Time records in Brazil: how to check your hours, overtime and hour bank

*The time record (espelho de ponto) is the monthly report with all the start, end and break entries the employer recorded. Establishments with more than 20 employees must keep working-time records (CLT, art. 74, §2 — the CLT is Brazil's Consolidated Labor Laws). Checking the record every month is the best way to make sure overtime, night-work supplement and hour bank are paid.*

Quick summary

• Mandatory: for establishments with more than 20 employees (art. 74, §2).
• Forms: manual, mechanical or electronic, under Ordinance MTP 671/2021.
• Exception-based records: allowed by written individual agreement or collective rule (art. 74, §4).
• "British" records (times always identical, with no variation) are invalid as evidence (TST Precedent 338, III — the TST is the Superior Labor Court).
• No time cards in the case: the hours stated by the worker are presumed true, unless proven otherwise (Precedent 338, I).

What to check in the record

1. Do start and end times match your actual routine?
2. Does the recorded lunch break match what you actually took? — see Lunch break.
3. Overtime for the month: quantity and percentage on the payslip — see Overtime.
4. Night hours between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
5. Hour bank: balance, compensation deadline and expirations — see Hour bank.
6. Absences and late arrivals entered correctly, including excused absences.

Warning signs

• Being asked to "clock out and go back to work".
• Times that are always identical, every day.
• Adjustments made by the manager without your knowledge.
• Refusal to provide the record.

What to do if there is an error

1. Do not sign a record with wrong times; if you sign, record your disagreement in writing.
2. Ask HR for a correction by email.
3. Keep parallel evidence: messages sent outside working hours, system logins, photos of the time clock.
4. Write down your actual hours daily.
5. If not resolved, contact the union or file a complaint with the Ministry of Labor.

Frequently asked questions

Is the employer required to give me my time record?

Ordinance MTP 671/2021 provides for workers' access to their entries in electronic systems. Ask in writing.

What are exception-based records?

Recording only situations outside the standard schedule, such as overtime and absences. Valid only with a written agreement or collective rule.

Read more in this series

• Overtime: how to calculate it, limits and how to claim
• Hour bank: rules, deadlines and what to do
• Time at the employer's disposal and residual minutes
• Evidence in a labor case
• Index: complete guide to labor rights