How to Keep a Record of Your Work Hours (2026)

Your employer's time record is the default evidence in any pay dispute. A dated log of your own punches is how you check it and how a wage claim gets proven. Here is what to record and how.

Keep a record of your own work hours because the employer's record is the default evidence in every pay dispute, and it is also the record that gets rounded, auto-deducted and edited. A simple dated log of when you clocked in, clocked out and took breaks lets you check each paycheck in a minute and, if it ever comes to a wage claim, gives you the evidence the law expects you to have. This guide covers what to record, how, and what to do with it.

Why your own record matters

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to keep accurate records of hours worked each day and each workweek for nonexempt employees (29 CFR 516.2). Time cards and schedules must be retained for two years, payroll records for three. In theory, that is enough.

In practice, the employer's record is produced by a system you do not control. Punches are rounded. Lunch is deducted whether or not you took it. A manager can edit a clock-out time. When a paycheck comes up short, the first thing anyone will look at is that record, and if you have nothing to compare it against, the conversation ends there.

The Department of Labor encourages workers to track their own hours for exactly this reason. And the courts have long recognized the problem. In Anderson v. Mt. Clemens Pottery Co. (1946), the Supreme Court held that when an employer's records are inaccurate or inadequate, an employee can carry the burden of proof by showing the amount and extent of work as a matter of just and reasonable inference, after which the burden shifts to the employer to disprove it. A consistent, contemporaneous log is the kind of evidence that supports a reasonable inference. A memory of roughly how many hours you worked six months ago is not.

What to record

The minimum that makes a log useful:

Field	Why it matters
Date	Pins the entry to a workday and workweek, which is how overtime is computed
Clock-in time	Actual time, to the minute, not the rounded time
Clock-out time	Same. Note if you kept working after punching out
Unpaid break length	Whether lunch was taken, and for how long; note if interrupted
Job or location	Only if you work more than one
Notes	Anything unusual: told to stay late, worked through lunch, missed punch, who said what

Record the actual time, not what the time clock will round it to. The difference between 7:53 and 8:00 is the whole point of the record. If your employer rounds, you want to be able to show the raw minutes.

Add pay information when you get it: the hours and gross on each stub, so you can compare period by period.

How to record it

Any method works if it meets three tests: the entry is made at the time, it is dated, and it cannot quietly change afterwards.

Paper notebook. Reliable and simple. Date every page, write in ink, and photograph the page at the end of each week so there is a timestamped copy.
Notes app or spreadsheet on your phone. Convenient, and the device timestamps help. The weakness is that entries can be edited without a trace, which an opposing lawyer will point out.
Text messages to yourself. Surprisingly good evidence, because each message carries a server timestamp you cannot alter. Clumsy to total up.
Photos of the time clock. A photo of the clock display at punch-in and punch-out carries its own timestamp and shows the actual time. Useful as a supplement.
A personal time clock app. One tap at each punch with a device timestamp, breaks tracked as paid or unpaid, an edit log that keeps the original when you correct an entry, and an export you can hand to someone. PunchStamp is built as this kind of record for iPhone and exports a dated PDF.

Whatever you use, do not reconstruct weeks after the fact and present them as contemporaneous. If you have gaps, say so. Honest gaps are far more credible than a suspiciously complete record written in one sitting.

Checking your paycheck against it

Every payday, do a short comparison:

Add up your logged hours for each workweek in the pay period. Overtime is per workweek, so keep the weeks separate even on a biweekly check.
Compare the total paid hours on the stub with your log.
Compare the overtime hours on the stub with the hours over 40 in each of your weeks.
Check the rate, and check whether bonuses or differentials were included in the overtime rate.
Note the difference in your log, even if it is small.

A one-time difference of a few minutes is usually rounding. The same difference every period, always in the employer's favor, is a pattern, and the log is what shows the pattern.

How long to keep it

Keep your log for at least three years after the pay period it covers. The FLSA allows recovery of back wages for two years, or three years for a willful violation (29 U.S.C. 255), and many state laws allow longer. Export or photograph your records periodically so a lost phone or a filled notebook does not erase them.

If you need to make a claim

Start with payroll or your manager, in writing, with the specific dates and amounts from your log. Most shortfalls are fixed at this step once someone sees a dated list.

If that fails, you can file a complaint with the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, which investigates for free and does not require a lawyer, or with your state labor agency, which may have stronger rules. Either one will ask for the same things: who you worked for, when, what you were paid, and your record of hours. Bring the log, the stubs, and any written reports you made at the time. A worker who can hand over a dated record of every shift for the past two years is in a very different position from one who has to estimate.

Do the math with a free calculator

Frequently asked questions

Is my employer required to keep track of my hours?

Yes. Under 29 CFR 516.2, employers covered by the FLSA must record the hours each nonexempt employee works each day and the total for each workweek, along with pay rates and wages paid. Time cards must be kept for at least two years and payroll records for three.

If my employer keeps records, why should I?

Because the employer's record is the one that gets edited, rounded and auto-deducted, and it is the default evidence unless you have something better. The Department of Labor itself encourages workers to track their own hours. In a dispute, your contemporaneous log is what lets you show what actually happened.

Will my own notes count as evidence?

They can. In Anderson v. Mt. Clemens Pottery (1946), the Supreme Court held that when an employer's records are inaccurate or missing, an employee can meet their burden by producing enough evidence to show the amount of work as a matter of just and reasonable inference. A consistent dated log is exactly that kind of evidence.

What is the minimum I should write down?

Date, clock-in time, clock-out time, and the length of any unpaid break. Add the job or location if you have more than one, and a short note when something unusual happened, such as working through lunch or being told to stay late.

How long should I keep my hours log?

At least three years. The FLSA lets you recover unpaid wages going back two years, or three years if the violation was willful (29 U.S.C. 255). Some states allow longer, so keeping records for three or four years costs nothing and covers you.

Should I record hours on my phone or on paper?

Either, as long as entries are made at the time and not reconstructed later. Phone entries have the advantage of automatic timestamps, and a time clock app that logs edits shows that the record was not changed after the fact. Paper works if you date each entry and keep the pages.

Sources

Related guides

This guide is general information for your own records, not legal, tax or payroll advice. Rules vary by state, industry and employer policy.