Order time and working time are two different figures
The customer pays for labour units, the mechanic works hours. MetronHR records both separately and shows where the difference arises.
No credit card required · Cancel monthly
- Order time per vehicle, working time per person
- Emissions test and safety inspection authorisations with expiry dates
- Productive and unproductive hours kept separate
In shortCar workshops are not listed in section 2a SchwarzArbG, so the seven-day deadline of section 17 MiLoG applies to mini-jobbers only. All working time still has to be recorded for everyone, and labour time units from the job are not working time. MetronHR records job and working time with one entry at the terminal or in the app.
- Made in GermanyDeveloped and hosted in Germany
- Certified data centreISO 27001, located in Germany
- Web, app and terminalBrowser, iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows
- GDPR compliantServers in Nuremberg and Falkenstein
What comes together in the workshop
Car workshops are not named in section 2a SchwarzArbG, so the stricter recording duty of the Minimum Wage Act only applies to marginally employed staff. Two other topics, though, are specific to the industry.
- Emissions test training to be repeated
- every 36 months
- Records for mini-jobs
- 7 days, 2 years
- Maximum working time
- 8 hours, 10 with compensation
- Compensation period
- 6 months or 24 weeks
Labour units are a costing figure, not working time
The time sold on an order follows the manufacturer's specifications. The working time actually performed follows the Working Time Act. The two figures never match, and only the second one is decisive for maximum working time, breaks and rest periods.
Working time within the meaning of section 2 (1) ArbZG is the time from the start to the end of work excluding rest breaks, not the time billed to the customer. Anyone using order time for time tracking systematically understates actual working time: setup, fetching parts, queries and waiting time all drop out.
Emissions test authorisation depends on people and on a deadline
For emissions testing the business must be recognised, and at least one responsible person or specialist must have passed the training course. The course has to be repeated every 36 months with updated content.
The procedure and requirements are in Annex VIIIc StVZO, which refers to Annex VIII numbers 3.1.1.1 and 3.2. For planning that means an emissions test appointment can only be scheduled if an authorised person is on site that day, and the authorisation has an expiry date that belongs in the same file as the holiday entitlement.
Productivity is measured against attendance, not against orders
The productivity rate is the ratio of labour units sold to paid attendance hours. Both figures have to be recorded separately, otherwise the metric is an estimate.
Unproductive time is not wasted time: cleaning the workshop, instructing trainees, taking in spare parts and warranty work all belong to it. It is missing from the order time and still has to be paid and recorded.
Shift operation brings the night work rules with it
Anyone regularly working past 11 pm on a late shift can become a night worker, with an entitlement to occupational health examinations and compensation.
Night work is any work covering more than two hours of the night period from 11 pm to 6 am (section 2 (3) and (4) ArbZG). A night worker is someone who does this on at least 48 days a year. The shorter compensation period of one month or four weeks under section 6 (2) ArbZG then applies as well.
The key duties and how they are met day to day
| Duty | Source | With paper or Excel | With MetronHR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record all working time | Section 3(2) no. 1 ArbSchG, Federal Labour Court 1 ABR 22/21 | only job times are booked | one entry gives both job and working time |
| Mini-job: record within 7 days | Section 17(1) MiLoG | only when typed up at month end | when clocking in, on the same day |
| Working time is not billed labour units | Section 2(1) ArbZG | set-up and fetching parts are missing | attendance and job recorded separately |
Record all working time
- Source
- Section 3(2) no. 1 ArbSchG, Federal Labour Court 1 ABR 22/21
- With paper or Excel
- only job times are booked
- With MetronHR
- one entry gives both job and working time
Mini-job: record within 7 days
- Source
- Section 17(1) MiLoG
- With paper or Excel
- only when typed up at month end
- With MetronHR
- when clocking in, on the same day
Working time is not billed labour units
- Source
- Section 2(1) ArbZG
- With paper or Excel
- set-up and fetching parts are missing
- With MetronHR
- attendance and job recorded separately
Further reading: Annex VIIIc StVZO (to Annex VIII nos. 3.1.1.1 and 3.2), section 29 StVZO · Section 2 (1), (3) and (4) ArbZG, section 3 ArbZG, section 6 (2) to (5) ArbZG · Section 17 (1) MiLoG for marginally employed staff
In detail, with examples: Working hours in car repair shops: what applies to technicians and trainees
As at: November 2026. This is not legal advice; for a specific case in your business it is better to ask someone with a licence to practise.
The job card knows nothing about breaks
Order times are booked against the vehicle, working times would have to be booked against the person. In many businesses only the first happens.
- Problem
Order time is treated as working time
Setup, fetching parts, queries and waiting are not in it. The recorded working time is therefore systematically below the actual figure.
- Problem
Emissions test appointments without a look at the authorisation
The appointment is booked, the authorised person is on holiday. That shows up on the morning of the appointment, not when it was taken.
- Problem
Unproductive hours disappear
Whatever is not booked to an order shows up nowhere. That leaves half the answer missing to the question of where the time went.
Two kinds of time, one recording system
The mechanic clocks their attendance and books their time to orders. What remains is unproductive time, named rather than vanished. Authorisations sit in the file with an expiry date.
Productivity as a calculated figureLabour units sold against paid attendance hours, with no estimating in between.
Features for workshops and dealerships
Built for order-based work, qualifications and shift operation.
- Projects
Book time to an order
Order time and attendance side by side
The mechanic books their hours to orders, and the difference from attendance is the unproductive time, visible instead of estimated.
- File
Authorisations with an expiry date
Emissions test and safety inspection training speak up before expiry
The training certificates under Annex VIIIc StVZO sit in the personnel file with their 36-month deadline, with a reminder in good time beforehand.
- Planning
Schedule appointments against qualifications
No emissions test appointment without an authorised person on site
Planning knows who holds which authorisation and who is present that day. An appointment without suitable staffing is flagged.
- Time
Breaks under the Working Time Act
The break no longer goes missing from the record
From six hours 30 minutes, from nine hours 45 minutes, taken into account automatically and shown in the record.
- Overview
Productivity rate per person and month
A metric based on actual records
Labour units sold against paid attendance hours, per mechanic and per month, with the unproductive shares in detail.
For workshop managers and mechanics
Two roles, two questions for the same figures.
- Workshop and service management
Know where the hours went
- The order was costed at eight labour units and took ten hours. Why?
- Order time, attendance and unproductive shares sit side by side, per order and per person.
- Vehicle mechatronics technicians
Book without a second recording step
- First on the job card, then on the timesheet, and the two rarely match.
- One entry at the terminal or in the app, and order and working time come out of it together.
Frequently asked questions from car workshops
What workshops and dealerships ask about time tracking and authorisations.
Question not answered here? Every step is explained in the help centre.
Send us a messageCan we record order time as working time?
No. Working time within the meaning of section 2 (1) ArbZG is the time from the start to the end of work excluding rest breaks. Labour units are a costing figure based on the manufacturer's specification. Equating the two systematically understates the record, because setup, fetching parts and waiting time do not appear in it.
Does the stricter recording duty under section 17 MiLoG apply to us?
Only for marginally employed staff. The motor trade is not named in section 2a SchwarzArbG, unlike construction, hospitality or building cleaning. The general recording duty under section 3 (2) no. 1 ArbSchG still applies to everyone.
How often does the emissions test training have to be repeated?
Every 36 months with updated content. The recognition procedure and requirements are in Annex VIIIc StVZO. Without an authorised person in the business, no emissions test may be carried out.
How do we calculate the productivity rate correctly?
As the ratio of labour units sold to paid attendance hours. Both figures have to be recorded separately. If only orders are booked, the denominator is missing and the metric is an estimate.
When do our late-shift staff become night workers?
When their shift covers more than two hours between 11 pm and 6 am and they do this on at least 48 days in the calendar year (section 2 (3) to (5) ArbZG). The entitlement to examinations, compensation and the shorter compensation period under section 6 ArbZG then apply.
Other industries
Call centres
Every phone system produces performance data. That makes time tracking here a co-determination question under section 87 (1) no. 6 BetrVG before it is a software question.
ViewClubs and associations
In a club, volunteers, instructors and employees work side by side. The Working Time Act applies only to the last group, and the line between them determines contributions and charitable status.
ViewHospitality
Hospitality is named in section 2a SchwarzArbG. The seven-day deadline of section 17 MiLoG therefore applies to all employees, not just to mini-jobbers.
View
Order time, working time and authorisations in one place
One entry for both, productivity as a calculated figure and training deadlines that speak up by themselves. Try it free for 14 days.
- No credit card required
- Ready quickly
- Cancel monthly
- Full access to every feature
No credit card, cancel at any time