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Overview

New to Swift Checkin? This page answers the questions most people ask first: what it does, how an hour of work moves through it, who uses it, and the words you'll see in these guides.

What Swift Checkin is​

What is Swift Checkin?

Swift Checkin is workforce and labour cost software for Australian construction subcontractors and trade contractors. It shows you who worked, where, for how long, and what that labour is costing each project.

Example

A painting contractor with 30 crew across four sites can see who's on each site right now, and have that week's hours ready for payroll without chasing anyone.

Who is it built for?

Trade businesses running crews across several sites, such as HVAC, electrical, painting, fitout, roofing and plastering contractors. It handles employees, internal subcontractors and external subcontractors in one app.

What problems does it fix?

  • Hours scattered across paper sheets, texts, WhatsApp and spreadsheets.
  • Timesheets rebuilt by hand every pay run.
  • Subcontractor invoices paid on trust, with no site record to check them against.
  • Project labour costs that show up weeks too late.

Does it replace my accounting or job software?

No. Swift Checkin works alongside your job software and your accounts. For example, approved employee hours can be sent to Xero or exported for MYOB as a pay run.

How it works​

How does an hour of work move through Swift Checkin?

From check-in on site to payroll and project costs, here's how a single hour of work moves through Swift Checkin.

  1. Check in on siteA worker checks in on site and their hours start on the right project.
  2. Check outThey check out when they leave, or the app checks them out automatically (if enabled).
  3. TimesheetThe hours become their timesheet, showing when they worked and on which project.
  4. Review and approveAn admin user reviews the timesheet and approves the hours.
  5. Payroll, invoices and project costApproved hours are ready for payroll, subcontractor invoices and project labour costs.

How does check-in and checkout work?

Workers check in and check out with the Swift Checkin mobile app. When Location Verification is turned on, check-in only works inside the site boundary.

If a worker forgets or has a problem, a Site Manager can check them in or out from the app, or an admin can do it on the Site Attendance page in the web platform.

There are three ways a worker gets checked out:

  • Manual checkout: the worker taps Checkout in the app, or a Site Manager or admin checks them out on their behalf.
  • Hours-based automatic checkout: when your business turns on Time Based Auto Check-out or sets a Longest checked-in time, workers are checked out once they pass that limit.
  • Location-based automatic checkout (breadcrumbing): when breadcrumbing is turned on for the project and Location Verification is on, leaving the site boundary can check the worker out. Their phone must allow location access all the time.

If none of the automatic rules apply, the worker or a Site Manager or admin must check them out manually.

Important

These rules are set by your business under Account Settings › General Settings › Check-In & Check-Out, so they may not apply to every site or worker.

What is a site boundary?

An area drawn on the map around each site location. When Location Verification is on, check-in only works inside it, and on breadcrumbing projects, leaving it can trigger automatic checkout. To set one up, see How to create a site location.

What is a suspicious check-in?

A check-in or checkout that didn't pass the location check, such as someone trying to check in from outside the site boundary. When Location Verification is on, these records are listed under Suspicious Check-ins for admins to review.

A suspicious record needs a look, but it doesn't automatically mean the worker did something wrong. For example, their phone may have had a weak location signal.

What happens to approved hours?

  • Employee payroll: approved hours are ready to add to a pay run, which you then send to Xero or export for MYOB.
  • Internal Subcontractor invoices: internal subcontractors can create and submit invoices in the app, which you review on the Bills page.
  • External Subcontractor invoices: an admin can upload the company's invoice (PDF) on the Bills page to review and process it.
  • Project labour costs: recorded and approved hours feed labour cost tracking against each project.

Approving a timesheet doesn't run payroll or pay an invoice. Those are separate steps. See How pay periods and pay runs work and What are bills.

Can anything be paid without someone approving it?

No. Timesheets and invoices only move on to payroll or payment after an admin user approves them. Every change to a timesheet is recorded. See How approval works.

Swift AI​

What does Swift AI do today?

There are two AI assistants live now.

  • Check-in assistant (for app users) Live helps workers sort out check-in problems on the spot. For example, if Jack can't check in, it can tell him to turn on location or move inside the site boundary.
  • Admin assistant (for admin users) Live sends a daily summary and helps with payroll, admin, HR and site manager tasks. For example, a director can start the day knowing who was on site yesterday and what needs attention.

What AI features are coming next?Coming soon

More AI agents are in progress and will be live soon. They'll help with activities on site, send daily reports from each site, and track crew productivity and project progress. See Upcoming releases for everything that's on the way.

Does Swift AI approve or pay anything?

No. Swift AI helps and summarises. People make the decisions.

Users, roles and access​

What's the difference between the web platform and the mobile app?

  • Web platform: used for business administration, project setup, timesheet checks and approval, invoices, reporting and workforce management. The people who log in here are admin users.
  • Mobile app: used on site for checking in and out, seeing work information and applying for leave. The people who use it are app users.

Admins and Site Managers can also use the mobile app when they're set up as app users.

How do app users get started?

  1. Added by the businessAn admin creates them in App Users, or they register from the site QR code.
  2. Install the appThey install Swift Checkin from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).
  3. RegisterThey enter their mobile number and SMS code, then set a 4-digit passcode.
  4. ApprovedSelf-registered users wait on the Waiting Approval tab until an admin accepts them.

For the steps in the web platform, see How to create app users and onboard them.

Who uses Swift Checkin?

Swift Checkin has three main app roles. What each person can do also depends on their permissions and your business's subscription.

  • Worker: checks in and out, sees their work information and applies for leave.
  • Site Manager: checks themselves in, monitors site attendance, oversees their crew, and can check a worker in or out on their behalf.
  • Admin: handles administration such as users, projects, timesheets, payroll, invoices and reporting, mainly in the web platform.

A person can have more than one role or responsibility where the system allows it.

Example

At Coastline Electrical, Dan is a Site Manager. He checks himself in each morning and checks out an apprentice whose phone went flat.

What are employment types?

Employment type describes how someone works with your business, not what they can do in the app.

  • Employee: employed directly by your business and paid through payroll under their employment arrangements.
  • Internal Subcontractor: an independent tradesperson with their own ABN who works directly with your business, and can submit invoices in the app.
  • External Subcontractor: a worker supplied by an external subcontracting company. That company's invoices can be uploaded for review on the Bills page.

How do roles, permissions and subscription affect access?

  • App role: sets someone's main responsibilities: Worker, Site Manager or Admin.
  • Permissions: decide which actions and information they can access. For example, your Timesheet Settings control whether Workers and Site Managers can create, edit, delete or view timesheets for everyone on site or only their own.
  • Business subscription: decides which features your business can use. For example, check-in records and suspicious check-ins need an active subscription.

What someone sees depends on all three together. If a menu item or button is missing, ask an admin in your business.

Can one person have more than one role?

Yes. In a small business, one person often does several jobs. For example, a director who logs in to the web platform as an admin user can also be set up as an app user to check in on site.

Words you'll see​

These terms appear throughout the guides. Open the list when you need it.

Next steps​

  • New to Swift Checkin? Go to Onboarding to get your company and crew set up.
  • Setting up your account? Go to Account setup to add office users and set things up in order.
  • Looking for a specific task? Browse the Admin users or App users guides.