Anyone who has worked more than six hours in Ireland must have had at least 30 minutes of break. Zirko knows this rule for every country it runs in, suggests the break when you record time and warns when an entered break falls short. You can always save — what is recorded is what really happened.
Suggestion and warning when recording
In the office and in the app, the line under the break control says where the number comes from, for example:
- “Suggested: 30 min — minimum break for more than 6:00 hrs (section 12, Organisation of Working Time Act 1997)”
- “Suggested: 45 min — from the working time model ‘Full-time site'”
The larger value is suggested: the break from the working time model or the statutory one. The break applies per day, not per entry — someone who already had 30 minutes in the morning is only offered the rest in the afternoon, and Zirko says which other entries of the day it counted.
If the break is shorter, a warning appears, such as: “Below the minimum break: for 7:00 hrs, 30 min are required (…). You can still save — enter what really happened.” Closing the month shows you such entries once more.
Your business's rule
Settings → Company → Working hours, card Statutory break. Under Rule you choose:
- Default for your country — selected out of the box, with the legal basis below it.
- Custom rule — if a collective agreement or employment contract says something else for you. For each step you enter from how much working time per day it applies (“more than” or “at least”), the minimum break (min) and how much of it counts as working time. Add step allows up to twelve steps. Under Shortest part that counts as a break you set from how many minutes an interruption counts. Your rule replaces the country's default entirely.
- No check — Zirko suggests no break and does not warn.
Then Save rule. Only Office – Admin can change it. It is saved for the business, so it applies to all employees.
The defaults by country
Zirko works with the total of a day's breaks for adults. What the law requires for young workers, for drivers or about when in the day the break must fall, Zirko does not check. What counts is what the card in your settings shows — the figures here were checked against the statutes on 11 October 2026.
| Country | Default in Zirko | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | over 6 hrs 30 min, over 9 hrs 45 min | § 4 ArbZG |
| Austria | over 6 hrs 30 min | § 11 Abs. 1 AZG |
| Switzerland | over 5½ hrs 15 min, over 7 hrs 30 min, over 9 hrs 60 min | Art. 15 Abs. 1 ArG |
| Netherlands | over 5½ hrs 30 min, over 10 hrs 45 min | art. 5:4 Arbeidstijdenwet |
| Luxembourg | no minimum in the statute — custom rule from your collective agreement | Art. L. 211-16 Code du travail |
| Ireland | over 4½ hrs 15 min, over 6 hrs 30 min | section 12, Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 |
| United Kingdom | over 6 hrs 20 min | regulation 12, Working Time Regulations 1998 |
| Czech Republic | after 6 hrs without interruption 30 min | § 88 zákoníku práce |
| Sweden | no minimum in the statute — custom rule | 15 § arbetstidslagen |
| Finland | over 6 hrs 60 min | 24 § työaikalaki |
| Australia | no figure — the official source could not be checked; custom rule from your award | Fair Work Act 2009 |
| New Zealand | from 2 hrs 10 min, over 4 hrs 40 min, over 6 hrs 50 min, further stepped; the short rest breaks are paid | s 69ZD Employment Relations Act 2000 |
| Canada | no nationwide figure — the provinces set it; custom rule | Canada Labour Code |
| United States | no nationwide figure — the states set it; short breaks up to 20 min count as working time | 29 CFR 785.18 |
| Estonia | over 6 hrs 30 min | TLS § 47 lg 2 |
| Malta | over 6 hrs 15 min | regulation 5, S.L. 452.87 |
| Cyprus | over 6 hrs 15 min | άρθρο 5(1) Ν. 63(I)/2002 |
| Lithuania | over 5 hrs 30 min | DK 122 straipsnis |
| Latvia | over 6 hrs 30 min | Darba likuma 145. pants |
| Japan | over 6 hrs 45 min, over 8 hrs 60 min | 労働基準法第三十四条第一項 |
| Italy | over 6 hrs 10 min, unless the collective agreement says otherwise | art. 8, d.lgs. 66/2003 |
| Poland | from 6 hrs 15 min, over 9 hrs another 15, over 16 hrs another 15 — paid | art. 134 Kodeksu pracy |
| Romania | no minimum in the statute — custom rule | art. 134 Codul muncii |
Where the law names no figure, Zirko suggests none: an invented number would show up as a warning in front of a foreman who did nothing wrong. This overview is not legal advice — if a collective agreement applies to you, it takes precedence.