Static educational checklist — not a calculator. No punch inputs, no timesheet builder, no retention-date calculator. Use this to spot common FLSA recordkeeping and timekeeping red flags under FLSA § 11 and 29 CFR Part 516. Distinct from child-labor hours, final-paycheck timing, on-call/waiting, travel-time, meal/rest, tip-credit, and OT stub pages.
Federal baseline (FLSA § 11 / Part 516)
FLSA § 11 requires covered employers to make, keep, and preserve records of employees, wages, hours, and employment practices. Part 516 fills in the detail: what fields to keep for nonexempt workers, how long to keep payroll vs. underlying time records, and that any timekeeping method is fine if it is complete and accurate. This page does not store punches, audit a payroll file, or compute back wages.
Checklist — recordkeeping & timekeeping red flags
Missing employee identifiers. Flag files that omit full name, home address (with ZIP), occupation, sex, or birth date when the employee is under 19. Part 516 expects these basics for each nonexempt worker — a badge number alone is not enough.
No clear workweek start. Flag payroll setups that never record the time of day and day of week the employee’s workweek begins. Without a fixed, recurring 7-day workweek notation, “hours after 40” math and OT stub reviews become guesswork.
Related (pay-stub side): OT pay-stub checklist — stub spotting ≠ Part 516 retention.
Daily and weekly hours not preserved. Flag systems that keep only a weekly total, or that overwrite daily punches after payroll closes. § 516.2 expects hours worked each workday and total hours each workweek.
Regular rate / straight-time / OT premium fields blank. Flag weeks with overtime due that lack (i) the regular hourly rate, (ii) total daily or weekly straight-time earnings exclusive of OT premium, and (iii) total premium pay for overtime hours. “We paid OT somehow” is not a Part 516 record.
Additions, deductions, pay date, and period covered. Flag missing records of wage additions/deductions, total wages paid each period, date of payment, and the pay period covered. Tip credit, meal premiums, and lodging credits belong in the wage story — they are not a substitute for time records.
Retention too short (3-year / 2-year floors). Flag “delete after 12 months” policies. Part 516 generally expects payroll records, CBAs, and sales/purchase records for at least three years (§ 516.5), and underlying time cards, piece-work tickets, wage-rate tables, and work/time schedules for at least two years (§ 516.6). Many employers keep time records three years to match the willful FLSA limitations period — this page does not compute deadlines.
Any method is OK — incomplete methods are not. Flag policies that ban clocks but also never collect accurate written times. Employers may use a time clock, a timekeeper, or employee-written times; fixed-schedule employees may use a schedule-plus-exceptions method. When actual hours differ from the schedule, the exception hours must be recorded.
Off-clock, rounding, and “don’t punch that” traps. Flag supervisors who discourage punching pre-shift setup, post-shift cleanup, work during meal periods, remote/after-hours messages, or compensable travel/waiting — then keep pristine (but incomplete) time files. Recordkeeping compliance does not cure unpaid hours worked; hours-worked rules still control what must be captured.