Time tracking · Guide
Set up automatic breaks
Zeitbro deducts your break automatically – when you end the timer and when you enter start and end times. The defaults follow the minimum breaks of the German Working Hours Act. Here is how it calculates and where to change it.
4 min read Updated
In short
- Click the gear icon at the top right – on a phone, tap your profile picture or initials, then Settings.
- Open Work Settings and go down to Break Settings (3-Tier).
- Check the three break tiers and the two thresholds – by default 0, 30 and 45 minutes at 6 and 9 hours.
- Click Save Changes.
- For exceptions, allow a manual break per entry under Time Entry.
On this page
How Zeitbro calculates
Zeitbro deducts the break from the time you were present, start to end. With the default values:
- up to 6:00 hours: no break
- from 6:00 to 6:30: the break grows minute by minute, and your working time stays at 6:00
- from 6:30 to 9:30: 30 minutes
- from 9:30 to 9:45: the break grows to 45 minutes, and your working time stays at 9:00
- from 9:45: 45 minutes
Examples: 8:00–14:15 gives a 15-minute break and 6:00 of work, 8:00–16:30 gives 30 minutes and 8:00, and 8:00–17:40 gives 40 minutes and 9:00. For entered times, the thresholds therefore refer to your working time after the deduction: you only pass a threshold once the next tier’s break has been deducted in full. Staying longer never costs you working time.
With the timer, Zeitbro applies the same calculation to the time in your work blocks, without Away time. Your Away time counts towards that break, and Zeitbro deducts only the rest. On timer days with Away time, your working time can therefore end above 6 or 9 hours with less break than the list above shows.
1 · Open the settings
Click the gear icon at the top right. On a phone, tap your profile picture or initials at the top right, then Settings. Choose Work Settings – on a phone, through the button at the top right.
2 · Adjust tiers and thresholds
Break Settings (3-Tier) are at the very bottom:
- Tier 1: Short Day Break (min) – 0 by default. Zeitbro deducts it on every workday, even short ones.
- Tier 2: Medium Day Break (min) – 30 by default.
- Tier 3: Long Day Break (min) – 45 by default.
- Tier 1/2 Threshold (hours) – 6 by default.
- Tier 2/3 Threshold (hours) – 9 by default.
3 · Save
Click Save Changes at the bottom, and Zeitbro confirms with Settings Saved. The new values apply to everything you record from then on. Zeitbro does not recalculate days you have already saved – to apply the new rule there, change their times.
4 · Enter the break yourself for a single day
Under Time Entry, tick Allow manual break override per entry and save. The day editor then shows a Manual break box next to Clock In / Out. Tick it and enter that day’s break in minutes yourself.
If the start or end time also changes on save, Zeitbro recalculates the break automatically, so save the times first and enter the break afterwards. On timer days, the time blocks always decide.
What German law requires
Under the German Working Hours Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz), employees who work more than six hours need a break of at least 30 minutes, more than nine hours at least 45 minutes. Zeitbro’s defaults follow these limits. The deduction only does the math: Zeitbro cannot check whether you actually took the break, and what applies to you in detail also depends on your contract or a collective or works agreement. More on the legal side: Automatic break calculation.
Frequently asked questions
Why only a 15-minute break for 6:15 hours of presence?
Because the deduction is gradual. Your working time stays at 6:00 until the full 30 minutes have been deducted. From 6:30 of presence, it is 30 minutes.
Does the break apply when I work from home?
Yes, the same rule applies to Office, Home Office and Business Trip. Vacation, sick leave and public holidays count as a full day with no break.
More on this topic: Automatic break calculation
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