A QR code time clock removes the slowest part of a shared kiosk: the typing. A PIN works, but at shift change ten people are queuing to key four digits each, and mistyped PINs pile up exactly when the floor needs everyone working. With QR badges, each employee scans a personal badge at the kiosk tablet and the punch is instant. ClockOut’s badges are part of kiosk mode, they work alongside the PIN pad rather than replacing it, and they pair with the optional clock-in photo for an extra layer of honesty. No biometrics anywhere.
How QR badge clock-in works
- 01
Print the badges
In the admin badge manager, generate a badge for each employee and print the badge sheet. Each badge is a QR code with the employee’s name, sized for a wallet, a lanyard, or the inside of a locker door.
- 02
The employee scans at the kiosk
The kiosk tablet offers a scan-badge mode next to the PIN pad. The employee holds their badge up to the tablet’s camera and the kiosk clocks them in, or out if they were already on the clock. No typing, no search for a name in a list.
- 03
The punch lands like any other
Badge punches go through exactly the same rules as PIN punches: the same timesheet entry, the same optional clock-in photo, and the same punch controls if you use them. There is no separate badge system to reconcile.
Tablet time clock: turn an iPad or Android tablet into a kiosk
The ClockOut kiosk is a web page, so the tablet time clock hardware is whatever tablet you already own. An admin turns kiosk mode on in settings, signs in on the tablet, opens the kiosk web address (your site address plus /kiosk/ and your company name), and taps Set up this device as a kiosk. That signs the admin out and leaves the tablet ready for staff. An iPad, an Android tablet, or an old laptop by the door all behave the same. There is no time clock terminal to buy, no time clock kiosk app to install, and no sideloading.
What you need
- Any tablet with a modern browser and wifi. iPad or Android, new or hand-me-down. Plainly: if it can open a web page, it can be the time clock.
- A camera, only for badges or photos. QR badge scanning and the optional clock-in photo use the front camera. PIN entry alone needs no camera at all.
- A PIN or a badge per employee. Admins set a 4 to 6 digit PIN for each person, issue QR badges, or do both.
- A printer, only if you use badges. Badge sheets come off an ordinary office printer.
How shared device clock in works
The kiosk is not signed in as a person, it is signed in as the workplace. Whoever walks up types their own PIN or holds up their own badge, the punch lands on their timesheet, the screen confirms their name, and it resets for the next person. That is the difference between a shared device clock in and an employee opening the app on their own phone: nobody logs out, nobody waits for someone else to log in, and nobody sees another person’s hours.
What a tablet kiosk does not do
The kiosk only uses location when geofencing is on. Then it asks the tablet for its location before each punch and refuses a clock-in from outside the work area. A clock-in with no usable location still goes through and is flagged for review, so a tablet without GPS keeps working. With geofencing off, kiosk punches carry no coordinates (see the GPS time clock). The kiosk address is not a secret, but it only works on a device an admin has set up, so the things that keep punches to your building are that setup, the PIN or badge, and on Pro the approved device and approved network locks: approve the tablet once and require punches to come from your own wifi. The iPhone and Android apps are the employee experience, one person per login; kiosk mode runs in the browser.
Kiosk mode, PINs, and QR badges are all part of Starter, which is $19 a month for up to 5 people and $3 for each person after that. A 15-person team pays $49 a month for the whole product, tablet kiosk included, and there is no per-tablet fee.
The details that make badges practical
Printable sheets, not special hardware
The kiosk is a tablet you already own running ClockOut in the browser, and the badges come off your office printer. There is no proprietary badge printer, no NFC fobs to order, and no card stock subscription. Print, cut, laminate if you like, done.
A lost badge is a 10-second fix
Each badge is an unguessable random code, not the employee’s name or number, so a found badge reveals nothing by itself. If one goes missing, an admin regenerates that employee’s badge and the old printed copy stops working immediately. Print the new one and move on.
PIN stays as the fallback
Badges do not replace the PIN pad, they sit next to it. An employee who left their badge at home keys their PIN and clocks in normally. You can also leave badge scanning off entirely and run the kiosk on PINs alone; it has its own toggle.
Pairs with the clock-in photo
With kiosk photo capture on, the kiosk takes a webcam snapshot at clock-in, badge or PIN alike, and attaches it to the entry for admins to eyeball. A colleague scanning someone else’s badge gets their own face on the punch. The photo never blocks the clock-in if the camera is unavailable, and there is no face recognition, just a picture for a human to check.
Who badge clock-in is for
- Teams without personal phones at work. Kitchens, housekeeping floors, and warehouses where phones stay in lockers. The badge lives on the lanyard; the kiosk lives by the door.
- Big shift changes. A scan takes a moment, so a line of ten clears in seconds instead of a PIN-pad queue.
- Shared workstations. One approved tablet at the entrance covers everyone, which also plays well with device locks on Pro: approve the kiosk tablet once and lock punches to it.
Which plan includes QR badges
QR badge clock-in is part of kiosk mode, which is included on Starter ($19 a month for up to 5 people, then $3 per extra person) and Pro ($39 a month for up to 5, then $6 each). It is not on the Free plan. Every new account starts with a 14-day Starter trial, so you can print a badge sheet and run a real shift change before paying. Full details on pricing.
QR badge kiosk FAQ
What is a QR code time clock?
It is a time clock where employees clock in by scanning a personal QR code instead of typing. In ClockOut, a shared kiosk tablet scans each employee’s printed badge and clocks them in or out instantly, with the punch recorded on the same timesheet as every other clock-in.
What hardware do I need?
A tablet with a camera, running ClockOut’s kiosk in the browser, and a printer for the badge sheets. There is no dedicated badge scanner, no NFC hardware, and no special badge printer.
What happens if someone loses their badge?
They clock in with their PIN in the meantime, and an admin regenerates their badge. Regenerating invalidates every printed copy of the old badge immediately, so a lost badge cannot be used once it is replaced.
Can employees still use a PIN?
Yes. The kiosk offers badge scanning alongside the PIN pad, and badge scanning has its own toggle. Employees can use whichever is in their hand, and turning badges off returns the kiosk to PIN-only.
How do you stop buddy punching with badges?
Turn on kiosk photo capture. The kiosk takes a webcam snapshot at clock-in and attaches it to the entry, so an admin can see who actually scanned. It is a plain photo for a human to review, not face recognition, and it never blocks the punch if the camera is unavailable. See photo proof for the related feature for proving work.
Can I use an iPad as a time clock?
Yes. The kiosk is a web page, so an iPad, an Android tablet, or any device with a modern browser works. Turn on kiosk mode, sign in as an admin on the tablet, open the kiosk web address, tap Set up this device as a kiosk, and leave it on the counter. Employees clock in with a PIN, or by scanning a QR badge if the tablet has a camera.
Is there a time clock kiosk app to download?
There is nothing to download for the kiosk. It runs in the tablet browser at your company’s kiosk address, which an admin copies from the kiosk settings page and sets up once on each tablet. The ClockOut iPhone and Android apps exist, but they are the individual employee experience with one person signed in, not a shared kiosk.
Do employees need their own phones for a tablet time clock?
No, that is the point of shared device clock in. One tablet by the door covers the whole team: each person enters their own 4 to 6 digit PIN or scans their own badge, and the punch lands on their own timesheet. Nobody needs a personal phone, an email address, or an app-store account to clock in.
Does a tablet kiosk punch record GPS?
Only when geofencing is on. Then the kiosk asks the tablet for its location before each punch and checks it against the work area; a clock-in with no usable location goes through and is flagged for review. With geofencing off, kiosk punches carry no coordinates. See the GPS time clock for how those work.
What does a tablet time clock cost?
Kiosk mode is included in Starter at $19 a month for up to 5 people, then $3 per extra person, so a 15-person team pays $49 a month. Pro is $39 a month for up to 5, then $6 each, which is $99 at 15 people. There is no charge per tablet and no hardware to buy. See pricing.
Which plans include QR badge clock-in?
QR badges are included in kiosk mode on Starter ($19 a month for up to 5 people, then $3 per extra person) and Pro ($39 a month for up to 5, then $6 each). Kiosk mode is not on the Free plan. Every new account starts with a 14-day Starter trial. See pricing.
Related pages
- Punch controls: schedule windows, approved devices, and approved networks for clock-in.
- GPS time clock: location-stamped punches and geofencing for phones in the field.
- Photo proof: photo evidence of completed work.
- Product facts: the exact kiosk, badge, and photo-capture behavior, stated plainly.
- Pricing: current plans and checkout.