$18.00
California meal break premiums
A missing, short or late meal break means one extra hour of pay. We list each one, ask about signed waivers only where the law allows them, and add it to gross.
For shops on paper punch cards
Run payroll from a photo of your time cards
Photograph the stack of punch cards, or paste the hours your staff texted you. We fill in everyone's week, check your state's overtime and California meal breaks, catch missed clock-outs, and hand you a file for Gusto or QuickBooks.
Your pay period is saved on this device.
or ·
- Full preview free, no account
- Staff never need an app
- Photos never stored
Everyone's week
No cards yet
Add photos, paste hours or type a card. Want to see it work first?
Payroll summary
Gross$0.00
| Employee | Rate | Regular | OT | Double | Meal prem. | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals appear as soon as there is a card. | ||||||
Hours in decimals, the way payroll providers take them. Meal premiums are one hour of pay each, entered as an extra earning.
From a stack of cards to a payroll file
Three steps, about five minutes for a team of ten. Nobody on your staff changes how they clock in.
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1
Photograph the cards
Several cards per photo is fine. Two AI models read each one, and any time they disagree on turns amber, with the crop of the card one tap away.
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2
See what it costs
Every problem comes with a dollar amount and a button: a meal break premium you owe, a forgotten clock-out, overtime your state adds on top of federal rules.
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3
Download and run payroll
Upload the Gusto file or type from the QuickBooks sheet. The period is saved with every card, flag and premium for three years.
The three mistakes that cost a small shop the most
A plain calculator adds up hours. It does not tell you that you owe Maria an hour of pay, or that Jake forgot to clock out.
$230.42
Missed clock-outs
A 15-hour Thursday is usually a forgotten punch. We price it against the person's usual clock-out, and payroll waits until you fix it or accept it.
$60.00
State overtime on top of federal
Daily overtime in California, Alaska, Nevada and Colorado, double time and the 7th day. We show what federal rules alone would have underpaid.
Paper stays paper
Team apps work when every employee clocks in on a phone. A bookkeeper works, at $40 to $150 a month. This sits in between.
| Run payroll | Free calculator | Team clock-in app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works with paper punch cards | One card at a time | No | |
| Staff need nothing new | An app on every phone | ||
| State daily overtime | Often off by default | Paid plans | |
| California meal premiums | No | Some | |
| Missed punch caught and priced | No | Some | |
| Gusto and QuickBooks files | No | Paid plans | |
| Three years of records | No | Often 90 days free |
Simple monthly plans
Try the whole thing with your own cards first. You pay only to download the files and save the period.
Small
Up to 5 employees
$9a month
- Read punch cards from photos
- State overtime and meal break checks
- Gusto, QuickBooks and CSV files
- 3-year archive and records pack
Most shops pick this
Team
Up to 15 employees
$19a month
- Everything in Small
- Up to 15 employees
- Weekly, biweekly or semi-monthly
Bookkeeper
Up to 10 client businesses, 100 employees
$59a month
- Everything in Team
- Client switcher
- Summary with your name for each client
$9 a month for up to 5 employees, $19 a month for up to 15 employees and $59 a month for up to 10 client businesses, 100 employees. Cancel any time and keep your saved periods.
Frequently asked questions
Do my employees need to install anything?
No. Your staff keep punching paper cards, or texting you their hours. You photograph the cards or paste the texts. Nobody else needs an account or an app.
How well does it read handwritten cards?
Two AI models read every photo on their own. When they disagree, or either one is unsure, that time is shaded amber and you confirm it against the crop of the card with one tap. Nothing exports while a time is amber, so a smudged stamp never turns into a wrong paycheck.
Which states does it check?
Federal overtime everywhere, plus the daily rules of California (with double time, the 7th day and meal break premiums), Alaska, Nevada and Colorado, and the state and big city minimum wages. Every rule links to its source on the method page.
Does it file payroll or pay my staff?
No. It hands you the hours, overtime and gross pay checked and ready, as a Gusto file, a QuickBooks entry sheet or a spreadsheet. Your payroll provider still runs the paychecks and the taxes.
Can I try it before I pay?
Yes. Load the sample week or your own cards and you see the full result, every flag and the payroll summary, marked as a preview. You pay only to download the files and save the period.
What happens to the photos and names?
Photos are read in memory and never stored on our server. Names, hours and rates are saved only when you save a pay period, kept for three years as payroll records, and deleted with your account. See the privacy page.
Can I cancel?
Any time, on your account page. Your saved periods and files stay downloadable after you cancel, so you keep your records.
See your own week in two minutes
Photograph this week's cards and get the full preview free. No account until you want the files.
A calculator and checklist, not legal or tax advice. Rules from the federal and state labor departments (Federal (FLSA), California, Alaska, Nevada, Colorado), checked November 15, 2026. How it works in detail: method.