Hi there, Brad. QuickBooks Online (QBO) doesn't have a lockout feature to physically stop an employee from clocking in early.
As a workaround, using the Schedule feature along with the Tardies report is the best way to keep an eye on things. This combination lets you see exactly when someone clocks in early, so you can catch it before running payroll. To do this, make sure your shifts are set up in the Schedule menu first. Then, go to the Time tab under All apps, select Overview, and click Go to classic QuickBooks Time. From the left menu, go to Reports, then Schedule Reports, and select Tardies.
To get real-time updates, you can also turn on Alerts in the Classic view. Go to Company settings, select Notifications, and toggle on the Clock-in/out alerts. This pings you and the employees the moment they punch in early, so you can handle it right away instead of waiting until the end of the week.
If you have any additional questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
