An employee on assignment at a client site, without a time clock at the entrance, records their hours on a piece of paper. At the end of the month, their manager disputes two days. There is no reliable proof on either side. This scenario, common in small businesses and on construction sites, raises a practical question: how to calculate work hours and keep a record that holds up against an inspection or a dispute?
Calculating work hours without a time clock: the enforceable proof
The Labor Code does not require a time clock. Tracking working hours can be done “by any means,” which allows for great flexibility. A spreadsheet, a mobile app, a handwritten notebook: anything works as long as it produces an usable document.
The key point not to miss: the accounting documents must be kept and made available to labor inspection for one year. In the event of an inspection, one must be able to show a daily record, not a monthly estimate reconstructed from memory.
For the proof to be truly enforceable, in practice, Ecostart’s methods for calculating hours are applied by freelancers and small teams that do not have dedicated HR software. The principle remains the same: record the start time, end time, and breaks, each day, without waiting for the end of the week.
A record filled out on the same day is much more valuable than a table completed retroactively. In case of a dispute before the labor court, the judge examines the regularity and consistency of the accounting. A document dated in real time carries more weight than a late reconstruction.
Method for calculating hours in minutes: avoid the classic mistake
The most common mistake when calculating work hours manually is treating minutes as hundredths. 8 h 30 is not 8.30 but 8.50 in decimal. Confusing the two skews every line of the record, and the discrepancy accumulates over an entire month.
Convert to minutes from midnight
The reliable method is to convert everything to minutes. Multiply the hours by 60 and add the remaining minutes. Then subtract, and convert the result back.
- Arrival at 8 h 45: 8 x 60 + 45 = 525 minutes since midnight
- Departure at 17 h 15: 17 x 60 + 15 = 1,035 minutes since midnight
- Gross presence: 1,035 – 525 = 510 minutes, or 8 h 30
- After deducting a 45-minute break: 510 – 45 = 465 minutes, or 7 h 45 of actual work
This mechanical conversion works for both regular hours and staggered shifts. It eliminates the risk of rounding errors.
Convert to decimal for payroll
Payroll software uses the decimal format. To convert, divide the minutes by 60. 7 h 45 becomes 7 + (45/60) = 7.75 hours. Never write 7.45 when you mean 7 h 45: this is the number one source of error on manual time sheets.
Calculating hours for the week: spotting overtime
Daily calculations are not enough. The legal duration of 35 hours is counted weekly. One can very well have days of 7 hours and others of 9 hours without triggering overtime, as long as the total weekly remains below the threshold.
To add durations in hours-minutes without error, convert to total minutes. Add the five days, then convert back. If the result exceeds 2,100 minutes (35 x 60), the difference constitutes overtime subject to increase.
The weekly accounting takes precedence over the monthly accounting in most situations. Some annualization agreements change the game, but for a typical employee, it is the calendar week that counts.
Spreadsheet or app: which tool for reliable tracking of work hours
A spreadsheet like Excel or Google Sheets remains the most common tool in small organizations. One creates a column for each day with the arrival time, departure time, break duration, and a formula that calculates the net. The basic formula in Excel to subtract two time cells: =(C2-B2-D2)*24 gives the result in decimal.
Feedback varies on this point, but a well-structured spreadsheet meets the needs of most teams of fewer than ten people. Beyond that, manual entry becomes a source of forgetfulness and chain corrections.
What the spreadsheet does not do on its own
A spreadsheet does not automatically manage the thresholds for overtime per week, nor the specific increase rules for each collective agreement. It also does not produce an unalterable timestamp. For companies that want enforceable tracking without a physical time clock, a smartphone time tracking app timestamps each entry with the date and sometimes geolocation.
- The spreadsheet is suitable for personal tracking or a micro-team, provided it is filled out daily
- A dedicated app adds automatic timestamping, which enhances the evidential value of the record
- In both cases, the document must be exportable and kept for at least one year to meet legal obligations
Day rate and hour calculation: a common trap
Employees on a day rate do not count their hours, in theory. In practice, several recent decisions remind us that the actual autonomy of the employee is decisive. A day rate can be dismissed by the judge if the employee is actually working under imposed scheduling or without real freedom of organization.
When a day rate is invalidated, the accounting reverts to hours, and all hours beyond 35 per week become overtime to be regularized. Since June 2026, the Court of Cassation has tightened the analysis: invalidation of a day rate no longer automatically leads to reimbursement of taken days off. Restitution now depends on the exact wording of the collective agreement.
For an employee on a day rate who doubts the regularity of their agreement, keeping a personal record of hours remains the best precaution. This record may not serve daily, but it becomes the key piece in case of a dispute.
Whether working in an office, on a construction site, or remotely, the reflex is the same: note hours each day, convert properly, and keep the document. A rigorous record protects both the employee and the employer, without the need to invest in a complex system.
