Time and expense
Time and expense tracking that doesn't feel like homework.
Weekly timesheets, punch clock, AI receipt OCR, per-diem, and mileage — on one platform with the same record as onboarding and classification.
Contractor time and expense tracking is the combination of timesheet capture (hours worked by project, client, or task) and expense capture (receipts, mileage, per-diem). Engage provides both in one platform. Timesheets are weekly grids or punch-clock based. Expenses use AI-powered receipt OCR to auto-extract vendor, date, amount, and category. Approvals route by project or manager. Exports feed your accounting and payroll systems.
Weekly timesheet grid
Contractors enter hours by project, client, and task in a single weekly view. Multi-assignment support. Autosaves.
Punch clock
For time-on-site or shift-based work. Clock in, clock out, automatic total calculation.
AI receipt analysis
Snap a photo or upload a PDF. The AI extracts vendor, date, amount, category, and line items with a confidence score. Human reviews and confirms.
Per-diem and mileage
Built-in mileage calculator and per-diem rates. Federal and state defaults; customizable per client.
Approval workflows
Time approval by manager, expense approval with multi-level routing. Reject with reasons. Resubmit without retyping.
Accounting exports
Export approved time and expenses as CSV or Excel. Integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, and direct payroll export in development.
Weekly timesheet grid across projects
- Multi-assignment support in one view
- Autosave as contractors enter hours
- Approval routing by project or client
AI extracts every receipt detail
- Upload a photo — vendor, date, amount auto-populated
- Confidence score surfaces fields that need human review
- Category rules auto-approve routine expenses
Time and expense tooling compared
| Feature | Engage | Harvest + Expensify | Deel | Toggl + receipts in email |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timesheets | ||||
| Punch clock | ||||
| AI receipt OCR | ||||
| Built-in per-diem + mileage | Partial | Partial | ||
| Same record as classification & onboarding | ||||
| Cost for 10 contractors | Free | ~$140/mo | ~$490/mo | ~$100/mo |
How time and expense works day-to-day
- Contractor logs time. At the end of the day or week, the contractor opens the weekly grid or punch-clock view and records hours by project.
- Contractor uploads expenses. Receipt photos or PDFs are uploaded. The AI extracts details. The contractor reviews and submits.
- Manager approves. Approval view shows the week's total time and pending expenses. Approve, reject with reason, or request changes.
- Compliance checks run. Expired documents, overdue onboarding items, or category-rule violations surface automatically.
- Invoicing pulls the data. Approved time and expenses feed into invoice generation. Contractor can generate and submit an invoice in one click.
Why we built our own time and expense module
We originally planned to integrate with Harvest, Expensify, or a similar best-of-breed tool. The problem: every integration introduces a CSV export, a data drift risk, and another vendor bill. For contractors specifically, the time and expense record needs to live on the same row as classification, onboarding, and invoicing — otherwise you lose the audit trail. That's why it's a first-class module, not a partner integration.
What's coming
Direct integrations with QuickBooks and Xero on the export side are the next roadmap priority. Native mobile apps are on the roadmap but not active development. If either is blocking for you, let us know in your beta application — it helps us prioritize.
Frequently asked questions
- Yes. You can require contractors to track their time for billing, compliance, and project transparency. The key is that time-tracking itself is not a classification risk factor — what matters is whether you control how they work. Requiring time entry for billing purposes is standard practice and does not convert a 1099 to a W-2.
Managing international contractors?
HQ Simple's EOR service handles time, expense, and payment in local currency for your international contractors — while the data stays visible in your Engage dashboard.
Ready to engage your workforce?
Start with the free ATS. Grow into contractor management, VMS, and International EOR without changing systems.