Legislation guide
The attendance register. What the law actually requires.
How to organise the daily record of working time: what it must contain, what an inspection checks and what the electronic version looks like.
In short
- The law requires a record of hours worked each day, with start and end times (Article 119 of the Labour Code).
- The name „attendance register” (condica de prezenta) comes from practice; the law does not require a paper register.
- Keep three things apart: the attendance clock-in, the calculated time and the consolidated report.
- Corrections must be approved and remain visible.
What the attendance register is
The attendance register is the daily record of employees’ presence at work. Traditionally it was a book in which each employee signed on arrival and departure. Today the same record is usually kept electronically, through time tracking by card, phone, fingerprint or PC.
What the law requires
Article 119 of the Labour Code requires the employer to keep a record of the hours worked each day by each employee, showing the start and end times of the work schedule, and to present it to the labour inspectorate on request. The law does not specify the medium, so an electronic record is accepted.
An example for one day
| Employee | Clock-in | Clock-out | Schedule | Hours worked | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ionescu Ana | 07:56 | 16:04 | 08:00-16:00 | 8 | – |
| Popa Mihai | 08:21 | 16:02 | 08:00-16:00 | 7.7 | Late by 21 min., justified |
| Stan Ioana | – | – | 08:00-16:00 | 0 | AL, approved annual leave |
| Dinu Radu | 07:58 | 18:03 | 08:00-16:00 | 8 + 2 | 2 approved overtime hours |
Corrections
A missing or incorrect clock-in can only be corrected by a person with approval rights, with a reason. In an electronic system the original event stays in the history and the correction appears separately. That way you can explain any difference during an inspection.
What an inspection checks
- That there is a record for every day and every employee
- That start and end times match the schedule and the contract
- That overtime is recorded and approved
- That absences and leave are justified
- That the record matches the collective timesheet and the payroll
Sources
- Law no. 53/2003, the Labour Code, Article 119, version in force
- Free template: timesheet and collective timesheet
Frequently asked questions.
Is an attendance register mandatory?
A record of the hours worked each day, with start and end times, is mandatory. The attendance register, on paper or electronic, is the usual form of this record.
Is an electronic attendance register valid during an inspection?
Yes. The law requires a record, not a particular medium. Electronic reports must show the start and end times for each day.
Who signs the attendance register?
On paper, the employee signs. In the electronic version, identification is done by card, phone, fingerprint or signing in to the app, and the report is validated by the person in charge.
The Creasoft solution
The attendance register, generated automatically.
Creasoft electronic time tracking produces the register and the collective timesheet without manual entry, from EUR 1 per employee per month.