Mandatory working time tracking in 2027
Make your Belgian company compliant with Odoo
From January 1, 2027, all Belgian employers will be required to record their employees' working hours. Most companies will simply tick the compliance box. Others will turn this data into real visibility over their projects and profitability.
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What the law requires and what is already in force
Through two rulings issued in 2019 and 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union imposed on Member States a working time recording system that is objective, reliable and accessible for every worker.
In November 2025, the Belgian federal government confirmed the application of this obligation from January 1, 2027.
The final law will be published in the Belgian Official Gazette during 2026.
What already applies today
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Flexible/variable working hours: mandatory recording since July 1, 2024, sanctions provided for in the Social Penal Code
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Part-time workers: any deviation from the normal schedule must be recorded
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Regulated sectors: transport, construction, Horeca, cleaning, meat sector
- Belgian case law: several labor courts already reverse the burden of proof in the absence of a recording system
What we know about the 2027 obligation
May 2019
CJEU ruling C-55/18 — CCOO v. Deutsche Bank: obligation of an objective, reliable and accessible system for all workers.
December 2024
CJEU ruling C-531/23 — Loredas: the obligation is extended without exception, including to domestic workers.
November 2025
Belgian federal budget agreement: general recording obligation confirmed for all employers
January 1, 2027
Entry into force. All Belgian employers must have a compliant system.
The Odoo answer — configured by Eezee-it
Track working time with Odoo
A configured and customized solution for your Belgian company
Odoo offers two complementary tools to record working time. Eezee-it configures them according to your organization — so that every hour entered is useful beyond simple compliance.
Guaranteed legal compliance
Odoo Attendance — the direct answer to the 2027 obligation
Recommended for all
Odoo Attendance is a complete digital time clock. It records the start time, end time and breaks of each employee — exactly what the law requires. Objective, reliable, accessible: the three CJEU criteria are covered.
- Kiosk, web or mobile check-in: On-site tablet with badge or PIN, web interface at the office, mobile app for field teams or remote work. Each employee checks in from their work context — without a PC.
- Automatic check-out: An employee forgets to check out? The system does it automatically after a configurable delay. Data remains reliable — even on busy days.
- Overtime and anomalies: Automatic calculation with configurable tolerances in both directions. Anomalies are reported in real time to managers — they see issues before closing.
- Reports ready for labor inspection: Each employee’s full history is tracked, secured and exportable. In case of inspection, you have the data in just a few clicks.
- Native payroll integration: Recorded hours directly feed payroll calculation in Odoo. No more manual exports between systems, no more risk of errors during monthly closing.
- Integrated leave management: Holidays, sick leave, compensations — everything in the same tool. Managers have real-time visibility on their teams’ availability.
Already using Timesheet in Odoo?
Eezee-it can configure the link between Attendance and Timesheet — each check-in automatically feeds the right project without any additional action from your teams. This is what we implemented at Desimone: operators check in from the workshop, time is automatically allocated to projects and cost price is calculated in real time.
Projects, billing & profitability
Odoo Timesheet, to go far beyond compliance
Services & projects ?
While Attendance records presence, Timesheet allocates time by project, client and task. For service companies, consulting firms or any business that bills by time spent, this is the tool that turns hours into management data.
Built-in timer or manual entry. Each hour is linked to a specific activity. From a computer, tablet or smartphone, wherever the employee is.
Validated hours directly generate invoice lines. You bill exactly what has been delivered — no re-entry, no omissions, with a detailed justification for your client.
Planned hours vs actual hours, in real time. You identify projects that exceed budget before it impacts your margins — and you adjust.
Approval workflow with automatic reminders. Only validated hours feed billing — you keep control over what goes out.
Project
Timesheet
billing
Employees
Is Timesheet alone sufficient for 2027 compliance?
The law requires recording the start and end time of each work session. Timesheet records time by activity — but not necessarily with strict start/end timestamps as required by law. The final law, expected in 2026, will clarify the rules for service companies.
In the meantime, Eezee-it can configure the reverse link : each Timesheet entry automatically generates the corresponding Attendance record — start time, end time. Compliance guaranteed, without changing your teams’ habits. This is what we assess together based on your situation.
Beyond compliance
What you gain by choosing Odoo
instead of a time clock
A time clock ensures 2027 compliance. Odoo ensures compliance — and gives your organization visibility it didn’t have before.
Attendance → Payroll
Your monthly HR closing in less time
Recorded hours automatically feed payroll calculations. No more Excel exports between systems, no more re-entries, fewer errors. Your HR team saves time on each closing — time they can dedicate to other tasks.
Attendance → HR
You see problems before they become crises
Holidays, absences, compensations, overtime — everything in one tool. You detect overloads before they lead to turnover or absenteeism. And you have the data to discuss it with your teams.
Timesheet → Billing
You stop leaving hours on the table
Entered hours directly generate invoice lines. No more forgotten hours at the end of the month, no more approximations, no more client disputes. You bill exactly what was done — with detailed justification to support it.
Timesheet → Projects
You finally know which projects make or cost you money
Planned hours vs actual hours, by project, by client, by consultant. You identify missions that consistently exceed the budget — and you adjust before it impacts your margins.
One hour entered once. Data everywhere.
Payroll, projects, billing, HR reports: everything comes from the same source in Odoo. No synchronization to manage, no diverging data. That’s the real difference with a standalone solution.
Why not wait
Three reasons to act before 2027
The obligation becomes formal in 2027 — but some risks already apply today.
Reversal of the burden
of proof
In case of a dispute over overtime, it is up to you to prove that the hours were not worked. Without a recording system, this is almost impossible. Several Belgian courts already apply this — without waiting for 2027.
Sanctions
already in force
The Social Penal Code already provides sanctions for variable working hours since July 2024. Sanctions for the general obligation will be defined during 2026 — they will be significant.
3 to 6 months to properly deploy
Odoo
A well-executed deployment — configuration, payroll integration, team training — takes between 3 and 6 months. Waiting until mid-2026 means risking not being ready on time or rushing the implementation.
Desimone
From workshop time tracking to profitability management
Desimone manufactures custom industrial robots for clients across various sectors. Their teams check in from the workshop — Odoo automatically allocates time to each project and calculates cost price in real time. A concrete example of the Attendance → Timesheet link in production.
Axel Soyer
CEO · Desimone, Charleroi — industrial robot manufacturer.
" I do not care if someone comes at 8:15 or 8:30, but I do care to know how much time they took to do a specific task. Odoo helps us a lot with time tracking and timesheeting. Everyone has access via a smartphone, a tablet, or a PC in the workshop to record what they do on the project. It is automatically linked to the project so that I can have a live view of the profitability of each and every project.
Other Belgian companies already on track
Our site managers check in from their smartphone, data is sent in real time to the office. We stopped using Excel sheets overnight.
Construction company — Wallonia
180 employees - Odoo Attendance mobile - 2025
We were looking for a solution for 2027 compliance. We realized that with Odoo we also fixed our time-based billing. The ROI was immediate, far beyond compliance.
Consulting firm — Brussels
65 consultants - Attendance + Timesheet - 2025
What our clients ask us
No. The law imposes an obligation of result, not of means. Any objective, reliable and accessible system is sufficient — physical time clock, mobile app, web interface or tablet kiosk. Odoo covers all these options.
Yes. The obligation applies to all Belgian employers without exception of size — from SMEs to large companies, both private and public sectors. Only self-employed workers without an employment contract are excluded.
Yes — Odoo Attendance records start times, end times and breaks in an objective, reliable and accessible way, which exactly meets the legal criteria. Odoo Timesheet is complementary for companies that want to go further in profitability and billing.
The question is legitimate. The law formally requires recording start and end times — which Timesheet alone does not always guarantee. The final law (2026) will clarify the rules for service companies. In the meantime, we analyze with you the most suitable configuration during the call.
The exact penalties will be defined by legislation during 2026. The Social Penal Code already provides sanctions for variable working hours since July 2024. The immediate risk is the reversal of the burden of proof in case of dispute — several Belgian courts already apply this.
Odoo has a native Payroll module that automatically synchronizes with Attendance. For third-party payroll software, connectors exist depending on the solutions. We analyze your existing environment during the discovery call.