{"id":4466,"date":"2026-01-20T23:09:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T05:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zoomshift.com\/blog\/?p=4466"},"modified":"2026-04-02T02:09:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T07:09:58","slug":"time-theft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoomshift.com\/blog\/time-theft\/","title":{"rendered":"Time Theft: 6 Things Employers May Consider Stealing Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you think of employee theft, you might picture cash taken from the register or products going missing from shelves.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s another form of theft that has gained attention in recent years \u2014 time theft. Defining it isn\u2019t always straightforward, especially since it\u2019s not classified as a crime under most state or federal laws.<\/p>\n

In this guide, we\u2019ll break down what time theft means and explore six situations that employers commonly consider as time theft in 2026.<\/p>\n

<\/span>What Is Time Theft?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Employers generally consider time theft any time that an employee tries to get paid for work that they didn\u2019t complete. For some, this may mean falsifying their timesheets<\/a>, but for others, this could mean browsing the internet during a slow period at work.<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s important to note that even though the term uses the word \u201ctheft,\u201d it is not currently considered a criminal offense. In fact, time theft is a fairly new concept, and there is no universally agreed-upon definition of what time theft is. Scholars are still trying to work out<\/a> what exactly might constitute an infraction.<\/p>\n

So, time theft isn\u2019t really stealing time, it\u2019s stealing money. However, the money is based on time that they didn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

<\/span>How Costly Is Time Theft for a Business?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Currently, there are no reliable studies on how much time theft costs businesses. The most commonly quoted statistic, which says that the average employee steals 4.5 hours of time per week, is from the 1980s and is rife with methodological errors<\/a>. In fact, the figure itself was based entirely on employer estimates of how much time they believed employees wasted.<\/p>\n

However, according to the recent study by SMG<\/a>, employees steal approximately 5.5 times as much as shoplifters, equating to \u201cmore than $50 billion from U.S. businesses annually\u201d along with 30 percent of businesses citing employee theft as the reason for going bankrupt. Theft, however, extends beyond just traditional stolen physical goods, with some employees taking advantage of employers by stealing time<\/em> when they should be on the clock.<\/p>\n

This is evident that time theft exists and it is costing the businesses. Let’s find out what are the different types of time theft before we get into its solutions.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Types of Time Theft<\/span><\/h2>\n

Currently, it is not clear what exactly constitutes time theft as there are no laws or regulations that use that term. The only usage of the term \u201ctime theft\u201d is not commonly used on any United States federal or state government web page except in a few instances referring to time theft in municipally funded programs.<\/p>\n

However, here are some situations that some may view as constituting time theft.<\/p>\n

1. Buddy Punching<\/h3>\n

Buddy punching<\/a> is when an employee asks another employee to punch in for them even though they are not yet at work. This could lead to very short amounts of time (on the order of a couple of minutes) being inaccurately logged or it could lead to entire days being mis-logged.<\/p>\n

For example, an employee may ask their friend to punch in for them because they are running five minutes late, while another employee could ask their friend to punch in for a day that they don\u2019t plan to come into work.<\/p>\n

2. Extended Breaks<\/h3>\n

This term refers to employees that don\u2019t return from breaks on time. For example, if an employee is allowed a 30-minute lunch break but takes an hour, this would be considered an extended break.<\/p>\n

Some employers may consider even a five-minute, unapproved extension to be time theft. However, employers should tread cautiously, as studies indicate<\/a> that it is actually these types of accusations, which would commonly be argued as unreasonable, that lead to time theft in the first place.<\/p>\n

3. Timecard Fraud and Employees Rounding Up<\/h3>\n

Timecard fraud refers to employees that misreport the time that they spent at work. Often, this takes the form of rounding up.<\/p>\n

For example, an employee might come into work for 45 minutes but round up to an hour. Or, they may do something more egregious, like come in for 30 minutes and report that they were there for three hours.<\/p>\n

4. Misreporting Time Spent on a Job Site or on the Road<\/h3>\n

Just like the last type, employees can potentially steal time by reporting that they were at a job site or on the road when they weren\u2019t. For example, if someone says that they were working one day, but they were actually at home watching TV, this would be considered stealing time.<\/p>\n

5. Excessive Personal Time<\/h3>\n

Excessive personal time is an activity that many employers consider time theft, but it is unclear what exactly constitutes \u201cexcessive\u201d as there are no regulations that set out any guidelines. Some employers may consider taking a single personal call excessive, while others will think that it\u2019s completely fine.<\/p>\n

Again, employers should be careful when accusing employees of time theft in these situations, as studies have shown that this type of supervisor behavior is one of the factors that lead to time theft in the first place.<\/p>\n

6. Distractions from the Internet<\/h3>\n

Just like excessive personal time, there is no clear consensus as to whether being distracted by the internet constitutes time theft. This will need to be judged on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n

For example, doing some online shopping when no one is in the store is likely not time theft, but ignoring customers or other tasks for hours to spend time on Reddit likely is. Employers need to be careful to set reasonable boundaries so that they don\u2019t lose employees or incur further instances of more serious time theft.<\/p>\n

<\/span>How To Prevent Time Theft<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you want to prevent time theft, here are a few ways you can do so.<\/p>\n

1. Invest in Time Clock Software<\/h3>\n

Having an accurate time clock is part of the groundwork you need to lay before thinking about time theft. After all, if you can\u2019t accurately measure when your employees are working, how will you know if they are reporting their hours inaccurately?<\/p>\n

ZoomShift is an employee scheduling tool that focuses on providing an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop schedule to employers. However, it also offers a time tracker that you can use to keep tabs on when your employees are working.<\/p>\n

ZoomShift\u2019s time tracking solution<\/a> helps employers ensure that their employees are always punching in at the right times by blocking punch-ins from employees who aren\u2019t scheduled for shifts. ZoomShift also uses GPS-tracking to make sure that employees are actually on-site when they punch in. Also, if you run a retail store, your attendance system can be integrated with the Kiosk Time Clock in ZoomShift. It will also keep track of early and late punches for you.<\/p>\n