Time Tracking via NFC

Time tracking via NFC: employees clock in at the NFC tag and prove physical presence. No GPS required, works offline and GDPR-compliant. Try it now.

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Hold the phone to the tag – clocked in

An NFC tag is fitted at every site – on the entrance door, the site container, the machine or the property being cleaned. The employee briefly holds their phone to it and is clocked in. On leaving the site they hold it there again. The working time is documented, the location evidenced.

One tap on the NFC tag = clocked in
Physical evidence of presence at the site
No GPS, no internet, no mobile network needed
NFC tags cost a few euros and last indefinitely

Why NFC beats GPS on sites and inside buildings

GPS shows roughly where a phone is – but not whether the employee was physically inside the building. In basements, unfinished structures and buildings without a mobile signal, GPS often does not work at all. NFC evidences that this employee was physically at this exact point. Without a mobile signal, without a location permission, without data-protection headaches.

GPS: approximate location – NFC: exact point
GPS needs a mobile signal – NFC works offline
GPS creates movement profiles – NFC does not
NFC is friendlier to the GDPR than permanent GPS tracking

How simple NFC tags are in practice

NFC tags are self-adhesive stickers or robust key fobs available for a few euros. They are fitted once at the site and work without power, without a battery and without maintenance – indefinitely. Each tag is assigned in the system to a location, a project or a client.

Self-adhesive, weatherproof, no power supply
Fit once – works permanently
Assign each tag a location or a client
Compatible with all NFC-capable smartphones

The Difference Between Clocking In and Providing Proof

A standard time tracking app records when someone clocked in. NFC time tracking records when and where – because the employee must have been physically present at the NFC tag. This is not a technical detail; it is the difference between a timesheet and proof of attendance. For cleaning companies that need to document assignments to clients, for construction firms during authority inspections, and for security services conducting patrol rounds, this difference is business-critical.

No device needed on site

The tag is all the hardware

No terminal, no wiring, no maintenance. Where a fixed device is wanted anyway, a terminal can run alongside.

One tag per site

Building, site, vehicle

Every tag belongs to exactly one place. Several places at the same client get several tags.

Works with gloves on

No unlocking, no typing

The scan needs no input on the screen – in construction and winter services that is the difference between used and worked around.

Also for crews without smartphones

Chip or card at a terminal

Anyone without their own device holds a chip or card to a wall terminal. Same data, same evidence.

Late bookings stay honest

The time of the scan counts

A booking made offline carries the time of the scan. Very old bookings are not quietly added later but rejected – the path for those is a manual entry with a stated reason.

Where NFC Time Tracking Delivers the Greatest Benefit

NFC tags provide the most value wherever employees work at fixed locations and physical presence needs to be verified.

Three steps of NFC time tracking: the tag sits at the site, the employee holds their phone to it, the booking is created with the site – even without a signal.

The tag needs no technology

An NFC tag has no battery, no power and no connection. It costs a few cents, sticks to a door, a control cabinet or a container, and lasts for years.

Two seconds, no searching

Hold the phone to it, done. The app does not need to be open. With gloves, cold and time pressure, exactly that decides whether people clock in at all.

No signal is no problem

In a basement, underground or on a site with no network: the booking is stored locally and synced later – carrying the time of the scan, not of the sync.

The site is settled

The tag sits where the work happens. That makes the site part of the booking, without anyone having to pick it – or pick it wrongly.

Frequently asked questions

What is NFC time tracking?

NFC stands for Near Field Communication – a technology that transfers data over a few centimetres between a smartphone and a small tag. With NFC time tracking, the employee holds their smartphone up to an NFC tag at the job site to clock in or out. This automatically records the time and location.

What does an NFC tag cost?

NFC tags cost between 0.50 and 2 euros per unit, depending on the model. Simple self-adhesive tags for indoor use are the most affordable. Weatherproof tags for outdoor use on construction sites cost slightly more. Tags require no battery and work indefinitely.

Does NFC time tracking work without an internet connection?

Yes, completely. NFC uses near-field communication between the smartphone and the tag – neither an internet connection nor mobile data is required. The booking is saved locally on the smartphone and synchronised automatically the next time a connection is established.

Which smartphones support NFC?

Most Android smartphones manufactured from around 2015 onwards and all iPhones from the iPhone 7 onwards support NFC. In practice, almost all smartphones that employees own today are NFC-capable.

Is NFC more privacy-friendly than GPS?

Yes. NFC only proves that an employee was at a specific point – no movement profiles are created and no continuous tracking is carried out. GPS captures location via satellites and, if configured incorrectly, can generate movement profiles. For privacy-conscious businesses, NFC is the safer choice.

Can an employee take the NFC tag and clock in somewhere else?

Tags can be firmly attached to surfaces or mounted in protective enclosures to prevent tampering. In addition, the app can check the GPS location at the time of the NFC scan if required. In practice, it has been shown that as soon as employees know that the location is being recorded, tampering is no longer an issue.

Can I combine NFC and app-based time tracking?

Yes. NFC tags at fixed locations, an app time clock for mobile employees without a fixed workplace, and a terminal for the office or workshop – all bookings are recorded in the same system. You decide per employee or per location which method works best.

In which languages is the app available?

The app is available in 28 languages: Albanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Macedonian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Somali, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian.

Try NFC Time Tracking for Free Now

Register, order NFC tags, attach them at the job site – and from the very next day your employees have proof of location with every clock-in. No contract commitment and no credit card required.