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How to compare scheduled vs actual worked time

How Begin compares planned shifts with actual registered working time on the timesheet.

Written by Geidi Steinberg

After setting up and publishing work schedules, Begin can compare planned shifts with actual registered working time if this settings is turned on in Settings - Working schedules. Differences are highlighted on the Timesheet, helping you identify late arrivals, early departures, missed shifts, and overtime.

How the comparison works

Once a shift is published in the Scheduler, the system compares it against each employee's registered clock-in and clock-out times. The comparison is automatic — no extra steps are needed.

To enable comparison between scheduled and actual time, go to Settings → Working schedule → Do you wish to use the schedule as a basis for calculations? → Yes

Where to see the comparison

Open the Timesheet from the left sidebar. Enable the "Difference" column in the timesheet display settings. This column shows the difference between what was scheduled and what was actually registered for each day.

What the comparison shows

For each employee and day, the "Difference" column can show:

  • Under-hours — employee worked less than scheduled (e.g., arrived late or left early)

  • Over-hours — employee worked more than scheduled (possible overtime)

  • Absence (No-show) — employee did not clock in at all on a day they were scheduled to work. An absence is automatically generated on the timesheet.

To see exact difference press on clock symbol next to hours — system will show if difference is at the Start time or End time. You can confirm either of differences, both or neither of them.

Summary in the Scheduler

The Scheduler also provides summary columns next to employee names showing scheduled hours and overtime totals for the month. These give a quick overview but the detailed day-by-day comparison is found on the Timesheet.

Example

An employee is scheduled to work 09:00–17:00 (8 hours). On Monday, they clock in at 09:15 and clock out at 16:45. The "Difference" column will show a 30-minute under-time (15 min late + 15 min early).

If the employee does not clock in at all, the timesheet will show an absence for that day.

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