Using the Time Clock / Time Card in Open Dental

This post answers common questions about using time cards and time clocks in Open Dental. Learn how to troubleshoot common issues with pay periods, missing punches, and adjustments for time like holiday or sick pay. The webinar linked at the top covers the basic setup of time cards and pay periods, how to use the time clock, and includes an overview of time card management.

Time Clock/Time Card FAQs

I have a new employee that I’ve set up as a user, but their name isn’t showing up in the list of Employees so they can’t clock in.

Check to make sure that they have been added as an employee in Lists>Employees. Then, go to Setup>Security>Security Settings, and double-click to open their user. In the middle column named “Employee (for time cards),” click to select their name so their user is linked to their employee for time cards. Say OK, and go back to the manage module. You will see their name in the list.

Employees have clocked in/out but nothing is showing up when I go in to Manage the time cards.

This happens when pay periods have not been setup for the time period you’re looking at.

Go to Setup>Manage>Time Cards, and add a pay period, or better yet, Generate Many, then check to make sure the pay period start and end dates, and pay dates are correct. For more details on how to set up pay periods, check out our online manual.

TECH TIP: No need to scroll through loads of old pay periods! Check the box at the top to “Hide pay periods older than 6 months.”

An employee forgot to clock out when they left yesterday, and now they’re ready to clock in for today.

Clock them out (for home) and back in again.

1. Correct the time AND date of the clock out to reflect yesterday’s date and clock out time.
2. Edit the clock in time to reflect the time they started work this morning.

An employee clocked out for lunch, then did not return to work. How do I show this correctly?

1. The next morning, clock in as usual.
2. Double click on the clock out event for the previous day’s lunch.
3. Change the status from Lunch to Home.

An employee missed all their clock ins & outs one day – what do I do?

Let’s assume they’re currently clocked in for today, and already working. To add punch events for the previous day (in for the morning, out for lunch, back in after lunch, then out for the day), take the following steps:

1. Make a note of what time they clocked in today.
2. Clock them out for lunch, then clock them back in. Clock them out again (for home this time), then clock them back in again.
3. Change the date & time of the earliest clock in event to show their clock in yesterday.
4. Change the date and time of the lunch clock out to show their clock out to lunch yesterday.
5. Change the date and time of the clock in to show when they clocked back in from lunch yesterday.
6. Change the date and time of the clock out to show when they clocked out for home yesterday.
   TECH TIP: Be sure that in steps 3-6, you’re changing the date to show yesterday’s date.
7. Change the date and time of the last clock in to show when they clocked in TODAY.
   You’re all set!

We had a paid holiday – do I need to create additional clock in/out events, or is there another way to enter holiday time?

1. From the Manage module, double-click to open the employee
2. Click the +Add Adjustment button in the lower left. The Edit Time Adjustment window will appear.
3. Enter the number of paid hours in the Hours box.
4. Enter a note to describe the paid hours (optional).
5. Click OK. Time will be recorded with (Adjust) showing in their time card view.

I don’t want my employees to be able to see or edit anyone else’s time card. How do I set this up?

1. In Setup > Security > Security Settings > Settings (in upper left corner), check Time card Security Enabled.
   • If you want your employees to be able to make edits to their time cards, leave the next box unchecked (Since error fixing is tracked well in time cards, most offices keep this box unchecked because it is useful when employees can make notes and fix errors.)
   • If you would prefer to not allow your employees to edit their time card entries, check the box Users cannot edit their own time card.
2. In Setup > Security > Security Settings > User Groups (for the group these users belongs to), uncheck the two time card permissions.

I want my office manager to be able to view and edit other employees’ time cards, but not his/her own.

• In Setup > Security > Security Settings > Settings (in upper left corner), check Time Card Security Enabled.
• Check the box Users cannot edit their own time card. (This will override the Edit All Time Cards permission you’ll be setting in the User Group security settings, so the employee cannot edit their own time card.)
• In Setup > Security > Security Settings > User Groups (for the group this user belongs to), edit the Manage Module permission by Checking the Edit All Time Cards permission.
• If you want your office manager to also be able to delete clock entries, check the Time Card Delete Entry permission.

I’m reporting payroll to my payroll processor. I see two numbers for Regular Hours at the bottom of the time card window. The number on the left says 80:30 and the one on the right says 80.5 – why are these different, and which do I use to report hours worked?

The number on the left represents your employee’s hours worked in hours and minutes, so in this example, 80 hours and 30 minutes. The number on the right translates that into decimals, so it becomes 80.5 hours. Use the number on the right to report hours work to your payroll processor.

TECH TIP 1: If you want seconds to also display when using the colon format, go to Setup > Manage > Time Cards, and check the Use seconds on time card when using colon format check box at the bottom of the window.

TECH TIP 2: If you would prefer both numbers to show in decimal format, go to Setup > Manage > Time Cards, and check the Use decimal format rather than colon format check box at the bottom of the window.

If you get stuck on a time card issue and need help, we’re always here for you – you can chat or call us anytime during our business hours. We’ll get you back to running at full speed in no time flat.