by the payor.
3. Schedule edits that never sync
   Someone makes a change to the visit time or caregiver, but the timecard doesn’t reflect it. Now it’s wrong in two places.
4. Double entry across disconnected systems
   Using one platform for scheduling, another for EVV, and another for payroll leaves too much room for error.
5. Late or missing approvals
   Even if the visit was fine, delays in approvals can slow everything down and create a backlog just before payroll.

The Not-So-Obvious Cost of These Mistakes 

A few mismatches might not feel like a big deal. But when they’re happening week after week, it adds up fast. 

• Time lost to reviewing and fixing each issue 

• Money left on the table from claim denials 

• Caregivers upset because their pay is off 

• Admins pulled away from higher-priority work 

This isn’t just about cleaning up errors. It’s about the stress and time those errors create. 

What Clean Timecards Actually Look Like 

A timecard should be simple. It should reflect what really happened. But too often, agencies are stuck with data that needs a full investigation before it can be approved. 

Here’s what a better system provides: 

• Clock-ins and outs that match the scheduled visit and authorization 

• Verified tasks and GPS/location check-ins 

• Timecards that fill in automatically using care assignment and EVV data 

• Easy-to-follow approval steps built into the daily workflow 

• A clear record of who made edits, when, and why 

And most importantly, all of that should live in one place. One system. Not three. 

What Tools Built for Home Care Can Do 

You don’t need more dashboards. You need tools that are actually made for the way your team works. That means: 

• Visits, EVV, and timecards all connected 
  So data moves without you having to re-enter it 

• Automatic alerts for mismatches 
  So you catch the error before it lands in payroll 

• Built-in approval flows 
  So caregivers, admins, and reviewers all stay on the same page 

• Clear edit history 
  So you never have to guess who changed what 

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s trust. You need to trust that what’s in the system is accurate. Your caregivers need to trust their hours are right. And your leadership needs to trust that claims will go through without constant cleanup. 

You’re Not Alone in This 

Timecard errors don’t just throw off payroll. They mess with your whole week. 

You’ve probably had to explain a dozen times why a caregiver’s pay is short. You’ve stayed late fixing visits from three days ago. You’ve juggled it all while still trying to run your day. 

It’s exhausting. And it shouldn’t be this hard. 

You’re doing your best. You’re just stuck with tools that weren’t built for this pace, this workload, or this much responsibility. 

But there are systems out there that can help—ones that make timecards less of a burden and more of a background task. 

If you’re ready to stop spending hours fixing things that shouldn’t be broken in the first place, we get it. We’ve been there too. And we’re building tools to make it better.