Timesheet app checklist for Hospitality: GPS, breaks, awards, approvals

Introduction

Running a hospo venue in Australia means your Timesheet setup has to do more than clock in and clock out. It needs to capture breaks the way the Hospitality Award requires, help you lawfully use GPS or a kiosk, support approvals and audit trails that stand up in a Fair Work check, and push clean data to payroll for STP Phase 2. Employers must keep time and wages records for 7 years, in English, and not alter them except to correct an error, so your process has to be tight and traceable from roster to payroll export. With a casual-heavy workforce, clear break capture and mobile-friendly clocking really matter in hospitality.

What are digital timesheets

Digital timesheets are electronic records of start and finish times, unpaid breaks, and related shift data that can be approved and exported to payroll. They should support Australian record-keeping rules that require 7 years of legible, English records that are not altered except to correct an error. In hospitality, digital timesheets often include award interpretation to apply the Hospitality Industry General Award rules to captured hours, such as penalties and break requirements.

Some systems show geofence or photo evidence inside the approval flow to support verification before payroll, while others highlight admin controls like generating no-show timesheets or converting rosters to timesheets.

The real cost of paper timesheets

The compliance exposure is the real sting. In 2024–25, the Fair Work Ombudsman recovered $358 million for more than 249,000 workers and issued 743 infringement notices for record-keeping and pay slip breaches, totalling about $838,000 in penalties. Regulators keep pointing out that incomplete or misleading records can attract penalties. The UNSW case saw a $213,120 penalty for systemic record-keeping failures.

Paper also makes it harder to consistently enforce HIGA break rules. Under the Hospitality Award, staff must get an unpaid 30 minute meal break within the first 6 hours of work. If a break is not allowed after 6 hours, the employer must pay an extra 50 percent of the ordinary hourly rate until the break is taken or the shift ends. On paper, these exceptions can be missed or calculated late. Digital tools are built to flag or calculate them in context.

Hidden risks for hospitality venues

• Missed breaks and penalties: HIGA requires a 30 minute unpaid break within the first 6 hours, with a missed-meal penalty of an extra 50 percent until the break is given.
• GPS tracking legality: In NSW you must give written notice at least 14 days before tracking surveillance, stating the kind, method, start, continuity, and duration. In the ACT, detailed written notice and consultation are required, with limits on surveillance in certain areas. In Victoria, using a tracking device requires consent of the person tracked or the person in lawful control of the object.
• Annualised salaries: Some arrangements require recording start and finish times and unpaid breaks, with employee acknowledgment each period to support reconciliation. High profile hospitality back pays have stemmed from insufficient annual salaries that did not cover Award entitlements.
• Multi-job and multi-venue complexity: More shift workers are holding multiple jobs, with hospitality amongst the highest, which complicates geofences and approvals across venues.

How digital timesheets improve accuracy and compliance

• Location evidence in approvals: Review clock-ins against a geofence map during approval to verify attendance before exporting to payroll.
• Award rule mapping: Systems surface breaks, penalties and allowances within timesheets so reviewers can approve with context.
• Audit trail and retention: The FWO requires records to be kept for 7 years, in English, and not altered except to correct an error, so digital edit history and exports help you meet that bar.
• Kiosk options: If staff will not use personal phones, kiosks with photo verification deter buddy punching while keeping employer-side records in one place.
• Mobile-friendly capture: Hospitality skews younger and part-time which makes clear, mobile-first prompts for breaks and sign-offs a practical must.

Time theft and rounding example

Here's a practical workflow that balances fraud deterrence and compliance without overcomplicating approvals:

1. Use a kiosk with photo verification at each venue so clock-ins are tied to an image and the on-site tablet, not a personal phone.
2. Require supervisors to review the geofence or on-site context in the approval flow before exporting to payroll.
3. Configure break prompts and flags that align with HIGA: an unpaid 30 minute meal break within the first 6 hours, and a missed-meal penalty of an extra 50 percent if the break is not allowed after 6 hours.
4. Set clear rounding and exception rules in your process so early arrivals, late stays, and no-shows surface for review rather than slipping through. This fits a common AU hospitality checklist for exceptions and compliance flags (internal checklist based on research structure).

Tip: The Fair Work Ombudsman also provides a worker-side Record My Hours app that uses location to help employees record their time, but it does not replace employer record-keeping obligations.

Paper vs digital comparison table

Manual entries rely on memory and trust. Records must not be false or misleading. Geo review and photo verification can be surfaced in approvals before payroll. Admin timeCollating 7 years of legible, English records is manual and error prone. Approvals and exports are built-in, including award mapping and payroll file outputs. Compliance supportBreak penalties depend on consistent manual calculation under HIGA. Award libraries and rules can flag or calculate penalties and allowances in timesheets. Audit trailPaper can be altered or lost. Records cannot be altered except to correct an error. Edit history and electronic exports support audit readiness over 7 years.

What to look for in a digital timesheet system

• GPS and geofencing done lawfully: NSW requires 14 days written notice before tracking, stating kind, method, start, continuity, and duration. ACT requires detailed written notice and consultation. In VIC, tracking needs consent.
• Break capture aligned to HIGA: Prompt an unpaid 30 minute meal break within the first 6 hours and flag missed-meal penalties of 50 percent until the break is given.
• Award interpretation: Use a system that maps Award rules into timesheets for approvals and payroll.
• Role-based approvals with evidence: Supervisors and managers should be able to review geo context and photos in the same approval flow.
• Kiosk as a BYOD alternative: If personal phones are a privacy concern, deploy an iPad or tablet kiosk with photo verification.
• Annualised salaries support: Record start and finish times and unpaid breaks, and capture employee acknowledgment each pay period or roster cycle.
• Multi-venue and multi-job workflows: Handle no-shows, roster to timesheet conversion, and approvals per site. Multi-job prevalence in hospitality makes this essential.
• Payroll integrations and STP 2 readiness: Ensure the payroll stack is STP Phase 2 compliant, as STP Phase 1 was switched off on 27 February 2025.

Where Shiftly fits in

Shiftly focuses on award-aligned timesheets for AU hospitality. It applies configured Award logic, including breaks and penalties, into timesheets that managers can review and export to Xero, supporting STP 2-ready workflows. If your team prefers not to use personal phones, you can run with a kiosk model today, while Shiftly's mobile app with geofenced clock-in is coming online to align with lawful tracking practices. Shiftly is completely free, which makes piloting low risk.

Need a primer first? See Compliant timesheets for hospitality and Award interpretation for hospitality on Shiftly's site for AU-focused walkthroughs.

Short case example from the research

A university's penalty for poor records is a cautionary tale. The Fair Work Ombudsman stated that record-keeping is crucial, and penalties are a warning to prioritise getting records right, after UNSW was penalised $213,120 for systemic record-keeping failures.

"Record-keeping is a crucial part of compliance with workplace laws, and the penalty imposed is a warning to all employers to prioritise getting their records right." — Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth

Checklist: Is it time to move to digital timesheets

• You need to reliably capture start and finish times and unpaid breaks and get employee acknowledgment each period under an annualised wages setup.
• Your rosters are casual heavy and mobile first prompts for breaks and clocking would reduce errors.
• You want to use GPS or a kiosk lawfully across NSW, ACT or VIC with the right notices or consent documented.

Conclusion

A solid Timesheet app for Australian hospitality should make it easier to follow the rules you live with every week. That means HIGA-aligned break capture and missed-meal penalties, lawful GPS or kiosk use with the right notices, award-aware approvals with location evidence, annualised salary sign-offs, clean exports to an STP 2-ready payroll, and audit-ready records you can stand behind for 7 years. Enforcement remains active, so closing the gaps now will save headaches later.

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