Available for: Time & Attendance add-on.
Requires: Geotagging is only available for hourly employees who use the My Patriot mobile app to clock in and out.
Geotagging captures an employee's location at the moment they clock in or out using GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude). This feature is part of Patriot's Time & Attendance add-on. Employees must enable location services on their phone and give consent for your company to view their location through the My Patriot mobile app.
Before you start — best practices:
Be transparent with your team about how and why their location data is being collected.
Document your geotagging policy in your employee handbook. Consider using Patriot's HR software to create a state-specific handbook.
Some states or cities require employers to reimburse employees who must use personal devices for work. Check your state and local labor laws for details.
Video Walkthrough
The video shows how to turn on geotagging for employees. The steps are detailed in the article below.
How to Enable Geotagging
Go to Settings > Employee Time Card Settings.
Click the Enable Geotagging toggle at the top of the page.
Once enabled, check the box next to each employee's name to set their individual geotagging requirement. Employees must have the time punch entry type to appear in this list. Choose one of the following:
Required — the employee must share location when punching in or out
Optional (default) — the employee can choose whether to share location
Not Required — geotagging is turned off for this employee
For more detail on these settings, see the Employee Time Card Settings help article.
Things to note:
Geotagging only works for time punch employees using the My Patriot mobile app. Manual time entries will not have location data.
Employees must turn on location services in the My Patriot app and grant permission for your company to view their location. If permissions are not enabled, location details will not appear in the time card.
Share the Employee Geotagged Time Punches help article with employees so they know how to set up location access.
How to View Employee Time Punch Locations
Go to Time & Attendance > Manage Time Cards.
Select the desired pay period from the dropdown menu.
Click on an employee's name to open their time card.
In the time card, find the table displaying the employee's IN and OUT time punches.
Look for the location pin icon next to a time punch. A pin icon means location data is available for that punch.
Click the location pin icon to view the employee's location for that specific punch. A map will appear with location details.
Use the Show Location Details or Hide Location Details link to expand or collapse the map view.
You can view all location pins for the entire time card, or select a specific day to see only that day's punch locations.
Employees and managers can also view location pins in the web version of My Patriot at mypatriot.com or payrolltime.com.
If you edit a geotagged time entry, the pin on the map will turn orange to indicate the change. Both the original and edited time and location remain visible on the map for recordkeeping.
How to Read Location Details on the Map
Once the map is open for an employee's time punch:
The map displays the exact location where the employee clocked in or out.
Hover over a pin to see:
Date and time of the punch
GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude)
Location precision (for example, 50 feet)
Use the map toggle to switch between Map and Satellite views.
Geotagging FAQs
Why is the location pin icon missing for an employee's time punch?
The location pin icon will not appear if any of the following are true:
The employee used manual time entry. Geotagging is only available for time punch employees using the mobile app, not manual entries or the web portal.
The employee has not enabled location services in the My Patriot app or has not granted your company permission to view their location. Share the employee geotagging help article with them to walk through setup.
The employee did not clock in or out using the mobile app.
The device's GPS signal was unavailable at the time of the punch.
The employee is using an outdated version of the My Patriot app. Geotagging requires version 1.4.4 or later.
You can check each employee's setup using the Geotagging Settings Report.
Can I see an employee's real-time location?
No. Geotagging only captures the employee's location at the moment they punch in or out. Patriot does not track employee location continuously or in real time.
How accurate is geotagging location data?
The accuracy of geotagging depends on the employee's device GPS signal and environment. The precision level (for example, 50 feet) is displayed when you hover over a location pin so you can assess the reliability of that data point.
What factors can affect geotagging accuracy?
Geotagging accuracy can be affected by:
The employee's device type
Network availability
GPS signal strength
Weather conditions
Do I have to tell my employees I am using geotagging?
Yes, transparency is strongly recommended. Letting employees know how and why their location data is being used helps build trust and keeps your company in line with applicable labor laws. Read Talking to Your Team About Geotagging for guidance on how to communicate this policy.