Last updated: May 14, 2026, 8:32 AM
This article covers common causes and fixes when an employee can’t clock in or access the Toast POS, or the wrong name appears.
If an employee can't clock in on the Toast POS, can't access the POS with their passcode, or another employee's name appears when they enter their code, this article walks through the most common causes and how to fix each one.
Applies to: Toast Web, Toast POS, Toast Payroll (where noted) | Permissions needed: 4.9 Employee Info in Toast Web (to view or edit POS access codes), access to Toast Payroll (only if your restaurant uses it)
What you'll accomplish: Identify why an employee can't clock in on the POS and apply the matching fix so they can clock in successfully.
Most clock-in issues come from one of a handful of causes. Start with the most common fix and work down:
For details on each scenario, continue to the Quick Fix table below.
Match the symptom to the most likely cause and jump to the fix.
| Symptom | Most common cause | Quick fix | Self-service? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employee enters their POS access code and gets "Invalid Passcode" or nothing happens | Code is incorrect, was changed, or device is out of sync | Yes | |
| Employee enters their unique POS access code and a different employee's name appears | Two employees share the same POS access code, a duplicate employee profile exists, or the terminal needs a resync | Yes | |
| POS shows "Your account has been disabled, please contact your manager" | The user logged in to the Toast app on the device is inactive | Yes | |
| POS shows "Invalid Passcode" | The passcode entered is incorrect, or the employee's Toast Web and Toast Payroll profiles aren't mapped | Yes | |
| Employee's name doesn't appear at all in Toast Web, or their profile shows an Expired badge | Profile is archived or access has expired | Yes | |
| New Toast Payroll employee can't clock in; no Toast Web profile exists | Toast Web profile wasn't auto-created, or mapping failed | Yes (Toast Payroll users) | |
| Issue happens only on one terminal; employee can clock in on others | Terminal-specific session or sync issue | Yes | |
| Employee can clock in at some locations but not at one specific location | Job role, permissions, or POS access code is misconfigured for that location | Yes | |
| None of the above resolved the issue | Underlying account or backend issue | See Persistent Clock-in Problems, then Before You Contact Customer Care | Mixed |
If an employee enters their POS access code and the POS doesn't accept it, the code may be incorrect, the employee may be using an old code, or the POS device may be out of sync with Toast Web.
A POS access code (also called a passcode or PIN) is a unique three-to-eight digit number assigned to each employee in Toast Web.
| Before resyncing, make sure all queues are clear (no pending credit card payments or red checks) to avoid data loss. See Resync All Data on Your Devices for full instructions. |
Expected outcome: The employee can clock in with the verified or updated POS access code.
For details on locating, changing, or enabling POS access codes, see Find or Edit an Employee's POS Access Code.
Note: If the employee only has a salaried job assigned, they will not see the clock-in screen and will be taken directly to an order screen when they enter their POS access code.
If an employee enters their POS access code and a different employee's name appears, three causes are possible. Check them in this order—most common first.
Even if their employee numbers are different, the POS access codes themselves must be unique within a location.
Expected outcome: Each employee clocks in under their own name.
Even if both POS access codes are unique, the employee may have two profiles—one mapped to the wrong identity.
For full duplicate-profile resolution steps, including handling archived duplicates and Toast Payroll mapping, see Duplicate Employee Profiles in Toast Web.
Expected outcome: Each employee has a single active Toast Web profile and clocks in under their own name.
If POS access codes are unique and no duplicate profile exists, the terminal itself may be holding stale data.
| Resync All Data is best performed when the restaurant is closed and there are no open checks or pending payments. See Resync All Data on Your Devices for full guidance. |
Expected outcome: The terminal recognizes each employee's POS access code and shows the correct name at clock-in.
If the POS device shows the error "Your account has been disabled, please contact your manager," the user logged in to the Toast app on the device is inactive. The fix requires an active user's email address and password—typically a manager or owner.
Expected outcome: The POS device accepts logins again and employees can clock in.
For full troubleshooting of the account disabled error, see Get Help with Toast Flex Error: Your account has been disabled, please contact your manager.
If an employee receives the "Invalid Passcode" error, the passcode they entered is incorrect, or—for Toast Payroll users—their Toast Web and Toast Payroll profiles may not be mapped.
Expected outcome: The error clears and the employee can clock in.
For full background on this error, see Get Help With Account Error: Invalid Passcode.
If you can't find the employee's name in Toast Web, or their profile shows an Expired badge, their access may have been archived or expired.
If the profile is archived:
If the profile shows an Expired badge:
Expected outcome: The employee's profile is active and they receive an email to reactivate access if needed. Once they complete the reactivation, they can clock in again.
For more on managing back-end access for existing employees, see Grant or Remove Toast Web Access for Existing Employees.
If an employee has a Toast Payroll profile but no Toast Web profile, they cannot clock in on POS devices. This typically happens when the employee was added in Toast Web first and Toast Payroll second, or when the auto-creation of a Toast Web profile failed.
Expected outcome: The employee has a single active Toast Web profile with a valid POS access code and can clock in.
For more on resolving duplicate profile issues that affect shifts and time entries, see Duplicate Employee Profiles in Toast Web.
If the issue happens only on one terminal but the employee can clock in on other devices, the terminal itself likely needs a refresh.
Expected outcome: The terminal accepts employee clock-ins after the restart and resync.
If an employee cannot clock in at a specific location but can at others, their job role, permissions, or POS access code may be configured differently for that location.
Expected outcome: The employee can clock in at the affected location after permissions and sync are confirmed.
For employees assigned to multiple locations, see Get Help With MLM Employee Access & Permissions.
If none of the above sections resolve the issue, you can replace the employee's profile as a last-resort step before contacting Customer Care.
Expected outcome: The employee can clock in with the new profile and POS access code.
If the issue persists, see Before You Contact Customer Care below.
If you cannot resolve the issue using the steps above, gather the following before reaching out so Customer Care can assist faster:
No, employees cannot clock in or view POS access codes on the Toast Now app at this time. Employees must clock in using a Toast POS device at the restaurant.
You can prevent employees from clocking in early by navigating to Schedule Enforcement and adjusting the Minutes Before Clock-In. For example, if you set Minutes Before Clock-In as "15," your employees will not be allowed to clock in earlier than 15 minutes before their scheduled shift start time.
If an employee forgets to clock out, a manager can manually edit their time clock entry to add the correct clock-out time. See Edit Employee Time Clock Entries.