Working Time Recording Obligations in Austria

Working time recording obligations: what the Working Time Act requires, what penalties apply, and how digital time tracking fulfils the obligation automatically.

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What the Working Hours Act specifically requires

The Austrian Working Hours Act (AZG) obliges employers to keep records of working hours for every employee. The records must cover the start, end and duration of daily working hours – including breaks and overtime. This obligation applies to all employees, regardless of whether they work in the office, on a construction site, from home or at a client's premises.

The start of daily working hours must be documented
The end of daily working hours must be documented
The duration of daily working hours must be calculated and recorded
Breaks must be documented separately
Overtime must be marked as such
The recording applies to all employees – without exception based on place of work

What penalties are threatened for violations

Violations of the record-keeping obligation can be punished with administrative fines. The fines are calculated per employee – for a company with 20 employees without correct records, the total can become substantial. For repeated violations, the amounts increase. Inspections are carried out by the competent authority, which can request records at any time.

Administrative fines per employee for missing or inadequate records
Higher fines for repeated violations
Employees can claim unproven overtime retroactively
Authorities can request records at any time and without prior notice
Handwritten time sheets are often not considered sufficient proof in practice

What a record actually needs to prove

The record does not only need to exist – it must be comprehensible, complete and verifiable. A time sheet stating 8:00–16:00 without further details is often insufficient during an inspection. The record must show exactly when work was performed, when breaks took place and whether overtime was incurred. Ideally, it is tamper-proof – meaning it cannot be altered retrospectively without a log entry.

Complete: start, end, breaks and total duration for every working day
Comprehensible: clearly assignable to a specific employee and date
Timely: created as close as possible to the day of work, not days or weeks later
Verifiable: immediately available and evaluable during an inspection
Tamper-proof: changes should be traceable and logged

Why paper timesheets do not reliably fulfil recording obligations

A handwritten timesheet filled in from memory on a Friday technically fulfils the recording obligation – but in practice it is barely defensible during an inspection. It is not created in a timely manner, is not tamper-proof, is often incomplete, and cannot be verified when questions arise. Digital time tracking generates the record automatically: each clock-in creates a timestamped data entry that cannot be altered after the fact. Breaks and overtime are calculated automatically. And during an inspection, all data can be retrieved within seconds – rather than after hours of searching through ring binders.

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Automatic timestamp with every booking

Timely, not from memory

Every booking in Jobilino generates a timestamp accurate to the second – at the moment of clocking, not two days later. This is the timely recording that the law requires. The employee clocks in via app, NFC or terminal. The record is created automatically as a by-product of daily work.

Breaks and overtime calculated automatically

No manual formulas, no calculation errors

The Working Hours Act requires the documentation of breaks and overtime. Jobilino calculates both automatically: breaks are recorded separately, and overtime is derived from the difference between target and actual working hours. No Excel formula that fails on a public holiday.

Change log for subsequent corrections

Tamper-proof and traceable

If an employee has forgotten to clock in or out, the time can be added retrospectively – but only with a reason. The correction is logged separately: who changed what, when, and why. During an inspection, the log demonstrates that records are being kept transparently.

All data retrievable in seconds

Dashboard instead of ring binders

During a regulatory inspection, you open the dashboard, filter by employee and time period, and display the records on screen. No searching through folders, no gathering time sheets. The data is available instantly – complete, sorted and exportable.

Location verification as an additional safeguard

NFC proves where work was carried out

The recording obligation requires the documentation of working hours – not the place of work. However, NFC-based location verification at the job site provides an additional safeguard: it proves that the employee was physically on-site. In the event of disputes over working hours, this is a compelling argument.

What the recording obligation means for different working situations

The obligation applies to all employees – but implementation looks different depending on the place of work.

Construction sites and field service

No office, no time clock – the app or the NFC tag at the job site fulfils the recording obligation directly on location. Even offline.

Cleaning and Facility Management

Multiple sites per day – NFC tags at each location automatically document the start and end time at every job site.

Production and Workshop

Shift operations with many employees – the terminal at the entrance to the hall automatically records shift start and end.

Office and Home Office

The recording obligation also applies when working from home. Web-based time tracking in the browser fulfils it without any additional effort.

FAQ

Häufige Fragen zur Aufzeichnungspflicht

Does the recording obligation apply to all companies?

Yes. The Working Hours Act makes no distinction based on company size or industry. Whether you have 3 or 300 employees – the obligation to record the start, end and duration of daily working hours applies to every employer with employees in Austria.

Do working hours also need to be documented when working from home?

Yes. The recording obligation applies regardless of the place of work. Whether in the office, on a construction site, working from home or at a client's premises – the start, end, breaks and duration of daily working hours must be documented.

Is a handwritten timesheet sufficient as proof?

Formally yes – but in practice a timesheet is difficult to defend during an inspection if it was not completed promptly, is illegible or is incomplete. A digital time-tracking system with timestamps, automatic break calculation and a change log provides significantly stronger evidence.

What penalties are imposed for missing records?

Violations of the recording obligation can be punished with administrative fines per employee. Repeated violations result in higher amounts. In addition, employees can retrospectively claim unverified overtime if records are missing or incomplete.

How long must working time records be retained?

Working time records must generally be retained for at least one year after the relevant period. Longer retention periods of up to seven years apply to payroll- and tax-relevant documents. A digital time-tracking solution stores all data automatically and without taking up any space on the filing shelf.

Does a digital time-tracking system automatically satisfy the recording obligation?

Yes, provided it documents the start, end and duration of daily working hours and records breaks separately. Jobilino meets all requirements automatically: a timestamp for every booking, automatic break calculation, overtime calculation and a change log for subsequent corrections.

Must the employer or the employee keep the records?

The obligation lies with the employer. They must ensure that records are kept. The practical recording can be delegated to the employee – for example via an app in which the employee clocks in and out themselves. Responsibility for completeness and accuracy remains with the employer.

How much does a digital time-tracking solution cost for fulfilling the recording obligation?

Jobilino Basic is available from €5.99 per employee per month. Premium from €12.99. All features for fulfilling the recording obligation are included from day one: time stamps, break tracking, overtime calculation and an audit log. Try it free – no contract required.

Fulfil recording obligations automatically

With Jobilino, you fulfil your statutory recording obligations automatically – every clock-in generates the required proof. No contract commitment and no credit card required.