Time registration - recording work hours
Time Registration in ChurchDesk – Simple and Flexible Work Hour Documentation
With time registration, you can easily record your work hours – whether directly after the workday or retroactively. You don't need a stopwatch, nor do you have to clock in or out. This tool is designed for users who want to verifiably document their working hours – for example, custodians, church musicians, or pastors.
This feature is available to congregations with the appropriate package. You can find more information here:
Attention! Updates to Time Registration:
(As of June 2025)
- Organization administrators must, once, adjust absence categories to differentiate between absences from the office location (e.g., home office, training, etc.) and absences from work (e.g., sick days, paid leave, ...). (Instructions)
- Users or administrators must review existing absences to ensure that:
a) the correct absence category has been selected in the respective calendar entry,
b) and that the correct number of absence days has been entered. The system provides a suggestion, but depending on whether you work weekends or only have a three-day week, for example, it may need to be corrected.
Activate Time Registration for Users
Instructions for organization administrators: Activate Time Registration for Users
How Time Registration Works Day-to-Day
Where do I find it?
- Computer Browser: After activation, click the clock icon next to your name in the top right corner.
- Mobile App: You can find time registration in the menu.
1. Component: Standard Working Hours
The system initially automatically assumes the stored standard work hours.
How do you set up standard work hours?
- Click the clock icon in the top right and scroll all the way down to "Edit your general standard working hours."
- Enter your regular standard work hours.
- The resulting expected number of work hours will be automatically entered into the "Work Hours" field starting from the next day.
- Need to make changes? Scroll down to Frequently Asked Questions
2. Component: Daily Work Hours
Important: This is not a real-time registration system. You don't need to start or stop a clock; you manually enter your hours.The number of hours expected from your standard work hours is automatically entered in the "Work Hours" field. This means that you only need to manually enter the actually worked hours if you worked more or less than your regular working time on a particular day.
Example: Only if you worked 9 hours instead of your regular 7 hours on a given day, you enter 9 hours. If there is no deviation, you don't need to enter anything.
Comments
Comments offer a way to describe activities, note start and end times, overtime reduction, or the reason for accruing overtime, for example.
They will be included in the report.
3. Component: Absences
You can enter different types of absences in the calendar. They are also part of the report.
- Users can enter absences themselves in the calendar.
- Group leaders can enter absences for their group members.
Different types of absences are distinguished:
- Local absences, such as home office and training, which do not affect time registration.
- Work absences, such as sickness, vacation, which should be registered as absence days.
How do you set up absence categories?
To do this, the organization administrator must adjust the individual options under ChurchDesk Settings > Categories > Absence Types.
- Adjust once per category: "Absence counts as absence days in time registration and absence reports"
How is the number of absence days determined for a longer absence period?
Users or administrators must review existing absences to ensure that:
a) the correct absence category has been selected in the respective calendar entry.
b) the correct number of absence days has been entered.
Attention! Check the number of days. The system will suggest the number of days of absence, but depending on whether you work weekends, only have a three-day week, or your absence starts in the middle of the week, this may need to be corrected.
4. Generate Time Registration Report
Download Report
If you want to evaluate your documented hours, you can have a report sent to you as an Excel file:
- In the calendar, go to Reports > Time registration.
- Select the desired period and person.
- Click Export – the report will be sent to you via email as an Excel file.
The Excel file includes, among other things:
- Week, date, and weekday
- Hours worked and standard work hours
- Comments
- Notes on absences
- Notes on appointment times for which you are booked, as well as their category
- Time balances (start, change, end balance)
as well as:
- Evaluation of absences
- Evaluation of event categories and hours
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can use time registration?
All individuals for whom it has been activated by the congregation. Each congregation decides this themselves. Depending on the contract, there are limited slots. For questions regarding this, please contact your ChurchDesk congregation advisor.
Can I change or add times retroactively?
Yes, you can adjust your entries at any time – even retroactively. Make sure that the actually worked hours are documented correctly.
How do you change standard work hours for the future or retroactively?
- To change them for the future, click "Edit your general standard working hours" again and save the new status there. The new result will be displayed from the following day.
- Standard work hours can also be adjusted retroactively if necessary. To do this, click on the respective date and then adjust the hours in the "Standard Work Hours" field at the bottom for that specific date.
What happens to the starting balance?
If you had, for example, +2h of overtime at the beginning, this value can be stored as a starting balance. It is included in the report calculation but is not directly visible in the module.
Are there differences between the app and the browser?
No – time registration works the same in both cases.
What do I do if I have vacation?
For paid vacation, enter an absence with the correct type and number of absence days, as described above, and leave the standard hours and the resulting work hours unchanged.
What do I enter for unpaid leave?
During unpaid leave, you can set the expected standard hours to zero. Additionally, enter an absence with a specially created absence category. Afterward, adjust the standard hours back to the agreed-upon times.
How are days of absence calculated automatically?
The system calculates absences automatically as follows:
< 5 hours = 0 working days absent
>= 5 hours = 1 working day
1 calendar day = 1 working day
2 calendar days = 2 working days
3 calendar days = 3 working days
4 calendar days = 4 working days
5 calendar days = 5 working days
more than 6 calendar days = X*5/7 working days, rounded up
(Optimized to exclude weekends. However, this will not always be accurate, so please check the number of days. The system only makes a suggestion for the number of days of absence, but depending on whether you work weekends, only have a three-day week, or the absence starts in the middle of the week, it may need to be corrected.)
Keywords: time registration, document work hours, record hours, ChurchDesk time registration, proof of work hours, record work hours, time registration app, enter times retroactively, time balance, hour overview, time registration report, Excel export time registration, overtime, negative hours, manual time registration, activate time registration, time registration calendar, retroactive work hours, ChurchDesk time registration app, work hour management.
Updated on: 14/07/2025
Thank you!