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Time and attendance by face: clock-in and clock-out marks that cannot be faked

Biometric time and attendance records that the employee themselves came to a shift and left it, not a colleague with their card. The employee looks into the camera of a tablet at the entrance or of their own smartphone, NeuroVision checks that a live person is in front of it, not a photo or video, and matches the face against the reference. The result goes to your system, and employees who have refused biometrics keep another method.

Clocking in and out by face

from 13 ₽ for a live-presence check from a smartphone
4 schemes of face clock-in and what the law says about them
1 month of a free test on your shifts
Tablet or smartphone Result in the API and the webhook The decision stays in your system

The price is the “Liveness check” package of the price matrix calculator at 100 000 checks a year; at 10 000 it is 15 ₽

Biometric time and attendance: the employee makes the mark themselves

A look into the camera at the entrance instead of a log at the checkpoint

A card, key fob, PIN code and a signature in a log confirm that someone made a mark. A face confirms who exactly. That is why face-based time and attendance closes the main hole in the timesheet — a mark made for a colleague — and does not replace the time tracking you already keep.

  • 01

    A mark that cannot be passed on

    A card is handed to a colleague on the next shift, a PIN code is dictated over the phone, a neighbour's signature is put in the log. With a face mark the employee comes to the tablet in person: the platform matches their face against the reference they gave at onboarding with written consent, and records the time.

  • 02

    A photo on a phone will not pass

    Showing the camera a colleague's photo or a video of their face is the first attempt to get around the mark. Liveness checks that a live person is in front of the camera before the face is compared, so a screenshot, a printout or a mask will not produce a mark.

  • Liveness before the face is compared
  • 2 devices tablet at the entrance or smartphone
  • 4 schemes marks with an assessment under 572‑FZ

Where hours are lost in the timesheet: six situations

The employer is obliged to keep records of the time actually worked by each employee (Part 4 of Art. 91 of the Labour Code of the Russian Federation). On paper the timesheet almost always adds up — discrepancies hide in marks that nobody re-checks.

  • A mark for a colleague

    One employee arrives at the start of the shift and marks two people, the second turns up an hour later. Face-based attendance control rules out such a mark: it can only be made with your own face.

  • Lateness that “never happened”

    The log at the post is filled in retrospectively, the time is rounded to the start of the shift. A face mark records the minute of arrival automatically, without the involvement of security or the shift supervisor.

  • Leaving early

    Clocking in in the morning and leaving before the end of the shift is easiest where nobody checks departures. A departure mark is the same as an arrival mark, and the timesheet shows the hours actually worked.

  • Unrecorded overtime

    The employer is obliged to keep accurate records of each employee's overtime (Art. 99 of the Labour Code of the Russian Federation). The departure time from the mark is the basis for the calculation, not a verbal agreement with the foreman.

  • Shifts at remote sites

    A construction site, a pick-up point, a rotational shift camp: there is no post or terminal on site. The employee clocks in from a smartphone, and the mark goes to the same system as the office's.

  • A dispute over the timesheet

    The employee is sure they worked more, accounting that they worked less. A mark with the time and the result of the check is a clear argument for both sides instead of the shift supervisor's memory.

Four schemes of face clock-in and what the law says about them

The face image by which an employee is recognised is biometric personal data. It can be processed only with the employee's written consent, and automatic face matching by organisations is restricted by 572‑FZ. That is why you choose the scheme first, and only then the equipment. NeuroVision works in each of them.

  • A mark with a check, the decision with the manager

    The employee clocks in at the tablet, the platform checks live presence and shows the matching result, and disputed marks and the timesheet are confirmed by an authorised employee — a timekeeper or shift supervisor. 572‑FZ does not apply to matching that is carried out not automatically but with the involvement of an authorised official (clause 2 of Part 2 of Art. 1 of 572‑FZ).

    Suitable for:

    Retail, warehouses, production with a timekeeper or shift supervisor

  • Via the EBS and an accredited organisation

    An employee who has given their biometrics to the Unified Biometric System (EBS) clocks in, and their face is matched by the system of an accredited organisation against EBS vectors — a route directly named in the law (Part 4 of Art. 16 of 572‑FZ). How NeuroVision's live-presence check is built into such a process is determined at onboarding. Authentication routes under 572‑FZ

    Suitable for:

    Banks, state companies, large employers with EBS access

  • Automatic matching against the employee's reference

    Employee references are stored by the employer, and the mark is made without a person's involvement. This is the most convenient option, but it is exactly the scheme that 572‑FZ restricts most strongly: the decision on it is made by your lawyer before launch. We do not offer time tracking via CCTV cameras without the employee's knowledge.

    Suitable for:

    Only on a lawyer's opinion

  • Without biometrics — for those who have refused

    A card, PIN code or QR code in your app — for employees who have not given consent to biometrics. This route is needed in any scheme: an employee is not obliged to provide biometrics.

    Suitable for:

    Everyone, in parallel with schemes 1–3

How an employee clocks in and out by face

An example — a warehouse with two shifts: a tablet stands at the entrance to the picking area, and the result of each mark goes to your system. For field staff the steps are the same, only with a smartphone instead of a tablet.

Step 1

The employee gives consent and provides a reference

At onboarding the employee signs a separate written consent to the processing of biometrics and takes one picture for the reference with a Liveness check. Those who do not agree get a card or PIN code.

The employee gives consent and provides a reference
Step 2

Comes up to the tablet and looks into the camera

The screen shows a camera oval. The employee brings their face closer, Liveness checks that a live person is in front of the camera, not a photo on a phone or a video. Whether to allow a medical mask, glasses and headwear is up to you.

The employee clocks in at the tablet
Step 3

The platform recognises the employee and makes the mark

The face is matched against the employee references from your list. The mark includes the time, the point and the result of the check. If the face does not match the reference, the mark goes to the shift supervisor for confirmation.

The platform recognises the employee and makes the mark
Step 4

The mark goes into the timesheet

Your system receives the result of the mark via the API: who, when and with what result of the check. Lateness, early departures and overtime are calculated by your system under the rules you have set, and you keep the face-biometrics timesheet.

Marks in the timesheet

Field staff and rotational shifts: a mark from a smartphone on site

  • A mark from the app or by link

    The check is built into your mobile app via the Web SDK or opens by link in the phone's browser. The employee taps “Start shift”, looks into the camera — and the result of the mark goes to your system.

  • The place of the mark is in your system

    Where the mark was made is recorded by your app: a geotag or a site from the work order. Geolocation is also personal data, so its purpose is stated in the consent and in the local act.

  • A crew on one tablet

    If not everyone has a smartphone, the foreman holds one tablet: everyone clocks in with their own face, and everyone gets into the timesheet, not “the crew in full strength”.

  • Rotational shifts and summarised time recording

    With the rotational method, working time is recorded in summary — over a month, a quarter or another period of up to a year (Part 1 of Art. 300 of the Labour Code of the Russian Federation). Daily face marks give the hours for the whole accounting period without manual summaries.

Installers, service engineers, merchandisers, crews on construction sites and rotational shifts work where there is neither a post nor a terminal. Their mark is made by a smartphone — and this is the most vulnerable point of time tracking.
A mark from a smartphone is most often attempted to be fooled with a colleague's photo on a second phone. Liveness rejects printouts, photos and videos on a screen, and masks — more on how it works in the article “Liveness detection: what it is and how it works”.

What is checked at every mark

A mark takes a few seconds, but before it the platform checks that a live person is in front of the camera, that this is an employee from the list and that the frame can be trusted.

  • A printout or a colleague's photo on a phone screen in front of the camera Try againTo the manager
  • A video recording, a mask or a face swap in the frame To the manager
  • The employee is not in the oval, turned away or left the frame Try again

  • The face matches the reference of an employee from the list Mark accepted
  • The face does not match the reference or is not in the employee list To the manager
  • The reference is out of date — the employee has changed appearance, a new picture with consent is needed Setting

  • A medical mask, glasses or headwear — the platform detects them, whether to allow them is up to you Setting
  • Two faces in the frame: someone is standing behind Try again
  • Poor light in the warehouse or the face covered by a hand Try again

  • The result of the check is passed to your system via the API, and the time, device and point of the mark are recorded by your system Mark accepted
  • A repeated mark within a short time does not create a second record — you set the rule Setting
  • More on how to tell a live face from a fake — in the article on Liveness
  • “Mark accepted” — the record goes to your system
  • “To the manager” — the mark awaits confirmation by an authorised employee
  • “Setting” — set in the scenario or in your system
  • “Try again” — the employee is shown a hint on what to correct

Biometric time and attendance and the law: the Labour Code of the Russian Federation, 152‑FZ and 572‑FZ

Time tracking is the employer's obligation, while biometrics for it is a choice that requires the employee's consent. Below is a summary of the norms as of October 2026. It is a guide for a conversation with a lawyer, not a legal opinion.

  • The employer is obliged to keep records of the time actually worked by each employee (Part 4 of Art. 91 of the Labour Code of the Russian Federation) Labour Code of the Russian Federation
  • And to ensure accurate records of the duration of each employee's overtime (Art. 99 of the Labour Code of the Russian Federation) Labour Code of the Russian Federation
  • The law does not specify the method of recording: a log, cards, a terminal or a face mark — the choice is the employer's, fixed in a local act Labour Code of the Russian FederationEmployer

  • An employee's personal data may be processed only for the purposes listed in the law, including monitoring the quantity and quality of work (clause 1 of Part 1 of Art. 86 of the Labour Code of the Russian Federation) Labour Code of the Russian Federation
  • Employees are acquainted with the documents on the procedure for processing employees' personal data against signature (clause 8 of Part 1 of Art. 86 of the Labour Code of the Russian Federation) Labour Code of the Russian FederationEmployer
  • Decisions affecting an employee's interests may not be based solely on data obtained by automated means (clause 6 of Part 1 of Art. 86 of the Labour Code of the Russian Federation) — a disputed mark is checked by a person Labour Code of the Russian FederationEmployer

  • Organisations are prohibited from processing in their own systems biometrics used for identification, except for collection for placement in the EBS (clause 1 of Part 1 of Art. 15 of 572‑FZ) 572‑FZ
  • Biometrics for authentication may be processed only for matching against EBS vectors on the terms of Art. 16, and stored for no longer than 10 days (clauses 2–3 of Part 1 of Art. 15 of 572‑FZ) 572‑FZ
  • A company may confirm a person's action by biometrics through the system of an accredited organisation, with their consent (Part 4 of Art. 16 of 572‑FZ) 572‑FZ

  • The law does not apply to matching that is carried out not automatically but with the involvement of an authorised official (clause 2 of Part 2 of Art. 1 of 572‑FZ) 572‑FZEmployer
  • Whether your scheme falls under the exception is decided by a lawyer: an automatic mark without a person's involvement, as a rule, does not qualify for it Employer
  • How 572‑FZ applies to different clock-in schemes — on the page about face authentication routes 572‑FZ

  • The retention period of session data is set in the scenario, and personal data is destroyed on request via the API NeuroVision
  • Where data is processed and on what terms is fixed in the contract NeuroVisionEmployer
  • Personal data is not stored longer than the purpose of processing requires: after dismissal the employee's reference is deleted (Part 7 of Art. 5 of 152‑FZ) 152‑FZEmployer

Who needs face-based time and attendance

Where there are many shifts and line staff, and a mark is easy to make for someone else.

  • Warehouses and logistics

    • Two or three shifts a day
    • Temporary staff and shift schedules
    • Picking staff marks at the entrance to the zone
  • Production

    • Shift work and overtime
    • Time tracking in workshops without a security post
    • Allowing headwear and glasses at the mark is set in the settings Learn more
  • Retail and catering

    • Dozens of outlets with one or two employees
    • Lateness to opening
    • Part-timers and trainees
  • Construction and rotational work

    • A mark on site from a smartphone
    • A crew on one tablet
    • Summarised recording over a period Learn more
  • Cleaning, security and service

    • Employees at the customer's sites
    • A mark at the start and end of work
    • A report to the customer by the hour Learn more
  • Hotels and offices

    • Housekeepers, technicians, administrators in different buildings
    • Shift schedules
    • Time tracking without cards and key fobs Learn more

A mark without biometrics: if the employee has refused

  • Has not given consent

    The employee clocks in with a card, PIN code or QR code in the app. Refusing biometrics is not grounds for a penalty: a court has recognised as unlawful a disciplinary sanction for refusing to provide biometrics (ruling of the Second Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction of 01.11.2022 No. 88-24328/2022). Record this in the local act.

  • Has withdrawn consent

    The employee's reference is deleted, and marks are moved to a method without biometrics. Past marks in the timesheet remain: this is time-tracking data, not biometrics.

  • Genuinely cannot pass the check

    An injury, a new appearance, an old smartphone. After several failed attempts the mark is confirmed by the shift supervisor, and the employee updates the reference.

  • The route without a face is not a loophole

    So that a mark for a colleague does not come back through a card, control is kept for it: a spot check by the manager or a mark in the presence of the shift supervisor.

Biometrics for time tracking — only with written consent, and an employee has the right not to give it or to withdraw it (Parts 1 and 3 of Art. 11 of 152‑FZ). The route without a face is thought through before launch, not after the first refusal.
The employee signs consent to biometrics as a separate document, and the widget shows the consent screen before capture. How to protect biometrics in verification processes — in the article “How to ensure the protection of personal and biometric data”.

How much face-based time and attendance costs

The price depends on where the mark is made: from a field employee's smartphone you pay for each check, while tablets on site and work via the Face API are priced by the number of employees.

  • A mark from a smartphone

    from 13 ₽ per check

    Enable the package

    Liveness and face matching in the app or by link: protection against photos, screens and masks. For field staff and rotational shifts.

  • For shifts on site

    Tablet at the entrance

    on request

    Calculate the price

    A mark on a tablet at the start of the shift, an employee list, the result to your system via the API. Priced by the number of employees and points.

  • Face API

    on request

    Calculate the price

    1:1 and 1:N face matching via the API with your own capture interface and employee list. Terms and price — for your scenario.

A mark from a smartphone — the “Liveness check” package of the price matrix calculator: 15 ₽ per check at 10 000 checks a year, 14 ₽ — at 50 000, 13 ₽ — at 100 000. The first month is a free test, payment only for completed checks. An exact calculation — the calculator in the price matrix.

Connection: a tablet at the shift entrance, the employee's smartphone, a link or the API

The face check is built into a page on a tablet, into a mobile app or opens by link. The scenario and checks are changed in the personal account without development.

A clock-in terminal on an ordinary tablet

The Web SDK opens in the browser of a tablet at the shift entrance: a camera with hints, Liveness and face matching. A tablet with a front camera, fixed to the wall, will do. How to embed the widget

  • Result in the webhook and the API
  • Web SDK and a check link
  • Scenario in the KYC editor
  • Documentation and demo

Terms of connection

1 month test, support under the contract, payment only for checks.

Glossary: timesheet, mark, reference and Liveness

Terms you will meet in the local act, the employee's consent and the API response.

Working time record sheet (timesheet)
A document in which the employer records the time actually worked by each employee. The form is approved by the employer.
timesheet
Mark
A record of an employee's arrival or departure: who, when and where. With a face mark, it is made by the employee themselves.
clock-in / clock-out
Attendance control
Confirmation that the employee is actually present at the start and end of the shift.
attendance control
Mark substitution
A mark for another employee using their card, PIN code or signature.
buddy punching
Reference
An image or template of the employee's face against which the face is compared at the mark. It is provided with written consent.
reference
Biometric template
A numeric vector into which a face is turned. Templates are compared, not photographs.
face template
Liveness
A check that a live person is in front of the camera, not a photo, video or mask.
liveness detection
Summarised recording
Time tracking over a period longer than a week — a month, a quarter or up to a year, for example with rotational shifts.
cumulative time recording
1:N identification
A search for a face among all employees in the list: “who came up to the tablet”.
face identification
Consent to biometrics
A separate written document in which the employee permits processing of the face image for time tracking.
biometric consent

Licences and certificates

Innovation Promotion Foundation

The project «Development of a multimodal system using artificial intelligence "Neuromed" for managing the diagnostic processes of a clinic on the basis of the "Neurovision" computer vision platform» is supported by the Innovation Promotion Foundation within the federal project «Domestic Solutions»

We will pick a face time-tracking scheme

Tell us how many employees and points you have, whether there are field crews and where the marks should go — we will propose a scheme and equipment and calculate the price.

Can't put your request into words? Book a call and our team will contact you at a convenient time

Book a call

The company is included in the register of IT companies and the register of personal data operators of the Russian Ministry of Digital Development.

Address: Moscow, Presnenskaya Embankment 12 — Moscow City business centre, Federation Tower. Nearest metro stations: Delovoy Tsentr and Mezhdunarodnaya.

Frequently asked questions about biometric time and attendance

At the start and end of the shift the employee looks into the camera of a tablet at the entrance or of their smartphone. The platform checks that a live person is in front of the camera, matches the face against the employee's reference and passes the result of the mark — who, when and where — to your system.

A card and PIN code can be handed to a colleague, a face cannot. Face-based attendance control shows that the employee themselves came to the shift, and closes marks “for the other guy”, retrospective lateness and early departures.

Time tracking is the employer's obligation (Part 4 of Art. 91 of the Labour Code of the Russian Federation), but biometrics for it is processed only with the employee's written consent (Part 1 of Art. 11 of 152‑FZ). Automatic face matching by organisations is restricted by 572‑FZ, so the scheme is chosen with a lawyer before launch: matching with the involvement of a manager, the EBS, or automatic matching on a lawyer's opinion.

No. An employee is not obliged to provide biometrics (Part 3 of Art. 11 of 152‑FZ), so those who refuse need another method — a card, PIN code or QR code. Refusing biometrics must not lead to penalties.

No. Liveness rejects printouts, photos and videos on a screen, and masks. Such a mark does not get into the timesheet and goes to the manager.

From a smartphone: through your mobile app, where the check widget opens, or by a link in the browser. The place of the mark is recorded by your app. If not everyone has a phone, the crew clocks in in turn on the foreman's tablet.

The platform detects a medical mask, glasses and headwear, and whether to allow them at the mark is something you set in the settings. Poor light or a face covered by a hand is corrected by the employee following the hint on the screen.

To your system via the API: your timesheet or HR system receives the result of the check. Lateness, overtime and summarised recording are calculated by your system under the rules you have set.

No. Access control decides whether to let a person onto the site, while time and attendance records when the employee started and finished work. They can be combined if marks from turnstiles are brought into the same timesheet — on passing through by face, on the page face-recognition access control.

A mark from a smartphone — from 13 ₽ per check under the price matrix calculator. Tablets on site and the Face API are priced by the number of employees and points. The first month is a free test.