Time tracking that is fair and GDPR-compliant

Time tracking that teams actually trust

Time tracking should answer one question: how many hours were worked, on what, and are those hours correct? Most tools answer it, but many also collect far more than they need. zeitfair takes a different approach. It records working time clearly and fairly, keeps the data in the EU, and gives managers team and project views rather than rankings of individuals.

If you are searching for time tracking software, you are probably trying to solve one of three problems: accurate hours for payroll and invoices, meeting legal recording duties, or understanding where project time goes. The sections below cover each one.

What good time tracking looks like

A useful system is simple enough that people use it every day. It should offer:

• A timer and manual entries, so people can start when work begins and add forgotten hours later.
• Projects, clients and tasks, so billable time is assigned without spreadsheets.
• Breaks, recorded in the same flow as work time.
• Absences and overtime, with approval and a running balance.
• Exports, as CSV or PDF reports and monthly time statements (Zeitnachweis).

Most of this is workflow. The harder part is trust. Employees should know what is recorded, why, and who can see it. Tools that log keystrokes or take screenshots undermine that trust quickly. zeitfair does not do this, and it does not score individuals.

Accurate hours without surveillance

Accurate hours come from people logging their time without friction: a timer they can start in seconds, and easy corrections when something was missed. Corrections should be possible, but they should leave a trace. zeitfair keeps an audit log of changes to time entries, so a correction is visible rather than silent.

Team and project insights, not individual scores

Managers usually need to know whether a project is on track or whether a team is overloaded. They rarely need a league table of individual hours. zeitfair shows insights at team and project level, which supports planning without turning time data into a performance score.

Time tracking requirements in the EU and UK

Requirements differ by country, but they point in the same direction. Employers need reliable records of working time, and those records must be handled under data protection law.

This overview is general information, not legal advice. Check your obligations with a lawyer or your data protection officer before rollout.

Works councils in Germany

In Germany, introducing a time recording system is usually subject to works council co-determination. The Federal Labour Court (BAG) confirmed this in its decision of 13 September 2022 (1 ABR 22/21). Start the works council conversation early, and involve it in choosing settings and retention periods.

Time tracking and GDPR

Under the GDPR, working-time data is personal data, so the design matters as much as the feature list. Four principles do most of the work:

1. Purpose limitation and minimisation. Record working time, projects and absences. Do not record activity data you do not need.
2. Transparency. Employees should know what is recorded, for what purpose and for how long (Articles 5 and 13).
3. Storage limitation. Keep records only as long as the legal retention period requires. Set a retention rule for time data early, so old records are deleted on schedule rather than kept indefinitely.
4. Processor contracts. A provider that processes data on your behalf needs a data processing agreement (Article 28).

For larger rollouts, a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) under Article 35 may be needed. The DPIA is also a useful place to document your choices.

How zeitfair supports this

• Hosting in the EU. Data is stored in Frankfurt, Germany.
• DPA online. The data processing agreement is available to customers online.
• Roles. Owner, Admin, Manager and Employee roles limit who sees what.
• Export and deletion. Data can be exported and deleted.
• Audit log. Changes to time entries are logged.

These are practical controls, not a replacement for your own compliance work. For the full picture, read our guide to GDPR time tracking.

Time tracking for teams

Teams need shared visibility without micromanagement. A manager should see whether timesheets are complete, which projects are running hot and where absences are piling up. Employees should see their own balance and be able to request leave.

zeitfair supports this with employee self-service, absence approval and team-level reports. If you want a deeper look at the employee side, see employee time tracking.

Time tracking for small business

Small businesses usually need three things: a simple setup, a low cost and reports the accountant can use. A free plan covering up to three users lets you start without a purchase decision. Paid plans scale with the team: Basic at 3.90 euros, Pro at 6.90 euros and Business at 9.90 euros per user per month.

For firms that bill clients, the key detail is the link between time and projects. The timesheet app guide covers the daily entry side in more depth.

Time tracking for projects and clients

Project time tracking is about knowing where hours go. Tag each entry with a project, client or task, then compare planned and actual hours at the end of each week. Good reports make overruns visible early, while there is still time to adjust scope. See project time tracking for a step-by-step setup.

When hours feed into invoices, agree on rounding rules and a review step before billing. A weekly check of open entries catches missing projects and forgotten timers, and it takes minutes rather than an hour at month end.

How to choose time tracking software

Compare tools on a short list of criteria:

Be cautious with tools that promise to measure productivity through screenshots or activity scores. They can create legal risk under GDPR and often damage trust. Plain time tracking with good reports is usually the better choice.

Get started

zeitfair is free for up to 3 users. Set up your team in a few minutes, invite your employees and start the timer. You can move to a paid plan when your team grows.