Manage technician idle timeLast updated on 09/09/2022
Idle time is when a technician is clocked in, but they are not doing any of the following tasks:
Dispatching to a job
Working on a job
On a meal break or other custom event (paid or unpaid)
If the technician is not doing one of those tasks, that period of clocked-in time is tracked as idle time. For example, if a technician has completed a job and they wait half an hour before being dispatched on their next job, those 30 minutes are considered idle time.
You can manage how much of that idle time counts towards paid hours.
Things to know
If you have Simple Clock I/O enabled, all idle time is paid, regardless of your idle time settings.
If Simple Clock I/O is not enabled, then idle time between a technician's clock in and their first paid event is not paid, regardless of idle time settings. This is to discourage paid idle time abuse.
Paid idle time laws vary by region. Contact your local labor office to learn more before changing your settings.
Set idle time
Go to the navigation bar and click Settings
. In the side menu, go to People > Payroll. Payroll Settings opens.
In the Idle Time section, click Edit. The edit screen opens.
Under How much idle time should be paid, select if you want to pay for a fixed or unlimited duration of idle time:
Pay up to—Maximum number of minutes that are paid
Pay for all idle time—Idle time periods of any duration are paid.
Under Customization, select how you want to pay for a fixed duration of idle time:
If the idle time exceeds the above threshold, only pay up to the threshold—All idle time up until the payment threshold is paid. Any time beyond the threshold is not paid.
If the idle time exceeds the above threshold, do not pay at all—An idle time period that lasts up to the payment threshold is a paid event. An idle time event that lasts longer than the threshold pays $0.00 for the entire period.
When you’re done, click Save Changes.
. 
Run reports with idle time
You can create custom reports that include idle time using the Timesheets report template.
Idle time periods are labeled in the Timesheet Activity column.
Create a paid idle time event
If you want your technician to be paid for idle time that lasts longer than your paid idle time setting, you can do the following:
Create a paid non-job timesheet code for this event.
Schedule an event for your technician using the non-job timesheet code you created.
Important note: Some features may not be currently included in your account and additional configuration may be required. Please contact technical support for details.