Best Shift Tracker App for Security Guards UK (2026)
12-hour nights. Back-to-back doubles. An overtime rate your employer seems to calculate differently every month. If you work in security in the UK, your payslip is basically a guessing game — unless you track it yourself.
- There is no single statutory overtime rate for UK security guards — it depends entirely on your contract, and errors are common
- Most generic shift apps assume one flat rate per shift. Security guards often work contracted hours and overtime within the same 12-hour shift, which breaks most trackers
- A free app called Overtime Live handles split rates, runs a live earnings counter on your lock screen, and keeps a full shift history with no subscription
- Keeping your own shift records is the only reliable way to spot and dispute payslip errors — especially for night uplifts and bank holiday pay
Why most shift apps don't work for security
Most shift tracker apps were designed for someone who works 9–5 at one rate. You clock in, you clock out, the app multiplies hours by rate. Done.
Security work is messier than that. On a single 12-hour night shift, you might work the first 8 hours at your contracted rate, then tip into overtime at 1.5x for the remaining 4. If it falls on a bank holiday, the rate changes again. Add in a site allowance that your employer calculated as hourly rather than as a flat payment, and a standard tracker is already broken.
Then there is the documentation problem. If you are doing regular nights and your employer gets your overtime wrong — which happens far more often than it should — you need your own records to dispute it. Most people do not have them.
Overtime Live — the free option that actually handles this
This is a free app I built because I needed it myself. The core idea is simple: you set your rate before your shift starts, hit start, and your earnings tick up in real time on your lock screen. You don't need to unlock your phone or open anything — the number is just there.
For security specifically, the thing that makes it work is split rates. If you're on a 12-hour shift that goes 8 hours at base and 4 hours at overtime, you can set both rates before you start. The app handles the split automatically. Same thing for bank holidays — just change the rate. All your shifts are logged with start time, end time, rate, and total pay, so you've got a full record every month.
On iOS it uses Live Activities and Dynamic Island, so your earnings are visible on the lock screen without unlocking. On Android there's a persistent notification. Either way, you always know what you've earned and how much time is left — without touching your phone.
- Free download — no subscription, one optional £0.99 to remove ads
- Supports multiple pay rates within a single shift
- All data stays on your device. Nothing is sent anywhere
- Full shift history with total hours and total pay
- Goals tracker shows yearly totals — useful for tax returns if you're on PAYE and getting overtime taxed
Track Every Shift. Catch Every Error.
Real-time earnings on your lock screen. Set your base rate and overtime rate separately. Full shift history, no subscription, no account.
How to set it up for a security contract
Takes about 2 minutes. Before your first shift:
- Base rate — enter your contracted hourly rate (e.g. £12.50/hr)
- Overtime rate — enter your contract's overtime rate (e.g. £18.75/hr for 1.5x)
- When you start a shift, tap Start. When you know you're entering overtime (e.g. after 8 hours), switch the rate. The app tracks each segment separately and adds them together
- At month end, the shift history screen shows your total hours and total earned — compare that against your payslip
If your contract pays 2x on bank holidays, just set your rate to your bank holiday rate for those shifts. Keep a note in the shift log so you can identify them when comparing to your payslip.
UK security guard overtime rates explained
Unlike NHS staff or police, security guards in the UK do not have a nationally negotiated overtime rate. It is down to your employer and what your contract says.
In practice, most private security contractors pay something like this:
| Shift type | Typical rate | Legal minimum? |
|---|---|---|
| Contracted hours (day) | Base rate | National Living Wage (£12.21/hr from Apr 2025) |
| Contracted hours (night) | Base + 10–20% uplift | No legal requirement for night uplift |
| Overtime hours | 1.5x base (time and a half) | No legal minimum above NLW |
| Bank holidays | 1.5x–2x (contract-dependent) | No legal right to enhanced pay |
| Double shifts | All hours must hit NLW minimum | Illegal to pay below NLW on any shift |
The key point: if your contract promises you 1.5x for overtime and 2x on bank holidays, your employer is legally bound by that. But the only way to verify it is happening correctly is to track your own hours.
Catching payslip errors
Payroll errors in the private security sector are common. The most frequent ones:
- Overtime hours calculated from the wrong threshold. If your contract says overtime kicks in after 40 hours but your employer uses 48, you lose up to 8 hours of overtime uplift per week.
- Bank holiday uplift applied to the wrong shifts. Check your contract defines which shifts qualify — some count the calendar day, some count the shift that falls across midnight.
- Site allowances counted as part of the hourly rate. Some employers roll allowances into the hourly rate to avoid paying overtime on them separately. Check whether your overtime is calculated on your full rate or just the base.
- Night shift enhancement disappearing mid-payslip. Common in larger outsourced contracts. Compare your hours to your contract terms monthly.
If you're disputing a payslip error and your employer says the figures are correct, your own app records are your first line of evidence. You don't need anything else — start time, end time, rate, shift type. That is enough to raise a formal payroll query.