TimerOff

How TimerOff works

TimerOff turns overtime that isn't paid in cash into time off that is actually recorded, agreed, and bookable. Here is the whole workflow, from the first extra hour worked to the day off appearing in the calendar.

1. Both sides create an account

Sign-up asks one question first: are you an employer or an employee? Employers create a company workspace and receive a join code. Employees sign up with their name, job title and employee ID, then join their employer's workspace with that code. Because both parties hold their own account, neither side edits the other's record silently — every change is attributed and timestamped.

At sign-up both roles accept the same short agreement: overtime worked may be converted into paid time off under the conversion rule the employer sets, all earned and used time is tracked in the system, and either party may end the arrangement in writing. That agreement is what makes the ledger meaningful later.

2. The employee logs the overtime they worked

The employee opens their dashboard and logs a shift with a date and 24-hour start and end times — for example Sunday 08:30 to 12:00. TimerOff calculates the decimal hours automatically (3.5 hours in that example) and shows a live preview of what those hours become under each conversion rule before the entry is submitted. Shifts that cross midnight are supported with a "shift ends the next day" toggle.

Employees on site can also use the location-aware shift tracker: clocking in and out captures a GPS-verified timestamp, giving the employer proof of attendance and giving the employee an objective record of the hours they actually spent on site.

3. The employer approves and the conversion rule applies

Submitted overtime lands in the employer's queue as pending. The employer reviews the date, the hours and any note, then approves or declines. Declines require a comment, so the employee always learns why.

On approval the employer picks the conversion rule that applies to that entry:

  • 1:1 (hour for hour) — one hour worked becomes one hour off. The usual default for ordinary weekday overtime.
  • Time and a half (1.5x) — four hours worked becomes six hours off. Common for weekend or unsocial hours.
  • Double time (2x) — used for public holidays or call-outs.
  • Day for day — a full extra day worked becomes a full day off, regardless of the exact hour count.

Only approved entries move the balance. Nothing is credited on the employee's word alone, and nothing quietly disappears on the employer's side either.

4. The balance updates for both sides

The employee dashboard shows the current balance in hours with a plain-language equivalent ("22.5h ≈ 2 days, 6.5 hours"), plus earned, used and pending totals. The employer sees the same figures for every member of the team. A work calendar plots overtime worked and time off taken on the same grid, so patterns — someone quietly accumulating 60 hours of unused TOIL, for instance — become obvious before they turn into a dispute.

5. The employee books time off against the balance

Booking works two ways. A full-day request covers one date or a date range. A partial-day request books a specific number of hours on a single date, so an employee with 4 hours banked can take a half day rather than being forced into a whole one.

The form validates before it submits: no past dates, a minimum of half an hour, and a check that the request fits inside the available balance. Employees can add a note explaining the request.

6. The employer approves or declines, and everyone is notified

Requests appear in the employer's queue and trigger a notification. Approve and the hours are deducted from the balance and the days appear on the shared calendar. Decline and a comment is required, so the employee receives a reason rather than silence. Both outcomes are emailed and shown in the in-app notification centre, and neither side can edit a request after submission — the trigger that locks it is enforced in the database, not just the interface.

7. The record is ready for payroll

Every earned and used hour carries a timestamp, an approver and, where relevant, a comment. The payroll view collects that ledger so accrued TOIL can be reconciled at period end or paid out when someone leaves. If your payroll provider needs a summary of outstanding liability, the balance history is the source.

What TimerOff deliberately does not do

TimerOff does not decide what is fair for your workplace and it does not give legal advice. It does not set your conversion rate, cap your balances or enforce an expiry window — those are policy decisions for you and, in many jurisdictions, matters of employment law. What TimerOff does is make whatever you agree visible, mutual and permanent.

Next: read what time off in lieu actually is, or check the FAQ.