Module 19 of 20
AvailableTime tracking without paper chaos and without regulatory risk
Clock in and out in one click, the server sets the timestamp. When clocking out, DARION-AI checks in real time whether §3 maximum daily hours, §4 minimum breaks and §5 rest periods under the ArbZG (Arbeitszeitgesetz) are complied with. GDPR-compliant, EU-hosted in Nuremberg, with a built-in AI helper for plan-vs-actual analysis. 49 euros per user per month all-in, no per-module licence fees.
What Time Tracking does
Digital time clock with server-side timestamp
Employees clock in and out in one click, the server sets the timestamp independently of the client device. A maximum of one open clock-in per employee is enforced at database level, overlapping entries are technically excluded. No retroactive entries, no paper forms. Each entry carries the date according to the Berlin calendar day, so that overnight and shift work crossing midnight is evaluated correctly. Clocking in is blocked immediately when an active ArbZG rest-period lock is in place. The individual entry shows start, end, break and calculated net working time at a glance. The time clock widget is suitable for kiosk use on shared displays and carries all interactive elements with data-test selectors for automated testing.
Synchronous ArbZG compliance check on clock-out
When clocking out, a synchronous compliance check under the Arbeitszeitgesetz (ArbZG, German Working Hours Act) runs automatically. Section 3 checks whether the maximum daily working time is exceeded. Section 4 ensures that for working periods of six hours or more the statutory break has been taken. Section 5 checks the rest period between two working days, but only for entries spanning different Berlin calendar days: gaps within the same calendar day count as breaks, not rest periods. The result appears immediately on clock-out as a notice, warning or lock. Notices are informational, warnings are documented, a lock blocks further clock-in until a documented unlock is completed. All check thresholds are isolated in a dedicated configuration file and can be updated for legislative changes without reimplementation.
ArbZG lock with unlock workflow and audit trail
If the ArbZG check on clock-out detects a rest-period violation, a hard lock is set: clock-in is blocked until a supervisor with unlock permission enters a documented reason. The reason must be at least 20 characters and lands immutably in the audit log. The unlock runs via a secured database function (SECURITY DEFINER, no direct table access) that verifies the permission within the correct account before lifting the lock. The anti-oracle principle ensures that the error message does not reveal whether a lock belongs to the account or does not exist. The audit log is append-only with a cryptographic hash chain so that even database administrators cannot modify an entry after the fact.
GoBD audit protection and correction workflow
Completed time entries are immutable. A database trigger blocks every UPDATE and DELETE on completed entries, even for administrators, and raises a documented error code. Corrections run through a dedicated correction workflow that does not touch the original entry but creates a new corrected entry linked to the original. The correction form is implemented without defaults: empty form inputs do not overwrite existing values, accidental deletion is excluded. In a GoBD audit or a tax inspection all original data with the full correction history is present and immutable. The data model includes a structural provision for a reversal flow (counter-booking), and the full reversal workflow will be added in Increment 2.
Plan-vs-actual comparison against shift schedules
The plan-vs-actual feature compares the planned target hours from the shift schedules of the HR module with the actual clocked hours. The evaluation runs via a database view with security_invoker: each user sees only the data they are authorised to access via Row-Level Security. A date range is mandatory, the filter can be narrowed to individual employees. The result shows target, actual, difference and open locks per day per employee. The view contains no persisted aggregate: changes to time entries or shift schedules are immediately visible without a batch job. Team leads can see daily whether their team is on track, without building their own evaluations.
DATEV LODAS interface in preparation
The foundation for the DATEV LODAS export is technically in place. The pay-type configuration (pay-type mapping for regular hours, overtime, night, Sunday and public holidays) is stored and validated in the system. A structured LODAS ASCII format with correct section layout, CRLF line endings and comma decimal separator is implemented. The export interface is built around an abstracted serialiser so that future format adjustments are made in a single location. The export UI is disabled until the actual LODAS sample has been approved by your tax adviser (Steuerberater). Once the pay-type list and the personnel-number source have been agreed with the tax adviser, the export will be activated in Increment 2. GDPR-compliant, no data leaving the EU.
Who uses this module
CEO
As a business owner you have been obliged to record your employees' working hours since the German Federal Labour Court ruling of 2022 (BAG-Urteil) and the ECJ clock-in ruling of 2019. In the time-tracking module you see at a glance whether statutory requirements are being met: open locks, ArbZG warnings per team and unresolved correction entries. In the event of an inspection by the trade supervisory authority (Gewerbeaufsichtsamt) you present the audit log directly, all entries immutably secured with a hash chain in accordance with GoBD. The AI helper answers questions like 'Who exceeded maximum daily hours last week?' directly, without you building your own evaluations. The quarterly management report with plan-vs-actual deviations and lock statistics you export in two clicks as a PDF, in a format suitable for ISO audits and GDPR reviews alike.
Team lead
As a team lead you want to know whether your team is on track for the week and whether shift handovers comply with rest-period rules. In the plan-vs-actual module you see per employee the target hours, actual hours and deviations for each day in the selected period. ArbZG warnings and active locks are colour-coded: notice in yellow, warning in orange, lock in red. If an employee remains clocked in and a rest-period violation is approaching, you see this before the lock is triggered. You handle unlocks directly from the lock list with a documented reason. Corrections for input errors you create via the correction dialogue, the original entry remains untouched. You do not have to maintain your own Excel spreadsheet, everything sits audit-proof in one source, and when the next inspection comes you give the inspector a time-limited read-only access.
Employee
You clock in with one click in the morning and out with one click in the evening, entering your break time as you go. On clock-out you get immediate feedback on whether your working time is within the green range: no notice means everything is fine, a yellow notice informs you of a deviation that is documented but not blocking. An orange warning tells you that you were close to a threshold without being locked out. You can view your own time entries in the overview, and for any error you tell your team lead who creates the correction. No extra app, no separate login, no additional hardware: the DARION-AI portal is sufficient. Payroll, vacation account and time tracking are in one system, you do not have to pull information from multiple tools.
Connects with
DATEV LODASMicrosoft 365Excel/CSV
Frequently asked questions
Ready for DARION-AI Time Tracking?
49 € net/user/month with all modules included
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