Since 2019, most employers in Spain must record employees' daily working hours. This is not empty bureaucracy: it protects both the company and the team when hours, absences or an inspection need to be justified.
If you still track time on a shared spreadsheet or on paper, this guide explains what the law requires, what to record, common mistakes and how software like SolveLens HR can save time and reduce risk.
What the law says
Royal Decree-Law 8/2019 introduced the employer's obligation to ensure daily work-time records, documenting when each employee's working day starts and ends.
In practice, this means:
- Recording the actual schedule for each working day.
- Keeping records for the legal retention period (typically 4 years).
- Being able to produce them for employees, worker representatives or labour inspectors.
- Not confusing time records with payroll: they are complementary documents.
What you must record
A valid work-time record should include at least:
- Employee identification (name or internal ID).
- Date of the working day.
- Clock-in and clock-out times (or equivalent marks for shifts).
- Total hours worked that day, if the system calculates them.
Paid or unpaid breaks, split schedules or remote work must be reflected accurately. A generic "8 h" entry without detail is weak under review.
Who is responsible
The obligation falls on the employer, not on each employee individually. Companies can delegate clock-in to workers, provided the system is reliable and the employer keeps a centralised record.
Typical responsibility mistakes:
- Assuming "everyone keeps their own spreadsheet".
- Relying on one person who updates a local file.
- No backup if the file is corrupted or deleted.
Common SMB mistakes
- Shared Excel without version control: concurrent edits lose data.
- End-of-month reconstruction: the law expects daily records, not retroactive guesswork.
- Disconnecting leave from clock-ins: vacation days must be recorded too.
- Undocumented exceptions: overtime, early leave or incidents with no trail.
- Ignoring remote work: home workers must record their working time as well.
Spreadsheets vs work-time software
Spreadsheets may work for very small, stable teams but do not scale. Time tracking software for SMBs provides:
- Automatic per-employee, per-day history.
- Fewer manual errors and better audit trails.
- Exportable reports for payroll or labour advice.
- Integration with leave, schedules and incidents.
How to implement it in 4 steps
- Choose the method: web, mobile, QR or supervised manual entry — whatever the team will actually use.
- Communicate clearly: explain what is recorded, why, and how to view history.
- Trial for 2 weeks: catch issues before a full month.
- Review reports weekly: 10 minutes a week prevents bigger problems.
How SolveLens HR helps
SolveLens HR centralises work-time records together with leave, schedules and reports. Each company has an isolated workspace; employees clock in from the portal or app, and HR reviews reports without manual counting.
Try the Professional plan for 14 days with no card to see if it fits your team before committing.
Conclusion
Compliance does not require a large HR department — it requires a reliable system and consistency. If your SMB still depends on Excel or WhatsApp, change before the first inspection or serious hour dispute, not after.
Try SolveLens HR with your team
14 days on the Professional plan, no card required. Time tracking, leave, schedules and reports in one place.