How hours are calculated when a punch is missing a clock-out
Why does 7shifts default to midnight UTC when a punch is missing a clock-out?
When an employee punch has no clock-out time, 7shifts doesn't leave the duration blank. 7shifts needs both a clock-in and a clock-out to calculate shift duration. , so when one is missing, 7shifts defaults the clock-out to midnight UTC rather than excluding the punch entirely. Depending on your location, this may appear as a specific local time in your reports (for example, 7:00 PM Central Time). If payroll is submitted before the incomplete punch is corrected, the calculated hours will reflect that default, which can result in an overpayment.
How incomplete punches affect your reports
Whether an incomplete punch appears in your reports depends on how it was created and whether it has been approved.
Punches synced from a POS integration are marked as Employer Approved by default, even if the clock-out is missing. These punches appear in both the Worked Hours & Wages Report and in Payroll calculations.
Punches entered directly in 7shifts without a clock-out are unapproved by default. These punches are included in Payroll calculations but do not appear in the Worked Hours & Wages Report. This can cause a discrepancy between the two reports that is easy to miss before running payroll.
How to find and fix incomplete punches before running payroll
Review your punches in Time Clocking before submitting payroll to catch any missing clock-out times.
- Go to Time Clocking in your 7shifts account.
- Set the date range to match your payroll period.
- Scan the punch list for any shifts with a clock-in time but no clock-out time.
- Click the punch to open it and enter the correct clock-out time.
- Save the updated punch before submitting payroll.
Note: You can also run a Punch Audit report under Reports to review all punches and identify any that have been edited or flagged.
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