Germany's Time-Tracking Law: Where the 2026 Reform Stands

The maintained, always-current tracker for this law now lives at arbeitszeiterfassungsgesetz.de. Updated at every step of the legislative process, with sources. This post stays as the short version.

Where things stand

Phase	Ministry draft bill (Referentenentwurf) of 18 June 2026, not yet through cabinet or Bundestag
What already applies	Recording start, end, and duration of daily working time is mandatory since the Federal Labour Court’s ruling of 13 Sep 2022; the form is currently up to you
Next step	Cabinet decision, then Bundestag and Bundesrat; amendments are likely

The three things to know

• The duty to record already exists; it does not arrive with the new law. What’s new is the electronic form, phased in by company size.
• Small businesses are permanently exempt from the electronic form (up to 10 employees; paper stays legal), and the 10–49 bracket gets years of transition. Be wary of “buy now or be fined” marketing.
• Construction, cleaning, security, hospitality, and all mini-jobs have faced a stricter recording duty since 2015 (§ 17 MiLoG); for them there is nothing to wait for.

For the full transition-period table and what “electronic” actually requires, see who must comply, from when, and for the live legislative status, the tracker.

Not legal advice, just an editorial summary.