Time tracking on site, documented without gaps
In construction the stricter recording duty applies to every employee: the start, the end and the duration of each working day, by the seventh day afterwards at the latest.
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- Start, end and duration per working day, as § 17 MiLoG requires
- The foreman records the hours for his gang as well
- Record without a signal too; the app transfers later
In shortIn construction, start, end and duration of daily working time have to be recorded for every employee no later than seven days after the working day and kept for two years, because construction is listed in section 2a SchwarzArbG. MetronHR records the times in the app on site, even without signal, and the foreman can book for the whole crew.
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Duties at a glance
The key duties and how they are met day to day
| Duty | Source | With paper or Excel | With MetronHR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record within 7 days | Section 17(1) MiLoG, section 2a SchwarzArbG | time sheets reach the office at month end | entry on the phone, on the same day, also offline |
| At most 10 hours a day, 8 on average | Section 3 ArbZG | only noticed when recalculating | daily limit set centrally, breaches flagged |
| Keep for 2 years | Section 17(1) MiLoG, section 16(2) ArbZG | binders in the office | stored as long as the account exists |
Record within 7 days
- Source
- Section 17(1) MiLoG, section 2a SchwarzArbG
- With paper or Excel
- time sheets reach the office at month end
- With MetronHR
- entry on the phone, on the same day, also offline
At most 10 hours a day, 8 on average
- Source
- Section 3 ArbZG
- With paper or Excel
- only noticed when recalculating
- With MetronHR
- daily limit set centrally, breaches flagged
Keep for 2 years
- Source
- Section 17(1) MiLoG, section 16(2) ArbZG
- With paper or Excel
- binders in the office
- With MetronHR
- stored as long as the account exists
In detail, with examples: Working hours in construction: what applies on site and what you have to record · Time tracking in the skilled trades: which trade has to record what
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.
In construction a timesheet is no longer enough
Construction stands first in § 2a SchwarzArbG among the sectors subject to the recording duty. That is why § 17 MiLoG applies here to every employee, not only to marginal jobs.
- Problem
The duty applies to everyone, not only to marginal jobs
Because construction is named in § 2a (1) no. 1 SchwarzArbG, the start, the end and the duration have to be recorded for every employee.
- Problem
The seven-day deadline runs alongside
The record has to exist by the end of the seventh calendar day after the working day. Anyone collecting only at the month end is too late.
- Problem
The ten-hour day has to average out
Beyond eight hours, up to ten is permitted only if the average across 24 weeks holds at eight (§ 3 ArbZG).
Record, check, hand over, in one place
Your people book the start, the end and the break on their phone, even without a signal. The foreman adds entries for the gang, and the hours per site go to the office as Excel or CSV.
Every day recorded in fullThe start, the end and the duration are on file per person and per site, ready when somebody asks.
From the entry to the record
Three steps that cover the recording duty in construction.
Book the start, the end and the break
Everyone books on a phone or in the browser: start time, end time, break, plus the site. Without a signal the app stores locally and transfers as soon as there is a connection again.
Exactly the three figures § 17 MiLoG requires.
The day's entries Rest period per person
From the end of one shift to the start of the next, red below eleven hours.
Correct it before it happens
Move the start: the rest period goes up and the warning disappears.
Rest periodsWeek 43 · between two shiftsPerson End Start Rest period 
Tobias KrügerWed 21:30 07:00 9:30h 
Sophie BraunWed 16:30 Thu 07:30 15:00h 
Mara WolfWed 22:00 Thu 13:00 15:00h Less than 11 hours of rest under § 5 ArbZG.
Check the gang's week
A weekly overview per person with the hours booked, the target and the balance. If a day is missing, MetronHR can remind in stages, and you set the thresholds yourself.
Gaps show up while the deadline is still running.
The gang's week at a glance StaffingWeek 45 · at least 2 qualified staffShift Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Early shift 2/2 2/2 1/2 2/2 2/2 Late shift 2/2 2/2 2/2 1/2 2/2 Night shift 1/1 1/1 1/1 1/1 1/1 
Wednesday earlyJonas Kelleroffered
Thursday lateOle Jansenoffered2 gaps this week: Wednesday early, Thursday late.
Hand the hours over per site
Choose the period, filter by site or employee, download as Excel or CSV for the payroll office, the accountant or a query. If the accountant runs payroll with DATEV, they get the payroll file for it.
The record is there instead of being hunted for.
Export as Excel or CSV ExportOctober 2026 · 12 peopleExcelone sheet per person, hours as numbersselectedCSVone row per day and personPDFfor signing and filing
What construction businesses actually need
No terminal in the site hut, no IT department, and the duties met anyway.
- Time
Start, end, duration per day
Exactly the three figures that have to be recorded in construction.
Breaks are recorded too and deducted from working time.
- Tools
The foreman records for the gang
Anyone leading a department or with people under them enters their hours too.
For people who do not want to book on a phone themselves.
- Projects
Hours per site
Every entry goes to a site, so costing afterwards needs no recalculation.
Optionally split by service as well, shell construction or rework for example.
- Apps
Recording on a phone, offline too
iOS and Android, so the gang needs no terminal in the site hut.
In a shell with no signal it stores locally and transfers after the site.
- Security
Set the working time limits centrally
Set the daily limit, the rest period and the break rule once, and anything over is flagged.
Default: 10 hours a day, 11 hours of rest. For people under 18 a stricter profile of its own applies.
- Reports
A record per person and month
Target, actual and the difference per person, with a daily breakdown.
Download as Excel or CSV.
- Billing
Handover to payroll
Hours, overtime and absences in one file.
DATEV payroll file, Excel or CSV, with no rework at the accountant's.
- Simplicity
Nothing to mount, nothing to wire
Runs in the browser and as an app; a terminal on site is possible but not necessary.
Invite new colleagues by email, mid-season too.
For the office, the site management and the site
Four roles, four reasons, from the boss to the accountant.
- Construction company owner
Knows what has gone into which site
- At the month end it is unclear how many hours went into which job.
- Hours per site and service, the basis for costing and for a variation claim.
- Tradesperson
Books in 20 seconds, with no paper
- After ten hours on site, writing hours down as well gets left undone.
- Enter the start, the end and the break on the phone. Or the foreman does it for you.
- Operations manager
Sees open days before the deadline runs out
- Only at the payroll does it show that half-weeks are missing.
- A weekly overview per gang, with reminders about open days and absences in one place.
- Accountant
Gets hours that fit the payroll
- Handwritten timesheets that have to be recalculated first.
- One file per month with hours, overtime and absences, Excel or CSV.
Two years of retention, without filing cabinets
Working time records have to be kept for at least two years, under § 17 (1) MiLoG as well as § 16 (2) ArbZG. In MetronHR they sit in Germany, encrypted and retrievable.
- Time entries stay stored as long as your account exists; nothing is thrown away after the month end
- Developed and hosted in Germany, GDPR compliant, transferred and stored encrypted
- Every change to a time entry is logged, as a complete audit trail on the Professional plan
- The written notice about carrying identification under § 2a SchwarzArbG can be filed in the digital personnel file (Professional plan)
Related
Where to go from here, and what waits for you there.
Frequent questions from construction and trades
The recording duty, the deadlines and the retention, answered briefly.
Question not answered here? Every step is explained in the help centre.
Send us a messageHow do my people record hours on site?
On a phone or in the browser: enter the start, the end and the break, and pick the site. Anyone who wants can let the timer run. For people who do not type themselves, the foreman records the hours.
Why does a stricter recording duty apply in construction?
Because construction stands first in § 2a (1) no. 1 SchwarzArbG. That makes § 17 MiLoG apply here to every employee: the start, the end and the duration of the daily working time have to be recorded, not only for marginal jobs.
By when do a working day's hours have to be recorded?
By the end of the seventh calendar day after the working day at the latest (§ 17 (1) MiLoG). MetronHR can remind about missing days in stages: a notice, an email, a report to the manager. You switch that on yourself and set the thresholds; they count in working days, so set them below seven.
Can the foreman enter the hours for his gang?
Yes. Anyone leading a department or with people under them can create time entries for them. So the gang leader books for the crew even when not everybody types on a phone. Management may record for everybody.
How long do I have to keep working time records in construction?
At least two years. The period is in § 17 (1) MiLoG and equally in § 16 (2) ArbZG for working time beyond eight hours. In MetronHR time entries stay stored as long as your account exists, so you archive no folders.
May people work ten hours a day on site?
Eight hours a working day is permitted. It may be extended to up to ten hours if the average across six calendar months or 24 weeks does not exceed eight (§ 3 ArbZG). You set the daily limit centrally; the default is ten hours.
What if there is no signal on site?
The app stores the entry locally on the device and transfers it as soon as there is a connection again. Recorded hours are therefore not lost when there is no signal in a shell or a basement.
Can I report hours per site?
Yes. Every entry goes to a site, and optionally to a service such as shell construction or rework. The project report shows the hours per site and person, and you download them as Excel or CSV.
Is it worth it for a business with five people?
Yes. Time tracking with site assignment, absences, overtime, Working Time Act checks and Excel/CSV export are included in the Team plan at 5 € per user per month. The digital personnel file, project budgets and advanced analytics are part of the Professional plan at 10 €.
Is there an app for iOS and Android?
Yes, in the App Store and on Google Play. Your people book hours with it, see their own totals and request holiday, with no terminal in the site hut.
Record tomorrow's hours properly from the start?
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