# Punch verification and geofencing

Decide whether staff can clock in from their own phone, only after tapping an NFC tag, or only on the kiosk — and flag or block punches made away from the store.

For: Admins, Managers · On: Web, iOS, Android · [Help Center](https://www.mays.app/help) › [Time clock](https://www.mays.app/help/time-clock) · Last updated October 13, 2026 · Mays Team

Two checks stop people clocking in for a friend or from home: **Mobile punching** decides whether a personal phone can clock in at all, and **Geofence** checks that the phone is near the store.

**Where:** **Locations & Users → Locations** → a location → **Scheduling** tab → **Punch verification** card (Scheduling, Pro plan). Admins can change any location; managers the locations they manage. Changes save straight away.

![The Punch verification card with Mobile punching set to Enabled — Employees can clock in, take breaks and clock out on their own phone — and Geofence set to Flag with a 250 m radius — Punches outside the radius are marked for manager review, but never blocked — above the Store location box: 26.35869, -80.08310, View on map, and the Use my current location and Enter coordinates buttons](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/help__punch-verification-and-geofence__01-punch-verification.5914372505.png)

## Mobile punching

| Option | What staff can do |
| --- | --- |
| **Enabled** (default) | Clock in from their own phone. |
| **Kiosk only** | Clock in only on the store's shared kiosk (or a manager adds the punch). The app shows *Use the kiosk to clock in.* instead of the **Clock in** button, and tapping one of the location's NFC tags shows that the location clocks in at the kiosk. Anyone already clocked in can still take breaks and clock out on their phone. |
| **NFC tap required** | Clock in from their phone only by tapping one of the location's NFC tags — see [Clocking in with NFC tags](https://www.mays.app/help/time-clock/nfc-tag-clock-in). The app shows *Tap the store tag to clock in, or use the kiosk.* Breaks and clock-out work on the phone as usual. |

![The Schedule tab in the app at a location that requires an NFC tap: Not clocked in, with the message Tap the store tag to clock in, or use the kiosk, and no Clock in button](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/help__punch-verification-and-geofence__02-nfc-only-app.2f6bbae592.png)

- **Only clocking in is restricted.** Someone already on the clock can still take breaks and clock out from their phone in every mode, so nobody gets stuck.
- **Kiosks and manager-added punches are never restricted** by this setting.
- **Staff don't need to sign out after you change it.** The app picks up the new setting the next time they open it or go back to the **Schedule** tab. If someone taps an old **Clock in** button before that, Mays refuses — *Mobile punching is off for this location — use the kiosk.* or *Tap the store's NFC tag to punch.* — and the app then shows the new option.

## Geofence

| Option | What happens at clock-in |
| --- | --- |
| **Off** | Location isn't checked. |
| **Flag** (default) | The punch is saved either way. If the phone is outside the radius, the punch is marked **Outside geofence** for you to review, and the employee's app shows **Outside store** next to *On the clock*. |
| **Block** | A clock-in from outside the radius is refused: *You're too far from South to punch in.* |

Set the **radius** in metres in the box next to the option (250 m by default). It saves when you click out of the box or press Enter. Use at least 10 m — phone GPS is rarely more precise — and at most 10,000 m; if you empty the box, the current radius is kept.

![The app's clock-in card after clocking in away from the store: On the clock, Since 6:05 AM, an orange Outside store label, Rest break due by 10:05 AM, and the Start break and Clock out buttons](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/help__punch-verification-and-geofence__03-outside-store.58a47995be.png)

Where you see flagged punches:

- **Time Clock** → a pay period: an **Outside geofence** badge on the punch and a row on the **Warnings** tab — see [Timesheets and pay periods](https://www.mays.app/help/time-clock/timesheets-and-pay-periods).
- The **on the clock now** strip on the Time Clock page marks the person with a pin icon (*Outside geofence*). A warning icon (*No GPS*) means Mays has no location for that punch — for example a kiosk punch, or a phone with location turned off.

### How the check works

- **It's done once, at clock-in.** Breaks and clock-out aren't checked.
- **A phone that doesn't share its location is never blocked or flagged,** even with **Block** on. The app asks for location permission the first time someone clocks in; staff who say no can still clock in.
- **Distances are measured from the store location**, shown under the geofence while it's on (**Store location**, with **View on map**). At first it's filled in from the street address — sometimes only roughly. When you change the location's street address, city, state or ZIP code, it's looked up again from the new address (if the new address can't be found, it's cleared until you set it). A store location you set yourself stays where you put it when the address changes — update it here after a move. To set it exactly, stand inside the store and click **Use my current location**, or click **Enter coordinates** and paste the latitude and longitude from a map app. Until a location has a store location (*not set — the geofence can't check anyone until it is.*), **Flag** and **Block** do nothing.
- A kiosk iPad or iPhone sends its own location when someone clocks in on it, so **Block** applies there too; Android kiosks don't send one.

Start with **Flag** and a generous radius, watch the **Outside geofence** warnings for a week or two, and only then switch to **Block** if you need it.

## Good to know

- **Both apps show the reason** when a clock-in is refused, on iPhone and Android.
- **The app uses the phone's GPS,** which can be off by a few hundred metres indoors or on a weak signal. A small radius makes false flags more likely.
- These settings sit next to the location's other time clock rules — see [Grace periods, rounding and auto-approval](https://www.mays.app/help/time-clock/time-clock-rules).

## Related articles

- Time clock: [Clocking in with NFC tags](https://www.mays.app/help/time-clock/nfc-tag-clock-in) — Put NFC stickers at your store so staff clock in by tapping their phone on one — set them up on the web, tap to punch on iPhone or Android, and troubleshoot.
- Time clock: [Shared kiosk devices and PINs](https://www.mays.app/help/time-clock/kiosk-mode) — Turn a store tablet or phone into a shared kiosk where staff sign in with a 4-digit PIN to clock in, take breaks and do their tasks — and manage kiosks from the web.
- Time clock: [Clocking in and out on your phone](https://www.mays.app/help/time-clock/clock-in-on-your-phone) — Clock in and out, and take breaks, from the Schedule tab of the Mays app — plus what the messages mean when the app won't let you clock in.
- Time clock: [Grace periods, rounding and auto-approval](https://www.mays.app/help/time-clock/time-clock-rules) — Set a location's grace period, rounding, auto-approval, early clock-in and no-shift rules, and have forgotten punches closed automatically at a set time.
- Time clock: [Timesheets and pay periods](https://www.mays.app/help/time-clock/timesheets-and-pay-periods) — Review every punch in a pay period on the Time Clock page — fix, add or delete punches, approve them, check warnings and hours, then close the period for payroll.
- Team & roles: [Add and manage locations](https://www.mays.app/help/team-roles/add-and-edit-locations) — Add your stores to Mays, keep their address, phone, email and time zone up to date, and find each location's billing, phone receptionist and scheduling settings.

## Still need help?

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Canonical: https://www.mays.app/help/time-clock/punch-verification-and-geofence