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Employee Time Tracking App in Germany

In Germany, complying with strict time tracking mandates is critical. Harvest offers a robust solution to track employee hours accurately and electronically, ensuring legal compliance.

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How many hours did you work this week?

Enter your clock-in and clock-out times for each day. The calculator handles breaks, overtime, and weekly totals automatically.

Day Clock In Clock Out Break Hours
Total hours this week 0h
Regular hours (≤40) 0h
Overtime hours 0h
Average hours/day 0h
Total break time 0h

Track time automatically with Harvest

Walk through the entire flow below. Start a timer, check your reports, and create a real invoice — all in three clicks.

Go ahead — start tracking!

One click and you're timing. Try it right here: start a timer, add an entry, edit the details. This is exactly how it feels in Harvest.

  • One-click timer from browser, desktop & mobile
  • Works inside Jira, Asana, Trello, GitHub & 50+ tools
  • Duration or start/end — your call
  • Day, week & calendar views to stay on top of it all
  • Friendly reminders so no hour gets left behind
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1:30:00
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Today's total 6:54:09

The Mandate for Time Tracking in Germany: Understanding the Legal Landscape

In Germany, the mandate for comprehensive employee time tracking stems from significant legal rulings. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) in May 2019 and the German Federal Labor Court (BAG) in September 2022 have made it obligatory for employers to meticulously record not just overtime but the full working hours of their employees. This requirement is anchored in Section 3(2) No. 1 of the German Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG). By December 2025, electronic recording of all working hours will become mandatory for all employers, ensuring digital capture of start times, end times, and breaks.

Non-compliance with these regulations can lead to penalties up to EUR 30,000. Employers must ensure their systems are objective, reliable, and accessible to meet these standards. Harvest aligns with this mandate by providing tools that allow precise tracking of project-specific hours and absences, ensuring compliance with both current and future legal requirements.

Essential Features of a German-Compliant Time Tracking App

For businesses operating in Germany, selecting a time tracking app that complies with local labor laws is crucial. A compliant app must accurately record start and end times, breaks, and overtime. It should support various working time models such as flexitime and fixed hours, and automatically calculate overtime. Robust data protection in line with GDPR guidelines is essential, ensuring transparency, security, and employee access rights.

Harvest offers a secure, centralized platform that facilitates audit-readiness and easy report generation, crucial for compliance verification by authorities. With integrated absence management for vacation, sick leave, and home office, Harvest ensures your business stays within legal frameworks while maintaining operational efficiency.

Seamless Integration: Connecting Time Tracking with German Payroll (DATEV)

Integrating time tracking systems with payroll solutions is vital for streamlined operations. In Germany, this often involves connecting with systems like DATEV. Such integration minimizes manual errors, eliminates duplicate data entry, and streamlines payroll processing, ensuring legal compliance.

Harvest's capabilities include seamless data transfer to payroll software, aligning with the technical requirements of mapping time data to specific wage types. This ensures up-to-date, accurate payroll accounting, making Harvest an ideal choice for businesses seeking complete payroll integration.

Adapting to Modern Work: Mobile and Flexible Time Tracking Solutions

With the rise of remote and field work, mobile and flexible time tracking solutions have become indispensable. Harvest supports this modern work dynamic with mobile apps available for iPhone and Android, enabling employees to track time on the go. Features like offline functionality ensure uninterrupted tracking, even in remote areas.

Innovative recording methods such as NFC time clocks allow for quick and easy clock-in processes. Harvest’s mobile solutions provide the flexibility necessary for remote and hybrid working arrangements, while ensuring compliance with German labor laws. This empowers businesses to maintain productivity without compromising on regulatory adherence.

Employee Time Tracking with Harvest

See how Harvest enables compliant time tracking in Germany, featuring mobile and project-specific capabilities.

Screenshot of Harvest time tracking app tailored for German compliance

Employee Time Tracking App in Germany FAQs

  • In Germany, employers are required to track the full working hours of employees, not just overtime. This is mandated by the German Federal Labor Court and is based on the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Electronic time tracking will be required universally by December 2025.

  • Harvest supports compliance by providing tools for accurate tracking of project-specific hours and absences, with features that meet both current and upcoming electronic recording requirements. It offers robust data protection and audit-ready reporting.

  • Yes, Harvest can integrate with payroll systems such as DATEV, facilitating automated data transfer that reduces manual errors and ensures legal compliance in payroll processing.

  • Harvest offers mobile apps for iPhone and Android, which are ideal for field employees or those working remotely. These apps support offline functionality, ensuring seamless time tracking even when connectivity is limited.

  • A compliant app should accurately record work hours, breaks, and overtime. It must support different working time models, ensure GDPR compliance, and be capable of generating audit-ready reports. Harvest meets these requirements with its comprehensive feature set.

  • Electronic time tracking ensures flexible work models like remote work or flexitime are compliant with German law by providing measurable and reliable recording of work hours. Harvest’s mobile solutions support these arrangements effectively.

  • Non-compliance with time tracking laws can result in fines up to EUR 30,000. This highlights the importance of using a reliable system like Harvest to avoid such penalties and ensure legal adherence.