Skip to main content
How to Set Up Paid or Unpaid Breaks

Step-by-step instructions on how to setup manual or automatic paid/unpaid breaks.

Rachel avatar
Written by Rachel
Updated over a week ago

Overview: With Buddy Punch, you can track both paid and unpaid breaks. Breaks can be set up to automatically occur based on the number of hours worked per day or between punches. Breaks can also be manually entered by employees or management.

Instructions:

Additional Resources:


Paid/Unpaid Manual Breaks

1. Start by going to Settings --> Break Rules:

2. On the Break Rule page, click +Add a New Break Rule:

3. When creating a manual break you'll need to specify:

  • Break Rule Name: What employees will see when adding or taking a manual break.

  • Pay Status: Paid or Unpaid

  • If the employee can enter the break. Note: If the "Employees can enter this break" option is left unchecked, only managers or administrators will be able to enter the break.

  • The minimum amount of time the employee is required to stay on the break. If there's no minimum, please enter 0.

  • Which employees are assigned to the break.

Once you've made your selections, Save once done.


Paid/Unpaid Automatic Breaks

1. Start by going to Settings --> Break Rules:

2. On the Break Rule page, click +Add a New Break Rule:

3. When creating an automatic break you'll need to specify:

  • Break Rule Name

  • Pay Status: Paid or Unpaid

  • If the break should be applied based on the total time between each punch in/out or based on the total time per day.

  • How many hours an employee needs to work before the rule triggers.

  • The total break time in minutes.

  • Which employees are assigned to the break.

Important: An employee can only be assigned to one automatic break rule at a time.

Once you've made your selections, Save once done.


Activate/Deactivate Breaks

Breaks cannot be deleted if they've previously been used by employees, but they can be deactivated directly from the Settings --> Break Rules page.

1. Start by clicking Edit next to the break rule you want to deactivate:

2. Uncheck the box next to Active and Save once done:

3. The break rule will now be moved to the Inactive tab:

4. You can also activate codes from the Inactive tab by clicking Edit next to the rule you want to activate, check the box next to Active, and Save once done.


Video:

FAQ:

Q: How do I remove a break rule when the Delete button is grayed out?

A: If the Delete button is grayed out, this means the rule has been applied to an employee's punches and cannot be deleted. The rule can be deactivated though.

Did this answer your question?