Many companies have heard that new digital time-recording regulations will arrive in 2026. However, before changing processes or hastily purchasing a tool, it is important to distinguish between the obligation already in force and the new regulations that are still being processed.
As of this article's update on 14 July 2026, the new implementing regulations have not yet been definitively published in Spain's Official State Gazette. Their specific requirements and effective date may therefore still change.
What is clear is the direction of the reform: to achieve records that are more reliable, accessible and difficult to manipulate, while also making it easier to monitor actual working hours and overtime.
What working-time records currently require
The general obligation to record working hours has existed in Spain since 2019. Article 34.9 of the Workers' Statute establishes that a company must guarantee a daily record that includes the specific start and end time of each employee's working day.
The organisation and documentation of the record is determined through collective bargaining, a company agreement or, failing that, a decision by the company after consulting the employees' legal representatives.
The company must also retain the records for four years and make them available to employees, their representatives and the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate.
The regulations currently in force do not generally impose a specific technology. Different systems may be used provided that the record is reliable and can demonstrate the hours worked. Even so, a paper sheet or editable template may make it difficult to guarantee traceability, consult the information and prove that the data has not subsequently been altered.
What would change with the new digital working-time record
The project led by the Ministry of Labour aims to set out in greater detail how the record must be kept. Although the definitive text has yet to be published, drafts and published information point towards a digital model offering more immediate access to all parties involved.
The main anticipated changes include:
- Personal and direct recording of working hours by each employee.
- Recording the start, end and any interruptions that affect the calculation of working time.
- Identification and traceability of changes made to the original data.
- Immediate remote access for employees, legal representatives and the Labour Inspectorate.
- Retention of information for four years.
- Use of objective, reliable and accessible systems that allow actual working hours to be verified.
These points describe the direction of the reform, but they should not yet be treated as the definitive wording of the regulations. Headlines about new penalties and mandatory dates are also circulating, but these may come from earlier proposals or texts that have not yet entered into force. The valid reference will always be the version published in the BOE.
How this affects installation and field service companies
Recording working time is particularly complex when the team works away from an office. Maintenance technicians, installers, electricians, cleaners and technical support professionals may start their day from different locations, travel between several customers and take breaks or deal with incidents that are difficult to reflect in a manual system.
In these cases, the issue is not simply clocking in. The company must define how travel, breaks, interventions and any extensions to the working day are recorded. It also needs a procedure for resolving omissions or errors without deleting the original record or losing traceability.
Working-time records should not be confused with permanently tracking an employee's location. Any system used must comply with employment and data-protection regulations, properly inform staff and limit the collection of information to what is necessary.
A mobile application can simplify the process by allowing working hours to be recorded from the work location and keeping the information centralised. However, technology alone does not guarantee compliance: clear internal rules, training and transparent management of corrections are also required.
How a company can prepare
There is no need to wait for the regulations to be published before reviewing the current system. Digitising records in advance can reduce errors and make it easier to adapt once the definitive text is known.
A good starting point is to check who must record their hours, how breaks are managed, what happens when someone forgets to clock in and who can correct an entry. It is also worth verifying whether the data is retained for four years, whether it can be consulted easily and whether every change records who made it and why.
To prepare for the change in an orderly way:
- Document the current process and identify records that are incomplete, duplicated or editable without control.
- Define an understandable clocking-in policy for on-site, mobile and remote employees.
- Check that the tool allows information to be consulted and exported without relying on manual processes.
- Establish a traceable procedure for omissions, incidents and corrections.
- Inform and train the team before implementing the system.
- Review the process when the definitive regulations are published and adapt the necessary fields or access permissions.
From isolated clocking-in to connected operations
In a field service company, working-time records provide more value when they are naturally integrated into daily work. If a technician already uses an application to view visits, change the status of a task, attach photographs or collect a signature, recording the start and end of their working day in the same environment reduces friction and omissions.
enrutar helps organise jobs, customers, routes and teams from a centralised platform. Its mobile application allows technicians to clock in and update interventions from their phones, keeping operational information connected and accessible.
When the new regulations are published, the specific functions of any tool will need to be checked against the definitive requirements in the BOE. Preparing processes and centralising information now, however, avoids having to start from scratch.
More than an administrative obligation
A consistent record helps identify excessively long working days, idle time, planning problems and unevenly distributed workloads. To obtain useful information, the data must be complete and the team must understand why it is collected and how it is used.
Companies that review their processes now will have more room to adapt without rushing. The aim is not to clock in more, but to have a simple, reliable system that reflects the reality of day-to-day work.
If you manage technicians, installations or maintenance and want to centralise clocking-in alongside jobs and routes, you can request a demonstration of enrutar.
This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Before making decisions, check the definitive publication of the regulations and, where necessary, consult a professional specialising in employment law and data protection.