Mandatory Digital Time Registration in Spain 2026: Complete Business Guide

Work time recording has been mandatory since May 2019, under Royal Decree-Law 8/2019. However, until now no specific format was required: many companies still use paper, Excel spreadsheets, or rudimentary systems. The new regulation changes this radically by requiring registration to be exclusively digital, with individual credentials per worker, immutable records, and real-time access for the Labor Inspection.

The main requirements are: 100% digital system (no paper or Excel), individual credentials for each worker (PIN, QR, or NFC — biometric data is excluded), immutable records with full traceability of any correction, real-time remote access for the Labor Inspection, and data retention for a minimum of 4 years.

As of 17 October 2026, mandatory digital registration is being processed as a Government draft Royal Decree (not a bill in Congress) and has not been published in the BOE, so it has no effective date. Separately, Congress rejected the working-hours reduction bill in September 2025. However, the legislative direction is clear: companies still using paper or Excel will need to migrate to a compliant digital system. Preparing now is the best strategy to reduce the risk of penalties and operational problems when the law is eventually passed.

The first step is to evaluate your current registration system. If you use paper, Excel, or a system that's hard to defend in an inspection, it's worth migrating to a digital solution. Look for software that offers individual credentials, immutable records, exportable reports, and 4-year data retention. Ficha.Work meets these requirements from €1 per user per month, and employees clock in with a clock-in app on their own phone.

Penalties for not keeping time records or not doing so correctly are €751 to €7,500: it is a serious infringement (arts. 7.5 and 40.1.b LISOS). With the new regulation, not using a compliant digital system will be considered a serious offense. The best way to reduce the risk of penalties is to adopt a compliant system as soon as possible, although correct day-to-day use by the company is also the customer's responsibility.