Mandatory time tracking in Spain

Is time tracking mandatory in Spain? What the law has said since 2019, what changes in 2026, and which digital systems count as valid, with sources.

Yes: recording work hours has been mandatory in Spain since 12 May 2019, for every company and every employee, full-time or part-time, on-site or remote. Here is what the law says today, exactly who it binds, what the 2026 reform would change, and which digital systems count as valid.

Is time tracking mandatory?

Yes. Royal Decree-Law 8/2019 amended article 34.9 of the Spanish Workers’ Statute (Estatuto de los Trabajadores) to require every company to keep a daily record of each employee’s work hours, regardless of company size or sector. The duty took effect on 12 May 2019 and is still in force.

The record must show the exact start and end time of each working day. The company must keep it for four years and make it available to the employee, worker representatives, and the Labour Inspectorate.

Who exactly does the law bind?

The duty covers every company with employees on payroll, regardless of size or sector, and full-time and part-time work alike.

Self-employed people with staff

A self-employed person (autónomo) who has employees must record their work hours the same as any company. A self-employed person with no staff, or a director of their own company where the only worker is that director, carries no such duty, because there is no employment relationship to record. Source: Bizneo, “Registro horario en autónomos” (checked 6 September 2026).

Remote work

Time tracking is mandatory for remote employees too. The law creates no separate system for remote work: it points back to the general rule in the Workers’ Statute and asks the control system to work from home, be reliable, and fit the agreed flexible schedule, without ignoring a remote employee’s right to digital disconnection. Source: Wolters Kluwer, “Registro horario y teletrabajo” (checked 6 September 2026).

What changes with the 2026 reform?

A reform is in process that would add a duty to use a digital record system and rule out paper and spreadsheets such as Excel as a valid format. The government pushed its approval back to September 2026, to settle the Council of State objections to the text. As of this review, the reform still has no confirmed date to take effect.

Until the reform passes, the 2019 duty stays the rule in force: work hours must be recorded, but the law does not name one required software today.

Which time-tracking system is valid?

The law asks for a record that is reliable, objective, and accessible. It does not name one brand or one technology. Digital systems, including ones that use a QR code to clock in, are named among the valid options against paper or a spreadsheet.

IDClock is a QR time-attendance system: a device at the door shows a rotating code, the employee scans it with the app, and the record keeps the clock-in and clock-out time. No biometrics: no fingerprint, no face, no voice.

If your company still tracks time on paper or in a spreadsheet, request a demo to see how IDClock works.

What happens if a company does not comply

Not recording work hours carries a fine, and the amount depends on the severity the Labour Inspectorate finds: we cover the figures in force today, and the one that is still only a draft, in fines for not recording work hours. Beyond the fine, a missing record also weighs in an overtime dispute: without a reliable record, the lack of proof can work in the employee’s favour in a claim.

Frequently asked questions

Does mandatory time tracking apply to part-time schedules?

Yes. The law makes no distinction by schedule type: it applies equally to a full-time contract and a part-time one.

Can a company still track time on paper while the 2026 reform is not in force?

Yes, today, because the 2019 duty names no specific format: it asks for a reliable record, not one required software. Once the reform passes, paper and Excel will stop being valid and a digital system with traceability will be required, so it is worth preparing the switch before it becomes mandatory.

Does the law require a specific brand or device?

No. The law names no brand and no technology. It sets three conditions: the record must be reliable, objective, and accessible to the employee, worker representatives, and the Labour Inspectorate, and any system that meets those three conditions is valid, whether it is an app, a QR device, or a web form.