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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2026-04-03
Steps: Set Up Geofences for Mobile Time Entry

Steps: Set Up Geofences for Mobile Time Entry

You might need to take additional steps to enable this feature based on your organization's subscription service agreement. Your organization is either on the Main Service Agreement (MSA) or the Universal Main Service Agreement (UMSA). To determine your organization's subscription service agreement:
  1. Select your profile avatar on Workday Community.
  2. Select
    Profile
    .
  3. On your profile page, select your organization's name, which is beneath your name and next to your job title.
  4. View your
    Subscription Service Agreement
     value.
If the value is:
  • UMSA
    , the feature is automatically available. You can skip the
    Enable Innovation Services Feature and AI Data Contributions for MSA Customers
     step. For more information on Machine Learning data contributions, see Concept: Workday AI for Universal Main Subscription Agreement Customers.
  • MSA
    , you must enable this feature through Innovation Services using the
    Enable Innovation Services Feature and AI Data Contributions for MSA Customers
    step.
Note: UMSA customers don't have Innovation Services tasks and reports in their tenants as these are for MSA customers only. UMSA customers can ignore all information regarding Innovation Services.
  • Create time entry templates.
  • Security:
    Set Up: Time Tracking
     domain in the Time Tracking functional area.
You can create geofences to restrict workers from checking in or out of work while using the Workday mobile app or the Workday browser application outside of a defined location. When you use Workday Scheduling, you can ensure workers only check in and out on mobile from the location where they're scheduled to work. You can configure 1 or more geofences for each time entry template. Workers are assigned geofence locations based on time entry template eligibility.
Example: You want to configure geofences that apply to the IT Organization. On the IT Organization time entry template, you add geofences for the San Francisco and San Jose locations. Members of the IT Organization can only check in to work from their mobile devices when they are within the San Francisco or San Jose geofences.
You can't enable this feature when you enable worker edits to the
Check In
 or
Check Out
 tasks.
  1. Enable Standard Mobile Check-In.
    1. Access the
      Edit Tenant Setup - HCM
       task.
    2. In the
      Time Tracking
       section, select the
      Enable Standard Mobile Check-In
       check box.
  2. Enable mobile check-in and check-out in your tenant.
    1. Access the
      Edit Tenant Setup - System
       task.
    2. In the
      Mobile
       section, clear the
      Disable Check In/Out on Mobile
       check box.
  3. Enable location services in your tenant.
    1. Access the
      Edit Tenant Setup - System
       task.
    2. In the
      Location Services
       section, clear the
      Disable Location Service
       check box.
      When you enable geofences, Workday prompts workers to enable location services on their mobile device.
  4. Configure geofences.
    1. Access 1 of these tasks:
      • Create Time Entry Template
      • Edit Time Entry Template
    2. (Optional) To configure geofences by scheduled shift location, select the
      Enable Workday Scheduling
       check box.
    3. On the
      Noneffective-Dated
       tab, expand the
      Location Settings
       section.
    4. Add a row to create a geofence for each location.
      Workers you assigned to this time entry template will be able to check in and out from all the locations you add.
      You can select from existing
      Location
       values that include latitude and longitude. When you select an existing location, the
      Latitude
       and
      Longitude
       fields aren't editable from the time entry template.
      You can use the
      View Location
       report to modify the latitude and longitude for an existing location.
      You can also create a geofence for a new geographic location by entering custom
      Latitude
       and
      Longitude
       values.
    5. Define the length of the
      Radius
       for each geofence.
      Workday recommends making each radius greater than 100 meters to improve the functionality of the geofence. The accuracy of geofences is dependent on device hardware and the core location API functionality in the operating system.
    6. (Optional) To configure geofences by scheduled shift location, select the
      Enable Geofences by Scheduled Shift Location
       check box.
      To select this check box, the
      Location
       worktag type must be included in the
      Scheduling
       section on the
      Maintain Worktag Usage
       report.
      You can also set thresholds of up to 120 minutes for check-in and check-out.
  5. (Optional) Display a geofence map for workers on the
    Check In/Out
     task.
    On the
    Innovation Services and Data Selection Opt-In
     report, on the
    Available Services
     tab in the
    Cross Application Services
     category, select the
    Third-Party Map Service
     check box.
    You might need to take additional steps to enable this feature depending on your organization's subscription service agreement. For more information, see this Community article.
When a worker attempts to check in or out outside the radius for the geofence, they receive an error message. The error message instructs them to move closer to their work location before attempting to check in or out. If you enable the
Third-Party Map
 service, the worker can view a real-time map that displays their location relative to their work location.
You can use the
Time Clock History
 report to view successful check-in and check-out events for a worker. Workday doesn't store location information in the report.