What information do I need to add a new employee in Timekeep?

The minimum is the employee's name and their daily or hourly rate, or a fixed monthly salary. You can add government ID numbers (SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, BIR) later, though payroll will compute correctly either way.

How do I set up a new hire's government deductions?

Enter the employee's SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, and BIR numbers in their profile. Timekeep computes the deduction amounts automatically based on their salary. The ID numbers are used for remittance reporting.

Can I set a probationary status for a new employee?

Yes. You can note the employee's hire date, which Timekeep uses for computing 13th month pay entitlements proportional to months worked. Probationary employees are entitled to 13th month pay for the months they have worked.

How does the employee log in to the portal?

After you add an employee in Timekeep, a 6-digit PIN is generated for their portal access. Share the portal link and their PIN with them, and they can log in to check their schedule, payslips, and leave balance.

Can I add an employee photo for kiosk verification?

Yes. Upload a clear face photo to the employee's profile. This photo is used by the kiosk for face verification at clock-in. It also appears on the employee grid in the kiosk interface.

How to add and configure new employees in Timekeep

A new person starts Monday. You need to add them to payroll, set up their clock-in access, assign their schedule, and make sure their government deductions are included from their first cutoff.

The good news is that setting up a new employee in Timekeep takes a few minutes, not a full afternoon. You enter the basics, and the system is ready to track their attendance and compute their payslip from day one.

What you need before you start

Before adding the employee, have these details ready:

Full name
Daily rate, hourly rate, or fixed monthly salary
Hire date
Government ID numbers if available: SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, TIN

The ID numbers can be added later if the employee is still completing their government registrations. Payroll will still compute correctly. The numbers are needed for remittance reports that your accountant prepares.

Step 1: Add the employee

Go to Staff in your Timekeep dashboard and add a new employee. Enter the name, hire date, and pay rate.

Timekeep employee form showing name, position, rate, and government ID fields

For the pay rate, choose the type that matches how this person is paid:

Daily rate. The employee is paid based on days worked. Each day they clock in counts toward their pay. This is the most common setup for hourly and shift workers.

Hourly rate. The employee is paid based on hours clocked in. Useful for part-time staff whose hours vary significantly.

Fixed salary. The employee receives the same amount each cutoff regardless of days worked. For managers or administrative staff on a monthly salary, choose this option. No attendance deductions apply to fixed salary employees.

Step 2: Add government ID numbers

In the employee's profile, enter their SSS number, PhilHealth number, Pag-IBIG member ID, and TIN. These are used in payroll for two purposes.

First, Timekeep uses the SSS number to compute the correct Monthly Salary Credit bracket for their contributions. Second, your accountant uses these numbers when preparing remittance forms for the government agencies.

If the employee is still getting their SSS or PhilHealth number processed, you can fill it in later. The contribution computations are based on salary, not the ID number.

Step 3: Upload a profile photo

Upload a clear photo of the employee's face. This is used in two places: the kiosk interface shows the photo on the employee grid so your team can tap their own face to clock in, and the kiosk captures a photo at each clock-in for verification.

A phone photo in good lighting works fine. It doesn't need to be a formal ID photo.

Step 4: Assign a schedule

Go to Schedules and assign the employee to a shift for their working days. If they work Monday to Friday on the morning shift, assign the morning shift to those days. Mark their rest days.

Once a schedule is assigned, Timekeep will flag late arrivals, track overtime, and compute attendance correctly from their first day.

Step 5: Set up allowances if applicable

If the new hire receives any allowances, add them to the employee's profile now. Meal allowance, rice allowance, transportation. Each allowance is set once and included in every payslip going forward.

See the allowance configuration for instructions on setting the payment mode (fixed, per day worked, or per hour worked).

Step 6: Share the portal link and PIN

After the employee is set up, Timekeep generates a 6-digit PIN for their portal access. Share the portal link for your business and their PIN with them.

They open the link on their phone, enter their PIN, and they can see their schedule, check attendance, view payslips, and file leave requests. No app to download.

Timekeep employee portal showing weekly schedule with shift times and rest days

When the first payroll runs

On the next cutoff, the new employee is included in payroll automatically. Their attendance records from the kiosk flow into the payslip. Government deductions are computed. Allowances are included. The payslip is generated with everything in it.

For an employee who joined mid-cutoff, Timekeep computes pay based on the days worked during the period, not the full cutoff.

Keeping employee records current

When an employee gets a raise, update their rate in Timekeep. The new rate applies to all payrolls generated after the change. The old rate stays on previous payslips, which are locked once finalized.

If an employee's SSS contribution bracket changes because of a raise, Timekeep updates the deduction automatically based on the new rate.

Removing an employee who has left

When someone leaves, you don't delete their record. Archive them instead. Their past payslips, attendance records, and leave history stay in Timekeep for reference. Archived employees don't appear in active payrolls.

If the person is ever rehired, you can restore their profile without re-entering everything.

Try it free for 30 days at timekeep.ph.