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How to Configure Break Rules

Guide to setting up automatic break insertion and paid break conversion for payroll compliance

What This Feature Does

Break Rules automatically insert or extend breaks when workers exceed a specified hours threshold. This ensures compliance with award requirements for meal breaks and rest periods. Break rules can be configured as unpaid (deducting time from total worked hours) or paid (converting break time to a payable activity).

Break rules are configured within Rule Groups inside a pay rate document.

Key Concepts

Break Types

Unpaid Breaks

  • Automatically insert a break if none exists
  • Extend existing breaks if they're shorter than the required duration
  • Deduct break time from total worked hours
  • Example: 30-minute unpaid meal break after 5 hours worked

Paid Breaks

  • Follow the same creation/extension rules as unpaid breaks
  • Convert the break time to a payable activity
  • Worker gets paid for the break duration
  • Example: 15-minute paid rest break converted to "Rest Break" activity

Days of Week

Specify which days the break rule applies to. Leave empty to apply on all days. This allows different break requirements for weekdays vs weekends, or specific day configurations.

Hours Worked Threshold

The minimum hours a worker must work before the break rule triggers. Example: If set to 5 hours, the break rule only applies when the timesheet shows 5+ hours worked.

Break Duration

The required break duration in minutes. For unpaid breaks, if existing breaks total less than this duration, they'll be extended to reach it.

Break Placement

When inserting a new break (no existing breaks), you can specify where it should be placed:

  • Middle of timesheet: Places the break at the midpoint of the shift (rounded to nearest 15 minutes)
  • After specific time: Places the break a specific number of minutes after the shift starts

Overlap Handling

When a break overlaps with existing activities, you can choose how to handle it:

  • Shift activities: Activities after the break are shifted forward, preserving their duration
  • Deduct from activities: Activities keep their original times but duration is reduced by the break overlap

Replacement Activity (Paid Breaks Only)

For paid breaks, select the activity that break time should be converted to. The worker gets paid for the break duration at the activity's rate. If the activity has a linked cost code, that cost code will be applied to the break pay item.

How to Create a Break Rule

  1. Open a pay rate document from the Pay Rate Documents tab
  2. Navigate to the Rule Groups section
  3. In the break rules area, click "Add Rule"
  4. Fill in the form fields described below
  5. Click "Save" to create the rule

Basic Information:

  • Rule Name: Descriptive name (e.g., "30-minute meal break", "Paid rest break")

Days of Week:

  • Select which days this rule applies to (leave empty for all days)

Break Type:

  • Unpaid Break: Deducts time from total worked hours
  • Paid Break: Converts break time to a payable activity

Threshold & Duration:

  • Hours Worked Threshold: Minimum hours before rule triggers (e.g., 5 hours)
  • Break Duration: Required break length in minutes (e.g., 30 minutes)

Break Placement:

  • Middle of timesheet: Inserts break at shift midpoint
  • After specific time: Inserts break X minutes after shift start

Overlap Handling:

  • Shift activities: Moves subsequent activities forward
  • Deduct from activities: Reduces overlapping activity durations

Replacement Activity (Paid breaks only):

  • Select the activity to convert break time to

How the Calculation Works

When "Apply Pay Rates" processes a timesheet:

For Unpaid Breaks

  1. Check if hours worked meets the threshold
  2. Look for existing break activities
  3. If no breaks exist: Insert a new break at the specified placement
  4. If existing breaks total less than required: Extend the last break
  5. If existing breaks meet or exceed required: No change
  6. Apply overlap handling (shift or deduct from surrounding activities)

For Paid Breaks

  1. Follow the same creation/extension rules as unpaid
  2. Convert all break time to the replacement activity
  3. Create a separate pay item for the break at the activity's rate
  4. The break is displayed with a distinct color in the calendar view

Example: Unpaid Break

  • Rule: 30-minute break after 5 hours, shift overlap handling
  • Timesheet: 8-hour shift (7:00-15:00) with no breaks
  • Result:
    • Break inserted at 11:00-11:30 (middle of shift)
    • Activities after 11:00 shifted by 30 minutes
    • Total paid hours reduced by 30 minutes

Example: Paid Break

  • Rule: 15-minute paid rest break after 4 hours, converted to "Rest Break" activity at $30/hr
  • Timesheet: 6-hour shift with a 10-minute existing break
  • Result:
    • Existing break extended to 15 minutes (5 additional minutes)
    • Break converted to "Rest Break" pay item
    • Worker paid $7.50 (15 minutes × $30/hr)

Tips

  • Check your award: Many awards specify meal break requirements after working certain hours
  • Use paid breaks for rest periods: Some awards require paid rest breaks separate from unpaid meal breaks
  • Set appropriate thresholds: Common thresholds are 5 hours for meal breaks, 4 hours for rest breaks
  • Consider placement: "After specific time" is useful when your award specifies breaks must be taken within certain windows
  • Choose overlap handling carefully: "Shift" preserves activity durations but changes times; "Deduct" preserves times but reduces durations
  • Link replacement activities to cost codes: This ensures paid break pay items are tracked against the correct project cost codes

What's Next