Client time and working time are two different things
The billable time on a case is not the employee's working time. MetronHR keeps the two apart, and governs who gets to see which cases at all.
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- Hours per case, kept apart from working time
- Access by role: not everybody sees every case
- Later changes as a request rather than quietly
In shortSince the Federal Labour Court order of 13 September 2022, law firms and tax offices, too, have to record all of their employees' working time. Billable client time is not the same as working time. MetronHR records both separately and controls access per role, because section 203 StGB also covers the people who assist in a firm.
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What sits above time tracking in a law or tax practice
Two things set a practice apart from any other service provider: billable client time is not working time, and everyone with access to client data falls under the duty of confidentiality, including the software behind it.
- Typical size
- 5 to 30 employees
- Price for 15 people
- 75 euros on Team, 150 euros on Professional
- Matching template
- Project time tracking as Excel, free of charge
- Duty of confidentiality
- Section 203 StGB, including assisting personnel
Assisting personnel under section 203 (3) and (4) StGB
Third-party secrets may be disclosed to assisting personnel to the extent necessary for their service. Anyone who does not bind these people to confidentiality is liable to prosecution under subsection 4.
This concerns not only employees but also external service providers, right down to the data centre. For law firms section 43e BRAO makes this concrete: the service provider must be selected carefully and bound to confidentiality in text form, with instruction on the criminal consequences.
Access only to the extent required for the work
Disclosure is permitted only to the extent necessary for the assisting person's work. Access beyond that scope is not.
For time tracking that means roles and visibility have to be fine-grained enough that not everyone sees every client assignment. In MetronHR the role determines what is visible, and the assignment to a matter is not visible to all.
Billable time is not working time
Time assigned to the matter is the basis for the invoice. Working time under the Working Time Act additionally covers everything that is not billable: internal meetings, further training, administration, business development.
Anyone equating the two regularly records too little working time and thereby fails the recording duty. MetronHR keeps the two separate: working time for the time account, project time for the assignment to the matter.
Two kinds of time, two purposes
| Working time | Client time | |
|---|---|---|
| What for | Recording duty, time account, overtime | Invoice to the client |
| Basis | Section 3 (2) no. 1 ArbSchG, section 16 ArbZG | Fee agreement or the German Lawyers' Fees Act |
| Includes | everything, including meetings, training and administration | only the service assigned to the matter |
| In MetronHR | Time tracking with target, actual and balance | Project time with customer, activity and budget |
What for
- Working time
- Recording duty, time account, overtime
- Client time
- Invoice to the client
Basis
- Working time
- Section 3 (2) no. 1 ArbSchG, section 16 ArbZG
- Client time
- Fee agreement or the German Lawyers' Fees Act
Includes
- Working time
- everything, including meetings, training and administration
- Client time
- only the service assigned to the matter
In MetronHR
- Working time
- Time tracking with target, actual and balance
- Client time
- Project time with customer, activity and budget
Further reading: Section 203 (3) and (4) of the Criminal Code (assisting personnel) · Section 43e of the Federal Lawyers' Act (use of service providers) · Section 3 (2) no. 1 of the Occupational Safety Act, section 16 of the Working Time Act
As at: September 2026. This is not legal advice; for a specific case in your business it is better to ask someone with a licence to practise.
Two notions of time, one recording
In a practice both count: the time attributed to the case, and the working time the Working Hours Act covers. Anyone keeping only one of them has a gap at the month end.
- Problem
Billable is not the same as worked
Training, internal meetings and deadline control are working time but cannot be attributed to a case.
- Problem
Professional confidentiality covers the team too
Under § 203 (4) StGB, professionals have to make sure that anyone assisting them is bound to secrecy.
- Problem
Corrections stay invisible
If an entry is changed afterwards, without a log it is no longer possible to see what was originally booked.
Case, working time and access in one place
Every case is a client, and every activity a service under it. The working time runs alongside against the Working Hours Act, and roles decide who sees which cases.
Case and working time separately on the recordFor every entry it can be traced which case it went to and who changed it when.
From the entry to the case invoice
Three steps that keep billable time and working time apart.
Book time to the case
Pick the case, pick the activity, enter the time, at the computer or on the move. Every entry is checked against the working time rules as it is saved.
Billable time and working time come about in one step.
Checked as you book Every day checked
Start the check and watch MetronHR go through the month day by day.
Findings with day and person
Anything that stands out is listed with day and person and can be explained with a note.
October check12 people · 22 working daysWorking days checked0 of 264day Person Finding Status 08.10. Mara Wolf 10:15h in one day with a note 21.10. Tobias Krüger Rest period 9:30h with a note Set the access by role
Roles and departments control who sees which cases and documents. Staff see their own hours, and the professionals see the case portfolio.
Assisting staff see only what they need.
Documents and access DocumentsSophie BraunFiles in the record6Zeugnis_2026.pdfContracts · todaynewEmployment_contract_Braun.pdfContracts · 01 Mar 2021Hours_change_2024.pdfContracts · 01 Jan 2024Hygiene_training_2025.pdfCertificates · 12 Nov 2025First_aid_2025.pdfCertificates · 04 Jun 2025Report balances and case hours
Overtime balance per employee, hours per matter and period, as Excel or CSV for invoicing, and for the payroll office also as a DATEV payroll file.
One basis for the invoice and the payroll.
The balance across the years My accountSophie Braun · as of todayBalance+2:15hLeave left13 daysThis week40:00hWeek Target Actual Balance week 41 40:00h 41:30h +1:30h Week 42 40:00h 40:45h +0:45h Week 43 40:00h 40:00h 0:00h
What practices need from time tracking
A link to the case, professional confidentiality and a clean hours account, with no IT department.
- Projects
Hours per case and activity
Every entry goes to a case, and optionally to a service as well.
Advice, drafting or deadline control reportable separately.
- Security
Access by role and department
You decide who sees which cases and documents.
Supports the duty under § 203 (4) StGB to bind assisting staff to secrecy.
- Documents
Changes as a request, not quietly
Later corrections to locked hours run as a change request.
Who filed it and who approved it stays traceable.
- Time
Working time alongside the case
Breaks, maximum working time and rest periods are checked along.
The defaults are 10 hours a day and 11 hours of rest.
- Reports
Hours per case and month
The basis for the invoice, with no recalculating.
Download as Excel or CSV, filtered by case and period.
- Tools
The practice management enters for others
Anyone leading a department can record hours for their team.
For colleagues who dictate their hours rather than booking them.
- Apps
Recording on the move
iOS and Android, book the hours straight after a court appointment.
Recordable in a court building with no signal, and transferred afterwards.
- Simplicity
No installation on the practice's computers
Runs in the browser and as an app, with no installation on practice machines.
Invite trainees and temporary staff by email and deactivate them afterwards.
For practice management, professionals and the office
Four roles, four reasons, from the case invoice to the payroll.
- Practice owner
Knows which case pays for itself
- At the end of the quarter it is unclear how many hours went into which case.
- Hours per case and activity, the basis for the invoice and for costing.
- Lawyer
Books straight after the appointment
- Hours get reconstructed from memory in the evening.
- Pick the case, enter the time, at the computer or on the phone.
- Team lead
Keeps working time and deadlines in view
- Overtime only shows up when somebody is off.
- Balances per person, absences and cover in one place.
- Accountant
Gets balances that fit the payroll
- Handwritten notes that have to be sorted out before the payroll.
- One file per month with hours, balances and absences, with no follow-up questions.
Professional confidentiality applies to the software too
Under § 203 (4) StGB, professionals have to make sure that anyone assisting them is bound to secrecy. Part of that is that not everybody on the team sees every case.
- Roles and departments control who can look at which cases and documents
- Servers in Germany, transferred and stored encrypted, GDPR compliant
- No transfer to third countries, no access under US law
- Every change to a time entry is logged, with an audit trail on the Professional plan
Related
Where to go from here, and what waits for you there.
Frequent questions from practices
Client time, confidentiality and working time, answered briefly.
Question not answered here? Every step is explained in the help centre.
Send us a messageCan I keep billable client time and working time apart?
Yes. Every entry goes to a case and optionally to an activity. Time without a case, training or internal meetings, you book without a client. The report shows both views: hours per case and working time per person.
Does everybody see every case?
No. Roles and departments decide who sees which cases and documents. By default people see their own hours. That supports the duty under § 203 (4) StGB to bind assisting staff to secrecy.
What happens when an entry has to be corrected afterwards?
Hours that are already locked cannot be quietly overwritten. The employee files a change request and the manager decides it. Who filed and who approved what stays traceable.
Is the working time checked against the Working Hours Act?
Yes. The break rule, the maximum working time and the rest period are checked on every entry. Eight hours a working day is permitted, and up to ten only if the average across 24 weeks holds at eight (§ 3 ArbZG).
How do the hours get into the invoice?
Filter by period and case and download the report as Excel or CSV. The file contains the hours per case, activity and person as the basis for invoicing.
Which plan includes it?
Time tracking with matter 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, audit trail and advanced analytics are part of the Professional plan at 10 €.
Can several offices be kept apart?
Yes, through departments. Each department can have its own managers, who see and approve only their area's hours. Practice management keeps the overall view.
Is there an app for iOS and Android?
Yes, in the App Store and on Google Play. Book hours, look at your own totals and request holiday, even without a signal; the entry is transferred later.
Keep client time and working time properly apart?
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