The following article outlines how to track lunch breaks with Timesheets. Here are three simple, effective methods to account for technician lunch time in your reporting. Pick the method that best aligns with your team's current lunch workflow.
Method 1: For Fixed Lunch Schedules:
Create a Recurring Task
This is best if technicians have a consistent break time (e.g., 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM daily). It blocks the time on the schedule, preventing accidental job assignments.
Quick Setup:
Create a "Lunch" Task Category: Navigate to Company Settings > Jobs > Task Categories.
Create a Recurring Task on Your Schedule:
Title it "Lunch Break".
Assign your technicians through Scheduling > Create Job Dropdown > Recurring Task.
Set it to repeat daily (M–F) with the fixed start and end times.
Assign the "Lunch" category.
The break will now be clearly visible on the technician's schedule.
Method 2: For Flexible Lunch Schedules:
Use Clock-Out Notes
This works best when technicians take lunch at different times and you want to use your existing clock-in/out system. It makes reporting easy by allowing you to filter by the tag.
Technician Workflow:
When starting lunch, the technician uses the standard Clock-Out process on the mobile app.
They add a Note (e.g., "Lunch") before finalizing the clock-out.
Reporting:
Go to Timesheets Reporting.
Ensure the Clock Out Notes column is visible.
Method 3: For Separated Time Tracking:
Enable Dual Time Sheets
If you need a clear separation between a technician's total time at work and the time spent on billable jobs, use this method.
Quick Setup:
Go to Company Settings > Features and Plugins.
Under EmployeeTimesheets, enable two separate time sheets (General Time and Job/Service/Work Order/Project/Project Tracking).
Technician Workflow:
General Time: Used for daily clock-in/out and for clocking out/in for lunch. This tracks their total hours.
Job Tracking: Remains separate, only tracking billable time spent on specific jobs.
Timesheets will display separate , making the two tracking methods clear to the user.
Have additional questions?
Contact us at support@fieldpulse.com or use the chat feature in the bottom right corner of your screen.