Time Tracking Software That Works Alongside Malaysian Payroll (Kakitangan, SQL, Info-Tech)

The real question most Malaysian SMEs face is not “which time tracking app is best.” It is “which time tracker plays nicely with the payroll system we already run.” If you have already invested in Kakitangan, SQL Payroll, Info-Tech, PayrollPanda, BrioHR, or Swingvy, the time tracker has to feed clean hours, overtime classifications, and shift data into that payroll product without manual re-keying every cut-off. Three integration patterns, vendor-by-vendor mapping, and the gotchas that show up after go-live, below.

Three integration patterns

Time trackers and payroll products talk to each other in one of three ways.

Native integration (same vendor or partnered). The lowest-friction case. One company owns both products, or two companies have built a maintained API connection. Examples: PayrollPanda + Jibble (same parent, real-time sync), Kakitangan’s Hadir module + Kakitangan payroll (one product, no sync needed), BrioHR attendance + BrioHR payroll (one product).

CSV export and import. The most common case in Malaysia. The time tracker generates a CSV at the end of each pay period with worker ID, total regular hours, overtime hours by classification (ordinary day, rest day, public holiday), and the period’s date range. The payroll product imports the CSV, runs EPF, SOCSO, EIS, and PCB calculations, and produces the statutory filings. Most foreign time trackers (ShiftFlow, Connecteam, Hubstaff, Toggl, Clockify) take this path with Malaysian payroll.

API-level sync. Rare for SMEs but used by some larger setups. The time tracker pushes hours to the payroll product via API on a schedule. Setup typically requires either a developer or a middleware tool (Zapier, Make.com). Worth the effort only at 50+ headcount, where the manual CSV step is the bottleneck.

How each Malaysian payroll product accepts time data

Kakitangan

Kakitangan’s attendance module Hadir is built into the same product as payroll. So for businesses fully on Kakitangan there is no integration step at all. Attendance flows into payroll inside the same database. For businesses that prefer a different time tracker (Jibble, ShiftFlow, Connecteam), Kakitangan typically accepts CSV imports of timesheet data. The CSV usually maps a worker identifier (commonly IC number), date, hours regular, hours OT (split by EA 1955 classification), and shift type. Confirm the current expected column format with Kakitangan support before the first import. Vendor formats change.

Gotcha. Kakitangan’s import historically uses IC numbers as the worker identifier, not the employee IDs assigned by the time tracker. Map the two before your first import or every single row will fail. Confirm against current Kakitangan documentation.

SQL Payroll

SQL Payroll is desktop-based (with a cloud option) and still runs in plenty of Malaysian accounting firms that have been on it for a decade. SQL accepts CSV imports of attendance through its Payroll module’s import functions. Format requirements are documented in the SQL Payroll manual, and most third-party time trackers (Jibble, ShiftFlow) export a Malaysia-compatible CSV that imports with column mapping.

Gotcha. SQL Payroll’s OT classification fields differ slightly from EA 1955’s exact phrasing. The import typically requires splitting OT into the SQL-side equivalents of ordinary-day OT (often labelled “OT 1.5”) and rest-day OT excess (often labelled “OT 2.0”). Exact field names vary by SQL Payroll version. Confirm against your installation and run a parallel pay period before relying on the import.

Info-Tech

Info-Tech is a legacy Malaysian HR platform that still runs in many established SMEs. It accepts attendance data via CSV import and, for some larger customers, via API. The modernization roadmap is gradual (HavaHR’s 2026 MY shortlist flagged “legacy system with modernization challenges”). But for shops already on it, the CSV path is stable.

Gotcha. Info-Tech CSV imports historically prefer Malaysian-style DD/MM/YYYY date formatting and may require a worker ID prefix to match the internal employee codebook. Both vary by installation. Most foreign time trackers default to ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD). Confirm the date format and ID convention with your Info-Tech administrator, then configure the time tracker’s export settings or write a one-line script to convert.

PayrollPanda

PayrollPanda is listed on MIA’s privileges directory, Malaysian-built, and free for unlimited employees on its payroll plan. The native integration with Jibble (same parent company) is the tightest in this market. Time data syncs in real time. No CSV step. For other time trackers, PayrollPanda accepts standard CSV imports. EPF, SOCSO, EIS, and PCB are auto-calculated and LHDN e-filing is built in.

Gotcha. PayrollPanda’s free plan is genuinely free for payroll, but the leave management and claims modules are basic. If your HR needs go beyond payroll, plan to pair PayrollPanda with a separate HR tool or move to Kakitangan/BrioHR for consolidation.

BrioHR

BrioHR is a modular Malaysian HR platform that includes its own attendance module. For businesses already on BrioHR, the attendance-to-payroll handoff is in-product. For businesses that prefer a different time tracker, BrioHR accepts CSV imports of timesheet data with similar requirements to Kakitangan.

Gotcha. BrioHR’s modular pricing means attendance and payroll are separately priced. Adding attendance to a payroll-only BrioHR subscription costs more than running an external time tracker plus the CSV import.

Swingvy

Swingvy is mobile-first Malaysian HR with native EPF, SOCSO, EIS, and PCB filing and an in-product attendance module. Published pricing starts at RM 99 per month for up to 20 employees, plus RM 7 per additional employee. Same logic as BrioHR. Businesses on Swingvy use the in-product time tracking, and external time trackers connect via CSV.

Gotcha. Swingvy users on factoHR flagged “performance bugs at peak times,” typically the first three days of the month when most companies run payroll. If you process payroll on the 1st or 2nd of the month, build in buffer.

Which time tracker pairs with which payroll

The matrix below reflects the lowest-friction pairings most Malaysian SMEs land on.

Two patterns dominate in practice. Businesses on PayrollPanda lean heavily toward Jibble (same parent company, tightest integration), but they can also pair with ShiftFlow at RM 14.9 per seat for stronger shift rules. Businesses on a desktop-era payroll system (SQL, Info-Tech) usually keep the payroll system and add ShiftFlow or Jibble Premium as a modern mobile time tracker, accepting that the CSV import is part of the monthly cut-off ritual.

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What to watch for before you commit to an integration

1. Run two parallel pay periods before cutting over. Old setup and new setup side by side. Reconcile worker by worker. Differences usually trace to OT classification (ordinary vs rest day) or EPF/SOCSO ceiling logic (which moved from RM 5,000 to RM 6,000 in October 2024 per Foundingbird’s EPF/SOCSO/EIS guide). How to track attendance for compliance with Malaysian labour law covers the validation checklist.

2. Map worker identifiers explicitly. Kakitangan uses IC numbers. SQL Payroll uses its internal employee codes. The time tracker probably uses its own auto-generated IDs. Build the mapping table before the first import.

3. Pin the date format. ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD) vs Malaysian DD/MM/YYYY trips up at least one import on most cutovers. Most time trackers let you choose the export format in settings.

4. Test foreign worker EPF logic. Foreign workers became required to contribute to EPF at 2% employer and 2% employee from October 2025. If your payroll system was last configured before that, the foreign worker rates may not have been updated. Verify on the first parallel run.

5. Confirm rest day rules per worker. Different staff in retail, F&B, and security often have different rest days. Some Sunday, some Wednesday. The time tracker has to know each worker’s rest day so the right OT multiplier applies. Most Malaysian-built payroll products handle this per-worker. Foreign time trackers may default to a single business-wide rest day that needs override.

If you have not picked payroll yet

Setting up the full HR stack from scratch comes down to one call. Consolidate or specialize.

• Consolidate. Pick a Malaysian HR suite (Kakitangan, BrioHR, Swingvy) that handles attendance and payroll in one product. Lower integration risk, faster setup. But higher monthly cost and less flexibility on the time-tracking UX. How to choose an attendance system for Malaysian SMEs walks through the consolidation decision.

• Specialize. Pick PayrollPanda (free) for statutory plus a focused time tracker (Jibble, ShiftFlow) for attendance. Two products, one integration step at every pay period, lowest total monthly cost. Best for SMEs of 5 to 30 that value the time-tracking UX over consolidation.

For SMEs of 30+, consolidation usually wins on total cost of ownership once HR’s time on monthly reconciliation is counted. For SMEs of 5 to 20, specialization wins on cash cost. Attendance management for SMEs in Malaysia covers the operational discipline required at each scale, and What to check before buying attendance software for your Malaysian business is the pre-purchase checklist.

The call in one sentence

Most Malaysian SMEs do not need to replace their payroll system to fix their time tracking. Keep the existing payroll (Kakitangan, SQL, Info-Tech, PayrollPanda, BrioHR, Swingvy) and pair it with a time tracker that exports a CSV in the format the payroll expects. ShiftFlow at RM 14.9 per seat and Jibble (free or Premium) are the two most common time-tracker picks for businesses that want to keep their payroll where it is. Best time tracking software in Malaysia for SMEs has the full vendor comparison.

Sources

• Employment Act 1955 (Akta Kerja, PDF from MoHR) for EA 1955 overtime classifications
• Foundingbird guide to EPF, SOCSO, and EIS for the October 2024 ceiling change and foreign-worker EPF rules
• PayrollPanda, Kakitangan attendance, BrioHR best HR software MY
• factoHR Top 10 HR Software in Malaysia 2026 for vendor weaknesses and ratings

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