Activating Time Rounding Rules

The Problem

Your employees clock in at 8:57, 9:02, 8:58—never exactly on time. Calculating payroll down to the minute creates messy timesheets and inconsistent pay. You need a fair, standardized way to round punch times.

The Solution

BarSight's Rounding Rules automatically round punch times to the nearest interval (like 15 minutes). With a configurable grace period, employees who clock in a few minutes early or late still get credit for their scheduled start time.

How to Enable Rounding

1. Navigate to Settings → Locations
2. Click on your location to edit it
3. Scroll to the Tips and Posting Hours section
4. Check Enable Rounding Rules
5. Set your Interval (e.g., 15 minutes)
6. Set your Grace Period (e.g., 4 minutes)
7. Choose your Direction (see below)
8. Click Save

How It Works

• Interval — The rounding increment (15 min means times round to :00, :15, :30, :45)
• Grace Period — If within this window of scheduled time, punch snaps to scheduled time instead of being rounded
• Direction — Controls how punches outside the grace period are rounded (see options below)

Rounding Direction Options

• Nearest — Rounds to the closest interval boundary. The grace period shifts the round-up threshold so employees close to their scheduled time land on the right side. This is the most common setup.
• Always Up — Every punch rounds forward to the next interval. Favors employees on clock-in; use with care.
• Always Down — Every punch rounds back to the previous interval. Strictest option for employees.
• Biased (Up In / Down Out) — Punch-ins round up and punch-outs round down, both outside the grace window. The result is that employees are only paid for time solidly within an interval — a few minutes early or late on either end won't extend their hours. A good middle-ground for employers who want consistent, predictable timecards without penalizing small deviations.
• Nearest In / Strict Out — Punch-ins use standard nearest rounding (same as the Nearest option), but punch-outs always round down. Employees get a fair shake clocking in, but won't receive credit for working past a boundary unless they reach the next full interval.

Pro Tip

A 4-minute grace with 15-minute intervals is the most common setup. An employee scheduled for 9:00 who clocks in at 8:57 or 9:03 will show 9:00 on their timecard. Use the Preview tool on the location settings page to test any direction against sample times before saving.

Learn More

For more on timecard configuration, see Location Settings Explained. Also check out Quick Posting Hours from Punch Data.