Build a Free HR Payroll System with Selfie Attendance & GPS | Claude Code + Google Sheets

An HR attendance and payroll web app running on Google Sheets, where every punch carries proof of who and where. The employee opens the app, takes a selfie and checks in — the photo and GPS coordinates are stored alongside the timestamp, so attendance is not just a time but a verifiable record.

What it does

Staff check in and out with a live image capture, review their own attendance history, and submit leave requests. Managers and admins see the records and approve what needs approving, with payroll built on top of the attendance that was actually recorded rather than re-keyed from a register. The whole system is an Apps Script web app with Google Sheets behind it, so it runs inside your own Google account with no server to rent and no monthly software fee.

Highlights

• Selfie capture on check-in and check-out, stored with the record
• Live GPS location attached to every punch
• Per-employee attendance history
• Leave requests and leave management
• Payroll derived from recorded attendance
• Multiple roles, including admin and manager
• No hosting cost — Google Sheets is the database

Built with Claude Code

The whole application was generated in five prompts using Claude Code in the VS Code extension, then pasted into Apps Script and deployed. Those five prompts are included, so you can run the same build yourself or adapt them for a different system.

Who it is for

Small businesses, agencies and field teams that need attendance backed by a photo and a location rather than an honour-system register, without paying a per-employee monthly fee for it.