# Timesheet & Payroll Validation: done-for-you AI automation by BufferSol

> A done-for-you timesheet and payroll validation automation is an AI agent that checks every timecard, pay change and deduction before payroll is submitted. It reads punches from your time system, compares them with schedules, approved leave, pay rules and the previous run, and flags anything that looks wrong for your payroll team. People approve every correction. BufferSol builds it around ADP, Paychex, Gusto, UKG or Workday and logs every check and fix.

- Canonical: https://buffersoltech.com/done-for-you/hr-recruiting/timesheet-payroll-validation
- Category: HR & Recruiting
- Provider: BufferSol Technologies (New York; serving the US, UK, Ireland, Canada and the EU)
- Timeline: live in 3 to 6 weeks
- Pricing: quoted after a short scoping call

## Catch missing punches and payroll errors before the run, not after payday

**Who it is for:** Payroll and HR operations teams paying hourly or shift-based staff across one or more states, where missed punches, overtime and late changes create corrections every pay period.

### Signs you need it
- Every pay period ends with a scramble to fix missed punches and unapproved timecards.
- Off-cycle checks are a regular event, not a rare one.
- Managers approve timecards without looking, then employees report short pay.
- Overtime, shift differentials or state rules are checked by memory.
- Payroll can't leave for a long weekend near a pay date.

## Business outcomes
- **Fewer corrections after payday.** Problems are found during the pay period while they are easy to fix, so fewer employees are paid wrong and fewer off-cycle checks are needed.
- **Calmer payroll deadlines.** Payroll starts the final review with a short exception list instead of the full register, and managers are chased about missing approvals days earlier.
- **Evidence for every change.** Each flag, fix and approval is recorded with the reason, which helps with wage-and-hour questions, audits and employee disputes.

## How it works today
1. Employees clock in and out in UKG, ADP, Deputy or a kiosk; some forget, some punch at the wrong location.
2. Managers get an approval reminder on the last day and approve in bulk.
3. Payroll exports the timecards, sorts them in Excel and eyeballs overtime, missing punches and leave.
4. HR emails late changes, such as a raise, a new deduction or a termination, sometimes after the cutoff.
5. The run is submitted; errors show up when employees complain, and payroll cuts off-cycle checks.

Hidden costs:
- Each correction costs money and time, and repeat errors erode employee trust.
- Wage-and-hour exposure when overtime, breaks or final pay rules are missed.
- Payroll staff burn out from deadline pressure and repetitive checks.

## How it works done for you
1. BufferSol maps your pay rules with the payroll lead: overtime by state, shift differentials, meal and rest breaks, leave codes, and which changes need which approver.
2. Each day of the pay period, the agent pulls punches from the time system and compares them with schedules in your scheduling tool and approved leave in the HRIS.
3. It flags missing punches, overlapping shifts, unusual hours, overtime without approval and punches at the wrong site, then messages the employee or manager to correct them in the time system.
4. Before cutoff, it reads the draft payroll register and compares it with the previous run and with HR changes, flagging new rates, deductions and terminations that don't match an approved record.
5. Payroll gets a short exception list with the evidence for each item. A payroll specialist approves or rejects every fix; the agent never changes pay on its own.
6. After the run, it logs every exception, decision and approver and sends a summary of recurring causes to HR and operations.

## What changes for the team
- **Payroll specialist.** Today: Scans every timecard and register line under deadline pressure, then handles corrections after payday. Done for you: Reviews a short list of flagged exceptions with evidence and approves the fixes.
- **Frontline manager.** Today: Bulk-approves timecards at the last minute and fields complaints about short pay. Done for you: Fixes a few flagged punches during the week and approves with confidence.

## KPIs we measure
- **Corrections per pay period:** Adjustments and off-cycle checks after each run, baselined from the last six pay periods.
- **Timecards approved on time:** Share of timecards approved by the manager deadline, tracked by location.
- **Exceptions found before cutoff:** Count of flags raised and resolved during the pay period, by type.
- **Payroll processing hours:** Hours the payroll team spends per run, measured with a short time study before and after launch.
- **Employee pay inquiries:** Pay-related questions and complaints after each payday, from the HR inbox or helpdesk.

## Industry data
- $291: average cost of a single payroll error (EY survey, 2022) ([Business Wire (EY survey for Paycom)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221222005093/en/EY-survey-Payroll-errors-average-291-each-impacting-the-economy))
- 15 corrections: made per pay period by the average company, which has an 80% payroll accuracy rate (EY, 2022) ([HR Dive](https://www.hrdive.com/news/employers-make-15-corrections-per-pay-period-on-average-costing-thousands/640276/))

## Systems it connects to
ADP Workforce Now, Paychex Flex, Gusto, UKG Pro, Workday Payroll, Deputy, When I Work, BambooHR, Excel, Microsoft Teams

## Guardrails
- The agent never changes pay, rates or deductions. Every fix is approved by a payroll specialist in the payroll system.
- Pay rules are written down and signed off by payroll and HR, and versioned when laws or policies change.
- Bank details, tax IDs and pay data are read inside your systems and never sent to chat or email.
- Every flag, message, approval and change is logged with a timestamp and user, ready for audits.
- If a data feed fails or a check can't run, payroll is told before cutoff instead of the run going ahead unchecked.

## What teams say about this work
- A typical company makes many corrections every pay period, and missing or incorrect time punches are the most common error employees make. ([HR Dive](https://www.hrdive.com/news/employers-make-15-corrections-per-pay-period-on-average-costing-thousands/640276/))
- Payroll staff describe strict deadlines with little room for error, and say the repetitive accuracy checks can lead to burnout over time. ([Glassdoor](https://static.glassdoor.co.uk/Reviews/Employee-Review-Brahma-E2807452-RVW92553000.htm))
- Costs vary sharply by error type, and unentered sick time and tax setup mistakes rank among the most expensive payroll errors to correct. ([Business Wire (EY survey for Paycom)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221222005093/en/EY-survey-Payroll-errors-average-291-each-impacting-the-economy))

## Delivery: live in 3 to 6 weeks
1. Week 1: discovery, access and a baseline of today's numbers.
2. Weeks 2–3: build the agents and connect your systems, with your rules and approvals.
3. Weeks 3–5: test on your real history, then pilot on live work with your team reviewing.
4. Weeks 4–6: staged go-live, training, dashboards and handover.

## Executive Ask questions for this workflow
- How many payroll corrections did we make last quarter, and what caused most of them?
- Which locations have the most missed punches or late timecard approvals?
- How much overtime did we pay this month that wasn't approved in advance?

## Frequently asked questions
### Does the agent change anyone's pay?
No. It reads timecards, schedules, leave and the draft register, then flags what looks wrong with the evidence. Employees and managers fix punches in the time system, and a payroll specialist approves every change in the payroll system. The agent has read access to payroll data and write access only to its own notes and exception list.

### Can it handle state overtime and break rules?
Yes, as long as we write them down together. During setup we document the rules you follow by state and country, such as daily overtime, meal and rest breaks, and shift differentials, and your payroll lead signs them off. The agent checks against that written set. When laws change, payroll updates the rule and the change is versioned.

### Which payroll and time systems do you connect?
Common ones are ADP Workforce Now, Paychex Flex, Gusto, UKG Pro and Workday for payroll, and UKG, Deputy, When I Work or ADP time for punches. We use official APIs or scheduled report exports where APIs are limited. During scoping we confirm what each system exposes before we agree the plan.

### How long does it take to go live?
Most teams are live in 3 to 6 weeks. We map your pay rules, connect the time, HR and payroll systems, then run the agent alongside your normal process for at least one full pay period. Payroll compares its flags with what they found by hand, we tune the rules, and then the exception list becomes part of every run.

### What does it cost?
It is quoted after a short scoping call. The main factors are headcount, pay frequency, how many states and pay rules apply, and which time and payroll systems we connect. You get a written quote with a fixed scope before any work begins, so you can compare it with the time your team spends on corrections today.