Staff attendance and salaries without a register

The simplest way to keep staff attendance without a register is a phone: staff mark in and out from their own login, and you correct the month. Set each person's pay rules once, and the salary sheet, advances and payslips come from the same record.

Picture a café in Hindustan Park with seven staff (an example, not a client). The register sits by the counter, someone forgets to sign, and an advance given in March lives in a notebook in the owner's bag. At month end it takes an evening, a calculator and at least one argument to work out salaries.

Why the register stops working

A paper register works for two or three people. It gets hard as the team grows, for the same few reasons.

• Nobody signs at the right time. Staff sign in a batch at lunch, or the next day.
• Leave and half days aren't written down, or are written in pencil and rubbed out.
• Advances live somewhere else, so recovering them each month depends on memory.
• The sums are done by hand, and one wrong count means a short salary and a hurt employee.

The fix isn't a bigger register. It's one record that attendance, pay and advances all come from.

How to track staff attendance on a phone

1. Give each person their own login. One tap marks them in, another marks them out, with the time taken from the system, not typed.
2. You mark the rest. Present, half day, absent, leave or holiday, for one person or for everyone on a day like Durga Puja Ashtami.
3. Fix mistakes in the open. If someone forgot to mark out, add the correction and keep the original. Nobody should be able to rub out a day quietly.
4. Let staff see their own days. People argue less when they can check their own month.

You don't need GPS or selfies for a café or an office of ten. They add worry for staff and rarely catch anything you wouldn't notice yourself.

A shared spreadsheet is a fair start for three or four people. It falls apart once advances, leave and overtime come in.

Set each person's pay rules once

Write these down for every person, once, when they join. They're also what an appointment letter should say.

The figures above are examples, not advice on what to pay. Your rates must meet the minimum wage for the work.

Work out the month's salary sheet

At month end, the sheet for each person is a simple sum.

1. Start with the monthly salary, or the daily rate × days worked.
2. Take off absent days and any leave beyond the year's allowance.
3. Add overtime and any bonus.
4. Take off this month's share of an advance.
5. Take off any deduction the law requires, such as profession tax.

Then check it once, pay, and lock that month. If a mistake turns up later, fix it in next month's sheet rather than rewriting the old one. That way the paid figures always match what reached the bank.

Advances, payslips and paying on time

Advances are the most common source of month-end fights. Record each one with the date, the amount and how much comes off each month, and never let the net salary go below zero.

Give a payslip every month, even to staff who don't ask. The Code on Wages expects wage slips, on paper or electronic, on or before payment (PIB). A payslip in your business's name also helps staff with a bank loan or a rent agreement.

Pay monthly wages within seven days of the next month, and settle a leaving employee's wages within two working days. Both are in the same PIB note, as of November 2026.

What the law asks, in short

The four labour codes came into force on 21 November 2025 (PIB). These are the points most likely to touch a small café or office, but your CA should confirm what applies to you.

• Appointment letters are now mandatory for all workers.
• Minimum wage is a legal right for every employee, in every sector.
• Overtime is paid at not less than twice the normal wage.
• ESIC is voluntary for establishments with fewer than 10 employees, unless anyone works in a hazardous process.
• EPF applies to notified establishments with 20 or more employees (EPFO).

West Bengal has its own rules too. A state order of 29 May 2026 says staff in registered shops and establishments can't be made to work more than 8.5 hours a day or 48 a week. It also caps overtime at 144 hours a quarter (Labour Department, West Bengal).

Employers in the state also deduct profession tax from salaries and pay it to the state (West Bengal profession tax Act). The slab depends on the salary, so check the current rates with your CA.

What it costs

A register and a notebook cost almost nothing, and a spreadsheet is free. The cost is your time at month end, and the arguments.

Payroll software for larger firms is often more than a café needs. Pixelvile's staff attendance and salaries add-on is ₹499 a month before GST for up to 10 people, then ₹49 a person, as of November 2026. Whatever you choose, make sure staff can mark from their own phones and you can export the month as a spreadsheet for your CA.

If you also run a café, our guide to taking food orders on your own website covers the counter side, and our page for cafés shows the rest.

If you'd like help

Pixelvile's attendance add-on lets staff mark in and out from their own login, works out the month's salary sheet with advances and overtime, and makes payslips in your business's name. Ask for a free audit of how you run the place today, or WhatsApp us on +91 62918 31815.