(650) 332-8623The 8 Best Employee PTO Trackers for 2025
Looking for a PTO tracker for your construction business? We’ve reviewed 8 of the best apps on the market to help you!
Managing PTO is critical in construction, where 61% of workers report being unable to take all their paid time off each year. Balancing tight project deadlines with employee well-being requires the right tools to keep operations smooth.
We’ve reviewed the best PTO tracking apps of 2025, highlighting their top features and benefits. Compare their these tracking apps to find out what fits your needs best.
Let’s dive into the best options for your team!
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Best for |
Premier PTO tracking solution, offering superb scheduling and GPS capabilities. |
Offers essential tools for PTO tracking. |
Offers easy-to-use PTO tracking tools. |
Track worker PTO, worked hours, and more with Workyard.
See how it works
9.1 
14-day free trial, (no card needed)
7.6
7-day free trial
7.8
7-day free trial
7.1
Free demo offered
6.5
14-day free trial
7.1
14-day free trial
Boost your profit with the most accurate GPS tracking.
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How to Choose the Best PTO Tracker for 2025
Managing paid time off efficiently is crucial for payroll accuracy, compliance, and workforce productivity. The right PTO tracker automates requests, approvals, and balance updates while ensuring seamless payroll integration and labor law compliance. Here’s what to look for when selecting the best PTO tracking software for your business.
Key Features to Look For
- Automated PTO Management – Eliminates manual tracking by automatically approving, recording, and updating PTO balances in real time.
- Compliance with Labor Laws – Ensures your PTO policies align with federal, state, and local regulations, preventing wage disputes and compliance risks.
- Payroll & Accounting Integration – Syncs directly with QuickBooks, ADP, Gusto, and other payroll systems for seamless PTO deductions and payroll processing.
- Customizable PTO Policies – Supports different accrual methods, carryover limits, and approval workflows, allowing businesses to tailor PTO rules to their needs.
- Employee Self-Service Tools – Allows employees to check PTO balances, submit requests, and track approvals without HR intervention, reducing administrative workload.
- Mobile Accessibility – A mobile-friendly interface ensures employees can request PTO and managers can approve it on the go, improving convenience and efficiency.
- Detailed PTO Reports & Insights – Generates custom reports on PTO usage, trends, and labor costs, helping businesses optimize workforce planning and avoid understaffing.
- Scalability for Growing Teams – Whether managing a small business or a large workforce, the system should handle multiple PTO policies, departments, and locations effortlessly.
Final Thoughts
Navigating the myriad of PTO tracking apps available to you can be overwhelming, but finding the right tool is crucial to streamline leave management.
Each of the nine apps we’ve explored offers unique strengths. While some tools excel in specific areas like advanced reporting or mobile accessibility, others offer a more balanced suite of features.
Ultimately, the best PTO tracking app for your company will depend on your specific requirements, budget, and the scale of your operations. Whether you prioritize detailed compliance tracking, robust integrations, or intuitive user experiences, there’s a solution out there tailored to your needs.
For a comprehensive and reliable PTO tracking solution that integrates seamlessly with your existing systems, try Workyard.
With its real-time updates, advanced analytics, and user-friendly interface, Workyard is designed to meet the unique challenges of managing a construction workforce. Sign up for a free trial of Workyard today to see how it can transform your PTO management and overall productivity.
Our Scoring System Explained
Our 8-part scoring system was created to help you understand the potential value of any software we review simply and fairly.
We created it after reviewing dozens of software products, which we covered in depth, but without providing a direct and simple way for readers to compare products on their merits – without spending a lot of time looking through our articles for the information they needed to make an informed decision.
Every app we review will include Customer Support and Company scores, which we’ll explain in more detail below. Many of the factors reviewed in this article will also be consistent across most (or all) of our software reviews, with some differences:
The 8 factors assessed and their contribution to a product’s overall score may differ slightly from product to product based on various factors, such as the use case we’re reviewing for, the type of business these products are tailored to, and other considerations. However, all reviews will feature an 8-part score, weighted and combined to calculate each product’s overall score.
How We Score Software
All factors in our reviews are scored on a 10-point scale – technically 11 points – from 0-10. However, we only give products a score of 0 if it does not include an essential feature at all, and we try to avoid giving out 0 scores if a product can demonstrate any functionality in line with the specific factor being reviewed.
In general, the 0-10 range translates as:
- 9.0 – 10 – One of the absolute best in its category (amazing).
- 7.5 – 8.9 – Very good, but with some minor issues (very good).
- 6.0 – 7.4 – Mediocre performance with notable shortcomings (average).
- 3.0 – 5.9 – This feature is not ready for prime time (borderline).
- 1.0 – 2.9 – This feature actually makes its product worse (unacceptable).
- 0 – The product doesn’t include this important feature at all.
How We Calculate Overall Scores
The 8 factors reviewed are weighted based on an overall total of 100%:
- Ease of Use: 20%
- Time Tracking Accuracy: 20%
- Scheduling Features: 15%
- Job Tracking: 15%
- Integrations: 10%
- Customer Support: 15%
- Company: 5%
Methodology for Each Factor
Ease of Use
We evaluate a product’s ease of use based on three main considerations:
- How easy is it to set up this app?
- How easy is it for managers to use the backend dashboard?
- How easy is it for frontline workers to use the (mobile) app?
These three considerations cover the main ways you and your team would use the software being reviewed – when you first obtain it, when someone (a manager, executive, team leader, or similar role) needs to use it to manage people, money, data, and other things, and when workers you’re tracking use the app (usually a mobile version of the software designed for frontline and/or field team members) to clock in, clock out, record time worked, or address other day-to-day needs.
Time Tracking Accuracy
Every minute matters when you’re trying to control payroll costs. This factor accounts for various features and common needs in time-tracking apps, such as…
- How accurate or precise is its GPS tracking capability?
- How accurate – and how customizable – is its geofencing feature?
- How accurate is its travel and mileage tracking (if available)?
- Can it automatically clock workers in and out based on the above?
- Can you set and/or restrict rules for clocking in and out?
- Can the app continue tracking workers while offline?
- How easy is its mobile app and/or kiosk for frontline workers?
Scheduling Features
Many construction businesses prefer to manage as many aspects of employee labor activity as possible in a single app, which is why many time-tracking apps also include worker scheduling as a core feature.
When we consider a product’s scheduling features, we look at:
- Its dashboard customizability (daily, weekly, or monthly views).
- Its project-based scheduling and visibility.
- Its real-time updates and notifications for workers.
- Its real-time map views of worker locations for best-fit scheduling.
- Its recurring schedule (copies to subsequent weeks, etc.) functionality.
Job Tracking
This factor helps you understand if the software can also provide insight into specific projects, which is particularly handy when your business deals with many customers or clients who generally need shorter-term work. Effective job tracking typically also includes accurate job costing functionality for construction companies.
We assess several things when calculating a product’s job tracking score:
- Its project-based tracking for multiple projects per day/week/etc.
- Its ability to track multiple / many projects simultaneously.
- Its use of (and your ability to customize) construction cost codes.
- Any built-in job costing views.
- Any integrations for cost coding (QuickBooks etc.)
Integrations
No business can operate on a single app, which is why integrations with other apps and tools are such important aspects of modern business software.
To calculate a product’s integration score, we’ll examine:
- How many native integrations (the simplest connection) does it offer?
- How effective and easy-to-use are its integrations with payroll software?
- Does it have robust data import and export features?
Customer Support
Learning how to use a new app can be frustrating, even if it’s meant to be the most user-friendly app around. That’s why great customer support is so essential when considering which time-tracking app to use.
Customer support scores are calculated based on:
- Live support channels available (phone, email, chat, etc.).
- Live support hours (business hours only, 24/7, etc.).
- The strength of the product’s online help center and/or FAQs.
- What other users say about support in online reviews.
Company
A great company with a highly customer-friendly approach can often make up for shortcomings in their software products – at least up to a point.
When assessing this score, we’ll examine:
- Transparency (easy-to-find pricing, etc.)
- Trial period (duration, feature availability, credit card requirements, etc.).
- Subscription flexibility (contracts, required durations, etc.).
- Ease of cancellation or pausing subscriptions.
- Customer perceptions (online product reviews).
- Website (a minor consideration, but great companies tend to have great websites).
Any questions about our scoring system? Have any suggestions on how we could make it even better? Click here to send us your feedback – we’d love to hear from you!
PTO is paid time you can use for almost any reason, while PPTO refers to job-protected leave typically tied to medical or caregiving needs.
While PTOs are not mandated, there is a law that requires companies to offer PPTO. The Family and Medical Leave Act provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid and job-protected leave for certain employees. Some companies offer them as PPTO, which employees can earn the same way they earn PTO—they earn bankable hours at the start of the year or the end of every month.
PPTO is offered on top of PTO so employees can use both to cover an extended leave for personal or medical reasons. And while employees can use PTO however they want, the requirements for PPTO are more stringent. Usually, you have to show proof that you have a medical situation or an ailing family member that you need to take care of.
PTO is paid time off with a defined bank of hours set by the employer, while FTO (often “unlimited PTO”) doesn’t require accrual and lets employees take paid time off as long as results and deadlines are met
No law requires companies to provide PTO to their employees, but it is a great benefit to entice prospective talent and more.
For PTO, companies decide:
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Starting balance
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How often time is added (lump sum vs. monthly accrual)
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Carryover or “use-it-or-lose-it” rules
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Which absences are covered
FTO is less restrictive, and it does not have to be accrued. There is no limit to how many hours or days of paid time off a person takes as long as they produce expected work results. Some consider FTO a progressive HR practice; whether it works well depends on culture, accountability, and how deadlines are enforced.
PTO tracking is the process of managing and monitoring employees’ paid time off, which includes vacation days, sick leave, personal days, and other types of leave. It involves recording when employees take time off, ensuring that leave balances are accurately updated, and making sure that the company’s leave policies are followed.
Effective PTO tracking helps businesses maintain smooth operations by preventing staffing shortages and scheduling conflicts. It also ensures compliance with labor laws and provides transparency for both employers and employees regarding available leave. Many companies use specialized software to automate and streamline PTO tracking.
PTO tracking works by recording employee leave requests and updating their leave balances automatically. Employees can request time off through a digital platform, and managers can approve or deny these requests. The system logs the approved time off and adjusts the employee’s available PTO balance accordingly.
Advanced PTO tracking tools also offer real-time updates, ensuring accurate records and preventing scheduling conflicts. These tools integrate with payroll and HR systems, providing seamless data flow and compliance with company policies and labor laws.
The best PTO tracker with a free trial is Workyard. It offers a robust set of features designed to streamline leave management, making it ideal for businesses of all sizes. With Workyard, employees can easily request time off, and managers can approve or deny requests with a few clicks. The platform automatically updates PTO balances in real-time, ensuring accuracy and preventing scheduling conflicts.
Additionally, Workyard integrates seamlessly with other HR and payroll systems, providing a comprehensive solution for all your leave management needs. Its user-friendly interface and advanced capabilities make it a standout choice for a free PTO tracking solution.
To create a PTO tracker in Excel, start by setting up a spreadsheet with columns for employee names, PTO types (vacation, sick leave, etc.), accrued hours, used hours, and remaining balance. Enter employee details and initial PTO balances.
Use formulas to calculate the remaining balance by subtracting used hours from accrued hours. Add a date column to track the specific days off. Conditional formatting can highlight exceeded PTO limits.
Regularly update the sheet with new PTO requests and adjustments. This simple setup helps maintain an accurate record of employee leave, ensuring effective PTO management.
When you quit, your unused PTO may be paid out or forfeited depending on company policy and state law. Some employers offer a payout for unused vacation or sick days, while others have “use it or lose it” policies. States like California and Massachusetts require employers to pay out accrued PTO, but many states leave it up to the company. To know what happens in your case, review your employer’s PTO policy and confirm with HR before resigning.
