Justworks 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app
By the Novaz team · Updated October 29, 2026
Novaz steps checked against version 1.0.5
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Justworks is the PEO and payroll platform many small companies use for pay, benefits, time off and time tracking. If you have a Justworks login, as an employee, an admin or an advisor, you already have multi-factor authentication (MFA): "Multi-Factor Authentication is mandatory for all Justworks users" (Justworks). You can't switch it off. What you can choose is the method: a passkey, an authenticator app, a text message or a voice call.
This guide adds an authenticator app. Justworks' help names two, Google Authenticator and Okta Verify. We use Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, which isn't named, but the Google Authenticator option works the usual way: you scan a barcode and type a 6-digit code. Any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the Justworks steps come from Justworks' own help center, including the screenshots in its MFA article, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. The live article pages blocked plain automated requests, so we read them through the help center's public article feed on help.justworks.com. We haven't tested the steps on a Justworks account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
When you'll set it up
New users meet MFA during enrollment. Right after you create your username and password, Justworks takes you to MFA setup, before you add your contact and financial details (Justworks, Justworks). Employer of Record (EOR) employees see it the first time they sign in with their new login (Justworks). Advisors can't see client accounts in the Advisor Dashboard until MFA is set up (Justworks).
If you already picked another method, you can add the app later from your profile.
Add an authenticator app
Justworks' MFA article, updated September 15, 2026, describes the route (Justworks):
- Sign in to Justworks and go to You > Profile.
- Open the Login & security tab.
- Under Multi-Factor Authentication, choose Update Settings. The screenshots in the same article show this as Update MFA on a page called Identity & security settings, after Justworks has checked it's you, so the label you see may be either one.
- On Set up multi-factor authentication (MFA), find Google Authenticator and choose Set up. The other options on that screen are Okta Verify, Phone and Security Key or Biometric Authenticator.
- Justworks shows a barcode. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If the barcode is on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- Type the 6-digit code from Novaz and choose Enable.
Justworks' help only describes scanning the barcode. It doesn't mention a text key you could type instead, so plan to scan. If your screen does offer a key, the steps are in What is a 2FA setup key?
Keep a second method
Justworks' help doesn't mention backup or recovery codes. Its advice is to set up an additional MFA method in case you lose your phone or change your number (Justworks). Justworks calls the app the most secure of the code methods and recommends a passkey above all. A phone number is the simplest fallback, but SMS and voice calls aren't available to users in Ireland, the Philippines, Singapore and the UAE. See authenticator app vs. SMS.
When Justworks asks for a code
Justworks asks for a code every 30 days, and whenever you sign in on a new device (Justworks). It also asks before you can edit your bank details, through Verify to edit on the Finances tab (Justworks). Justworks Time Tracking uses the same username, password and code as Justworks PEO (Justworks).
If Justworks rejects your code
Justworks' help doesn't cover rejected app codes. Check your iPhone's clock first: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?
Keep count of failed sign-ins: after five wrong attempts, Justworks locks the account for a while. The sign-in screen then walks you through an identity check by email, and Justworks Support can help if that doesn't work (Justworks).
New phone or lost phone
What Justworks says depends on which methods you have (Justworks):
- New device, same phone number, and SMS or voice set up: sign in with a texted or called code, then return to Login & security and set up the authenticator app again on the new phone.
- Same device, new phone number: sign in with the app, then remove the old phone method and add the new number.
- Only a passkey or an authenticator app, or a new device and a new number: contact Justworks Support at support@justworks.com or (888) 534-1711.
Justworks' help doesn't say what proof Support asks for or how long a reset takes.
With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you restore Justworks on the new iPhone along with your other accounts. Without one, a new phone means adding Justworks again; do it while the old phone still works. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone and Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
