Hours account – automatic & in real time

An hours account is the running record of the difference between actual hours worked (actual time) and the contractually agreed working hours (target time). Working more than agreed builds up a positive balance; working less creates a deficit.

For employees and freelancers, the hours account makes extra work visible and provides a clear basis for reducing it – without spreadsheets or manual calculations.

Target time is the number of hours you are supposed to work on a given day – with a 40-hour week across five working days that is eight hours per day. Zeitbro calculates this daily target directly from your settings: weekly hours divided by working days.

Actual time is the net working time after breaks have been deducted. The balance is simply the difference: actual minus target. Positive values are overtime; negative values indicate undertime.

As soon as you start the working day in Zeitbro, the balance runs alongside it. Every minute beyond your daily target is automatically credited to the hours account – you see the current figure in real time without having to enter anything manually.

The hours account is displayed not just for the current day but for the entire selected period. Overtime from past weeks and months is retained in the balance and carried forward correctly.

Once you have accumulated overtime you can reduce it by taking a flex day. When you mark a day as a flex day, Zeitbro deducts the full daily target for that day from the hours account without adding any new actual time. Everything about the concept of flexible working hours is covered on our flextime page.

You can also reduce overtime gradually by finishing earlier or working shorter days – the balance updates immediately with every entry.