Zytbox
Guide, updated July 2026

Time tracking rules in Switzerland

1. The legal basis

In Switzerland, recording working time is not optional. It is required by the Federal Labour Act (Arbeitsgesetz, ArG) and its Ordinance 1 (ArGV 1). Article 46 ArG obliges every employer to keep records that let the authorities check whether the law is being followed. Articles 73, 73a and 73b ArGV 1 then set out exactly what has to be recorded and which simplifications are allowed. The goal is simple, to make sure that working hours, rest periods and breaks stay within the legal limits.

2. Who has to record working time

As a rule, working time has to be tracked for every employee who is covered by the Labour Act. There are only a few exceptions.

  • Most employees in the private sector are covered and their time must be recorded.
  • Senior managers with genuine decision-making power over the business are exempt (Art. 3 lit. d ArG).
  • Some sectors and situations, such as agriculture or family members of the employer, follow their own special rules.

3. What a full time record must contain

For standard, systematic tracking under Article 73 ArGV 1, the record has to be complete enough for an inspector to verify compliance. In practice it needs to show the following.

  • Personal details of the employee, the type of work, and the dates of joining and leaving.
  • The start and end of each working period, and of breaks of 30 minutes or more.
  • The daily and weekly hours worked, including overtime and compensatory work.
  • The days of rest and any compensatory rest that was granted.
  • Wage or time supplements owed by law, for example for night or Sunday work.

4. Simplified time tracking

Employees who can decide a significant part of their own working hours may agree to a simplified record under Article 73b ArGV 1. This reduces the paperwork, but it does not remove the duty to track time.

  • Only the total hours worked per day need to be recorded.
  • For night and Sunday work, the start and end times are still required.
  • In companies with fewer than 50 employees, an individual written agreement with the employee is enough.
  • Larger companies need a collective agreement with the staff representation or a majority of the workforce.
  • The workload has to be reviewed once a year, and that discussion has to be documented.
  • An employee can always ask to switch back to full tracking, and the employer must then provide a suitable tool.

5. Waiving time tracking (trust-based working time)

In narrow cases, employees can waive time tracking completely under Article 73a ArGV 1. This is only possible when all of the following conditions are met at the same time.

  • A collective bargaining agreement (GAV) in the sector allows the waiver and sets out measures to protect health.
  • The employee has a high degree of autonomy and can set the majority of their own working hours.
  • The gross annual salary is above CHF 120,000, including bonuses.
  • The employee signs an individual, written declaration to waive tracking, which can be revoked each year.

6. How long records must be kept

Time records and the related documents have to be kept for at least 5 years. The cantonal labour inspectorate can ask to see them during an audit, so the data needs to stay complete and accessible for that whole period.

7. The working-time limits behind the records

Time tracking exists to prove that the core limits of the Labour Act are respected. The most important ones are the following.

  • Maximum weekly working time is 45 hours for office staff, technical employees and larger retail businesses, and 50 hours for all other sectors.
  • Employees are entitled to a daily rest of at least 11 consecutive hours.
  • Breaks are required by law, 15 minutes for more than 5.5 hours of work, 30 minutes for more than 7 hours, and 1 hour for more than 9 hours.
  • Night and Sunday work generally need a permit and trigger wage or time supplements.

8. How Zytbox helps you stay compliant

Zytbox is built around these Swiss rules, so compliance is the default rather than extra work.

  • It records the start, end and breaks of each working day, and totals the daily and weekly hours automatically.
  • It supports both full and simplified tracking, so you can match the model to each team.
  • It stores your data for the legally required retention period and keeps it ready for an audit.
  • It flags overtime and rest-period issues early, so problems are visible before they become violations.

9. This is not legal advice

This guide gives a plain-language overview and does not replace individual legal advice. For binding details, please refer to the official texts of the Labour Act (ArG) and Ordinance 1 (ArGV 1), or contact your cantonal labour inspectorate or the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).