Fast fixes for the most common login problems
Login issues are the single most common reason people contact RosterElf support, so this guide is built as a quick triage — find the situation that matches what you’re seeing and jump straight to the fix. If none of these match, skip to still stuck? Contact us.
1. Which RosterElf login are you using?
RosterElf has three separate login screens, and mixing them up is a common source of confusion:
- Main web app / Smartphone app — for managers, admins and staff checking shifts, availability and timesheets. Log in at rosterelf.net/login or the RosterElf Smartphone app.
- Time Clock (kiosk) app — the site device staff clock in and out on. A manager or admin sets this up first with their own login; staff then clock in with a site-specific PIN, not their personal password. See Time Clock login guide.
- MFA-protected login — if your business has multi-factor authentication enabled, you’ll be asked for a verification code after your password on any of the above.
If you’re not sure which one applies to you, the sections below are grouped by symptom.
2. Wrong email or password
This is the most common cause of “invalid credentials.” A few things to check before resetting anything:
- Type your email and password manually rather than using a saved password or copy-paste — autofill is a frequent culprit.
- Make sure your email address has no extra spaces and is entered exactly as it was registered.
- Passwords are case-sensitive, so double-check Caps Lock isn’t on.
Still not working?
If you’ve checked the above and still can’t get in, reset your password rather than retrying the same details:
- Self-service: follow reset password in RosterElf — click Forgot Password on the login screen and follow the emailed link.
- An admin or manager can reset it for you: see resetting a staff member’s password. If you’ve never logged in before, the Staff tab shows Resend Login Info instead — that resends your original welcome email with your first login details.
3. Account shows as inactive, or a subscribe/payment screen appears
This covers two different situations — check which one matches what you’re seeing.
3.1 One staff member can't log in
If it’s a single staff member and their profile has been archived or deactivated, an admin can reactivate them from the Staff tab. See delete staff manually for how to reactivate an archived staff member.
3.2 Nobody can log in, including the account owner or admin
If the whole business is locked out — including the account owner — this points to a billing issue rather than individual credentials, since a payment problem can put the entire account behind a paywall:
- If you’ve been asked to re-subscribe or seen a payment prompt recently, see change from legacy billing to Stripe — only the account owner can complete this step.
- If you pay your RosterElf subscription through Xero, see fix past due subscription.
4. Verification code (MFA) not arriving or not working
If your business has multi-factor authentication enabled, you’ll need a verification code after your password:
- Click Resend SMS, or Send Code By Email Instead if SMS isn’t arriving.
- See using multi-factor authentication for the full login flow with both SMS and Google Authenticator.
- See SMS verification code not received if codes consistently don’t arrive — this is often a phone spam filter, not a RosterElf issue.
- To turn MFA on or off for your business, see enabling or disabling multi-factor authentication.
5. Time Clock PIN not working
PINs are site-specific
A staff member’s Time Clock PIN only works on a device that’s logged into their site. If someone works across multiple sites, a PIN that works at one location will fail at another — this looks like a wrong PIN but is actually a site mismatch on the device itself.
See log in to Time Clock by site to check which site a device is logged into, and Time Clock PIN guide for how PINs work day to day.
6. Using the wrong app
RosterElf has two separate apps that are easy to mix up:
- RosterElf Smartphone app — for staff to view shifts, submit availability and clock in personally. See getting started with smartphone apps.
- RosterElf Time Clock app — a shared kiosk device for a whole site. A manager or admin logs in first to set it up; staff then use a PIN, not their personal login. See downloading and setting up the Time Clock app.
If you installed one expecting the other, that’s the fix — install the correct app rather than troubleshooting login details on the wrong one.
7. App or browser acting up
If your credentials are correct but the login screen itself isn’t behaving properly:
- Make sure your app is on the latest version — see fixing common app issues.
- On the web app, try a hard reset and clearing your browser cache — see the general troubleshooting guide.
- RosterElf works best on Chrome and Firefox — see browser compatibility issues if you’re on a different browser.
8. Logged in, but to the wrong RosterElf account
If you belong to more than one RosterElf account, you may be logged into the wrong one rather than actually locked out. See switching between accounts for how to swap accounts or merge accounts that use different login details.
9. Accessing RosterElf from outside Australia, New Zealand or the UK
RosterElf operates in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and access can be restricted from outside those regions. If you’re a business owner travelling temporarily and need to process payroll or check your roster, some customers connect via a VPN set to a supported region. If you’re unsure whether this applies to your situation, contact our support team and we can help.
10. Still stuck? Contact us
Ways to contact us
- Ask Elf AI: Click Questions? Let’s Chat! at the bottom right of any RosterElf page, or tap More → Support & Questions in the mobile app. Elf AI answers 24/7 and hands you to our support team when it can’t solve something.
- Book a support call: Schedule a free 30-minute support call with our RosterElf Customer Success Team.
- Email: Reach out to us at customersupport@rosterelf.com.
Having your account email address ready when you contact us helps our team look up your account faster.
Frequently asked questions
1. Why does RosterElf say "invalid credentials"?
“Invalid credentials” almost always means the email or password doesn’t match what RosterElf has on file — usually a typo, an extra space, or the wrong case in the email address. Retype both manually rather than using autofill, then use Forgot Password? if you’re still not sure. See reset password in RosterElf for the full steps.
2. Why can't my staff log in to RosterElf?
The most common causes are: their password needs resetting, their staff profile has been set to inactive, or they’re opening the wrong app (the Smartphone app for staff shifts, not the Time Clock kiosk app). An admin or manager can check and fix all three from the Staff tab — see resetting a staff member’s password.
3. Why do I see a subscribe or payment screen when I try to log in?
This means your account’s subscription payment needs attention rather than anything being wrong with your login details — RosterElf continues to show you a paywall until it’s resolved, which can look like being locked out. If you’re mid-way through the Stripe billing migration, see change from legacy billing to Stripe. If you pay via Xero, see fix past due subscription.
4. Why isn't my Time Clock PIN working?
Time Clock PINs are specific to a site. If a staff member’s PIN doesn’t work, the most likely cause is that the Time Clock device is logged into a different site than the one they’re rostered to. See log in to Time Clock by site to check and fix this.
5. I'm not receiving my MFA verification code — what do I do?
Click Resend SMS, or choose Send Code By Email Instead on the verification screen. If SMS codes never arrive, your phone may be filtering them as spam — see SMS verification code not received for iPhone and Android steps.
6. I'm the account owner and I still can't log in — what now?
If even the account owner is locked out, this is usually a billing issue rather than a password issue, since only the owner can resolve a paywall. Check change from legacy billing to Stripe first. If that doesn’t apply, book a support call or email customersupport@rosterelf.com — our team can check your account directly.
7. Can I log in to RosterElf from outside Australia, New Zealand or the UK?
RosterElf operates in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and access can be restricted outside those regions. If you’re a business owner travelling temporarily, some customers connect via a VPN set to a supported region. If you’re unsure whether this applies to you, contact our support team.