Time Tracking for Self-Employed with Employees: Practical Guide 2026

📌 In summary: If you’re self-employed in Spain with at least one employee, you’ve been required to track working hours since 2019. With the new Royal Decree (currently being processed), it must be digital. The good news: compliance is easier and cheaper than you think.

💡 No time to read? Go straight to our solution for self-employed — set it up in 10 minutes for less than €30/year.

You’re self-employed, you have employees. Now what?

Running a business as a self-employed person is complicated enough. You have to handle everything: clients, suppliers, invoices, taxes, paperwork… And on top of that, if you have employees (even just one), the law requires you to keep a record of their working hours.

We get it. You don’t have an HR department. You don’t have time to learn complex software. And you don’t want to spend a fortune on something that’s “just” for legal compliance.

This guide is written with you in mind. No unnecessary legal jargon. No features you’ll never use. Just what you need to know to comply with regulations simply and affordably.

Am I required to track working hours?

Yes. If you have at least one employee, you’re required to record their working hours. It doesn’t matter:

• If it’s just one employee or several
• If they’re family (your spouse, your child…)
• If they work part-time (4 hours, 6 hours…)
• If they have a temporary or permanent contract
• If they work with you on-site or remotely

The requirement comes from Article 34.9 of the Workers’ Statute, in force since May 2019. And with the new Digital Working Time Registration Royal Decree (currently being processed), requirements will be even stricter: registration must be digital, with automatic timestamps and traceability.

What if I’m self-employed without employees?

If you work alone, without employees, you’re not required to track your own working hours. The law applies to employment relationships, not self-employment.

What you DON’T need

Before we get into what you do need, let’s clarify what you don’t need:

❌ HR software with 50 features you’ll never use. Talent management, performance reviews, org charts… That’s for large companies.

❌ Annual contracts with lock-in periods. If your business has ups and downs, you need flexibility.

❌ Specialized hardware like time clocks or turnstiles. That makes sense for a factory, not your business.

❌ Weeks of training to learn how to use it. If it’s not intuitive, it’s not useful.

❌ A technician to come install it. You should be able to set it up yourself in minutes.

❌ Spending hundreds of euros per month. Time tracking shouldn’t cost you more than a week’s worth of coffee.

What you DO need

To comply with current law (and be prepared for the new Royal Decree), you need a system that:

✅ Records clock-in, clock-out, and breaks for each employee, every day.

✅ Is digital (the new RD will prohibit paper and Excel as the primary system).

✅ Has automatic timestamps — recording the actual time, not one that can be entered manually without oversight.

✅ Stores records for 4 years — as required by law.

✅ Allows your employees to view their own records — also mandatory.

✅ Is accessible to the Labor Inspectorate if requested.

And practically speaking, as a self-employed person you also need it to:

✅ Set up in less than 10 minutes. You don’t have time for more.

✅ Be easy for your employees. If you complicate their lives, they won’t use it.

✅ Cost little. Every euro counts when you’re small.

✅ Have no lock-in period. Be able to cancel if you close or reduce staff.

How it works with Cleverfy

Cleverfy is designed precisely for small businesses that need to comply without complications. Here’s how it works:

1. Register in 2 minutes

Go to www.cleverfy.es, create your account with email and password, and you’re done. No credit card, no sales calls.

2. Add your employees

For each employee, you only need: name, email, and (optionally) their usual schedule. Less than a minute per person.

3. Your employees clock in from their phone

Each employee receives a link to clock in. They can do it from:

• Their own phone (app or browser)
• A tablet at the business (kiosk mode with PIN)
• Any computer with internet access

When starting work, they tap “Clock In”. When leaving, “Clock Out”. If they take a break, they record that too. 3 seconds.

4. You see everything from the dashboard

From your phone or computer, you access the Cleverfy dashboard and see:

• Who clocked in today and at what time
• Hours worked per employee (day, week, month)
• Accumulated overtime
• Incidents (forgotten clock-ins, corrections…)

5. You comply with the law automatically

Records are saved with timestamps, they’re traceable (any modification is logged), your employees can check their own, and you have reports ready for inspection.

Price: from €1.50 per employee per month. No lock-in. Cancel whenever you want.

Practical example: Maria, hairdresser with 2 employees

Maria has a hair salon in Barcelona. She works there along with two employees: one full-time and one part-time (20 hours per week).

Before Cleverfy:

• She noted hours “more or less” in a notebook
• It never matched the payroll
• She lived in fear of an inspection

After Cleverfy:

• Each employee clocks in from their phone when arriving and leaving
• Maria sees hours worked in real time
• The monthly report for the accountant exports in 1 click
• She has records stored and accessible

Cost: €3/month (2 employees × €1.50). Less than a coffee with a croissant.

Management time: 5 minutes a week checking everything is in order.

Frequently asked questions

What if my employee doesn’t have a smartphone?

They can clock in from any computer with a browser, or you can set up a tablet at the business where everyone clocks in with their personal PIN.

What happens if an employee forgets to clock in?

You receive an alert. You can add the clock-in manually (it’s recorded as a correction, as required by law).

Can I see clock-ins from my phone?

Yes. The Cleverfy dashboard is responsive, works perfectly from mobile. There’s also an app.

How do I know if my employees are actually clocking in?

Each clock-in records the exact time. If you enable geolocation, it also records where they clock in from (useful if you work at different locations).

What if I have employees with very different schedules?

You can configure each employee’s schedule separately. The system automatically calculates whether they’re meeting their hours or have overtime.

Do I need to notify anyone that I use Cleverfy?

You must inform your employees that you track working hours (it’s mandatory). Cleverfy generates a template document for this communication.

What about my employees’ data? Is it legal?

Cleverfy complies with GDPR. Data is stored on EU servers and is only used for time tracking. Your employees can view and export their own data whenever they want.

What if the Labor Inspectorate comes?

You export a report from Cleverfy with all the records they request (available for 4 years). It’s a PDF or Excel you can hand over immediately.

Start today: it’s free to try

Don’t wait for an inspection. Compliance is easy, fast, and cheap.

1. Create your free account — no credit card required
2. Add your employees — less than a minute per person
3. Tomorrow you’ll already be compliant — with the first clock-ins recorded

14-day free trial. After that, from €1.50/employee/month. No lock-in.

Have questions? Contact us or use the website chat. We respond within 24 hours.

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Legal note: This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. The obligation to record working hours for employees has been in force since May 2019 (Art. 34.9 ET). The new Digital Working Time Registration Royal Decree is currently being processed as of publication date.