Legal Background
German labour law (Arbeitszeitgesetz, ArbZG Section 4) requires mandatory rest breaks:
- 30 minutes after more than 6 hours of work
- 45 minutes after more than 9 hours of work
These breaks may be split into segments of at least 15 minutes each. KiDig enforces these rules automatically to ensure legal compliance.
How Break Deduction Works in KiDig
KiDig checks each employee's daily time entries and compares the total working time against the break thresholds. If the required break time has not been recorded, the system deducts the difference automatically.
Detection of Actual Breaks
KiDig detects breaks by looking at gaps between intervals. If an employee logs two intervals -- for example 7:00--12:00 and 12:30--16:00 -- the 30-minute gap counts as a recorded break. Only gaps of 15 minutes or more count toward the break requirement.
Forced Deduction
If the recorded gaps are shorter than the legally required break, KiDig deducts the remaining time from the employee's working hours. For example:
| Scenario | Total work | Recorded break | Required break | Deduction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00--15:30, 15-min gap at noon | 8 h 15 min | 15 min | 30 min | 15 min |
| 7:00--16:30, no gap | 9 h 30 min | 0 min | 45 min | 45 min |
| 7:00--13:30, no gap | 6 h 30 min | 0 min | 30 min | 30 min |
| 7:00--12:00 | 5 h 00 min | -- | None | 0 min |
Configuration Options
In the Tariff Settings under Break Rules, you can adjust the following:
- Enable/disable automatic break deduction: Turn the feature on or off for the entire facility.
- Threshold 1: The number of working hours after which the first break applies (default: 6 hours). The required break duration (default: 30 minutes).
- Threshold 2: The number of working hours after which the extended break applies (default: 9 hours). The required break duration (default: 45 minutes).
Most Kita facilities keep the legal defaults. However, some collective agreements (e.g., church-run facilities under AVR or KAVO) may specify different thresholds.
Tips
- Remind employees to log breaks. While automatic deduction ensures legal compliance, it reduces credited working time. Employees who actually take breaks should record them as gaps between intervals.
- Review the monthly overview. Break deductions appear as a separate line on the monthly summary, making it easy to spot patterns.
- Part-time staff working 6 hours or fewer per day are typically unaffected by break deduction.