Introduction to Own Paid Breaks
With the Own Paid Breaks feature, you can automatically deduct fixed breaks from employees' time registrations.
Breaks are set up per policy and can be targeted to specific employee groups. This feature ensures consistent registration and correct calculation of work hours.
When a break is set up:
The break time is automatically deducted from registered work hours
The break can be made mandatory or editable
If an employee works during their lunch break, you can choose whether they have the option to remove the break or if it is mandatory.Multiple breaks can be created per day
The setup applies to all employees on the selected policy
How to Create Own Paid Breaks
To create own paid breaks, go to:
Setup Admin → Modules → Edit Policy
Open the "Working Week" section
Open the "Break" subsection
Click Add Break
Enter start and end time
Choose whether the employee can remove the break
Save
Activate the break on the policy by marking it as active.
Types of Registrations Affected by Breaks
Own paid breaks apply to the following registration types:
Time registration
Flex time
Time off
Other vacation
Sick
Child sick
If a time registration only partially overlaps with a break, only the overlapping part of the break will be deducted.
Employee View of Breaks
Create Registration
When the employee creates a registration, the break is shown at the bottom of the screen.
If the checkbox is visible, it means the employee has the option to remove the break. |  |
View Registration
On a previous registration, it is shown at the bottom of the screen if a break has been deducted. |  |
You update breaks on employees' policies.
Open the employee's policy via setup admin. Go to working week > Breaks > From here you can create and edit breaks.
FAQ
Do changes to breaks apply retroactively?
Do changes to breaks apply retroactively?
If you change breaks on the policy, this change applies going forward and does not affect already created registrations.
Can we have different breaks for different employee groups?
Can we have different breaks for different employee groups?
Breaks are set up per policy and can therefore vary between employee groups.
Does the employee have to take a break if it is set on the policy – and what if an employee does not take a break?
Does the employee have to take a break if it is set on the policy – and what if an employee does not take a break?
If the break is activated on the employee's policy, it will automatically be deducted from registered work hours if the registration overlaps with the break.
Whether the employee “must” take the break depends on the setup:
If the break is mandatory → the employee cannot remove it
If the break is editable → the employee can remove it on the day
So it is a policy setting – not a manual registration.
If the employee does not take a break, you can:
Make the break editable so the employee can remove it
Create a separate policy without a break and assign the employee to it
Break setup is managed per policy – not individually, unless the employee has their own policy.
Our employees have paid lunch – how is this handled?
Our employees have paid lunch – how is this handled?
If your employees have paid lunch, you should not create a break on the policy because it should not be deducted from the registered work hours.
Note:
A break that is active and mandatory on the policy will automatically be deducted from work hours if there is an overlap.
How do own paid breaks affect work hours, standard hours, supplementary balance hours (e.g. other vacation, OK days), and time off?
How do own paid breaks affect work hours, standard hours, supplementary balance hours (e.g. other vacation, OK days), and time off?
An own paid break is used to deduct break time from the employee's work hours registration.
For example, if an employee registers work hours from 8:30 to 16:30, and there is a 30-minute own paid break set up, the employee's work hours will be calculated as 7 hours and 30 minutes.
This means:
Time period: 8:30-16:30 = 8 hours
Own paid break: 30 minutes
Work hours/standard hours: 7 hours and 30 minutes
Own paid breaks therefore affect the time that is counted as work hours when the employee is at work.
When the employee takes a full day of time off, supplementary balance in hours, or other leave, the employee should not also “pay” for a break. Therefore, the day's standard hours are used without the own paid break.
Example:
If the employee's official workday is 8:30-16:30 with a 30-minute own paid break, the day's standard hours are 7 hours and 30 minutes.
For a full day of time off, 7.50 hours are deducted from the hour bank – not 8.00 hours.
In short:
Own paid break is deducted when the employee registers work hours.
Own paid break is not extra time to be deducted on a full leave or time off day.
A full day of time off is settled according to the day's net standard hours.
If the day's net standard hours are 7 hours and 30 minutes, it is shown as 7.50 in decimals.
Important for Setup Admin
When you set up own paid breaks, make sure that the working week and the break together give the desired net standard hours.
If the workday is, for example, 8:30-16:30, and the employee has a 30-minute own paid break, the actual standard hours are 7.50 hours. This is the standard hours used for full days of time off and other full leave days.