Breaks

Break entries record when a technician takes a lunch break, rest break, or other type of break during their workday. Each break has its own start and end time, and is linked to a specific break type configured by your company. Break data feeds into payroll calculations — unpaid breaks are subtracted from total hours, while paid breaks count toward the shift.

Who Can Access This

Role	Access Level
Administrator	Full access — view, create, edit, delete, export
Office	View, create, edit, and delete
Sales	View, create, edit, and delete
HR Admin	View, create, edit, and delete
Payroll Admin	View, create, edit, and delete
Field Technician	Start and end own breaks

note

If you don't see break features, your role may not have permission. Contact your administrator.

How Breaks Work

A break entry has three key parts:

• Break Type — The category of break (Lunch, Rest, Other, or a custom type)
• Start Time — When the break begins
• End Time — When the break ends

The system calculates the duration automatically. When a technician selects a break type, the system suggests an end time based on the configured break length (for example, selecting "Lunch" with a 30-minute default sets the end time 30 minutes after the start).

Break Types

Your company can configure which break types are available. MaidCentral Pulse includes three default types:

Break Type	Default Length	Payment
Lunch	30 minutes	Unpaid
Rest Break	15 minutes	Paid
Other	15 minutes	Configurable

Administrators can create additional break types and customize the length and payment setting for each. See Break Types in Settings for configuration details.

Paid vs Unpaid Breaks

• Paid breaks count toward the technician's total working hours. The time is included in payroll calculations.
• Unpaid breaks are subtracted from total hours. The break duration reduces the billable or payable time for the day.

This distinction is set at the break type level, so all breaks of the same type follow the same pay rule.

Breaks and Day Clocks

Breaks occur within a day clock window. A technician clocks in for the day, takes one or more breaks during the shift, and clocks out at the end. Break entries are separate records but are associated with the same workday.

For Technicians: Taking a Break

How to Start a Break

1. Open your technician portal dashboard
2. Tap Begin Break
3. Select a break type from the list (for example, "Lunch" or "Rest Break")
4. The system records the current time and your location (if enabled)
5. You will see a confirmation message

You must be clocked in for the day before you can start a break. If you are not clocked in, the system will not allow you to begin a break.

note

You can only have one active break at a time. End your current break before starting a new one.

How to End a Break

1. Return to your technician portal dashboard
2. Tap End Break
3. The system records the end time and your location
4. Your break duration is calculated automatically

Viewing Your Break History

Your breaks appear on your dashboard and in your time clock history. Each entry shows the break type, start time, end time, and duration.

For Office Staff: Managing Breaks

Viewing Breaks on the Time Page

1. Navigate to Office > Time
2. Select a date
3. Break entries appear in all views:
   • Timeline — Breaks show as striped blocks with a coffee icon between other clock entries on each technician's row
   • Table View — Breaks appear as rows showing break type, start/end times, duration, and whether the break is paid or unpaid
   • Variance — Breaks are compared against the configured break duration to flag longer-than-expected breaks

Click any break entry to open its detail view.

Break Detail Drawer

When you click a break entry, the Break Details drawer opens showing:

• Break Type — The category of break (read-only)
• Start Time — When the break began
• End Time — When the break ended (blank if in progress)
• Duration — Total break time (for example, "30m" or "1h 15m")
• Existing breaks — A list of other breaks the technician took that day, to help avoid duplicates

From the detail view, you can edit times or delete the entry.

Creating a Break Entry

Office staff can manually add break entries — for example, when a technician took a break but forgot to record it.

1. Navigate to Office > Time
2. Find the technician on the Timeline or Table view
3. Click the add break action on their day clock row
4. The Add Break drawer opens
5. Select a Break Type from the dropdown
6. Enter the Start Time
7. The End Time is auto-suggested based on the break type's default length — adjust if needed, or leave blank for an in-progress break
8. Click Save

The drawer shows any other breaks already recorded for that technician on the same day, so you can avoid creating duplicates.

Editing a Break

1. Click the break entry from the Timeline or Table view
2. The Edit Break drawer opens
3. Adjust the Start Time or End Time
4. The duration updates automatically
5. Click Save Changes

note

If the date falls in a closed payroll period, editing may be restricted. Check for the lock banner on the Time page.

Deleting a Break

1. Open the break entry
2. Click the delete action
3. A confirmation dialog appears: "Delete Break?"
4. Click Delete to confirm

Deleting a break permanently removes the time record. If the technician did take a break, consider editing the times instead.

In-Progress Breaks

When a technician starts a break but hasn't ended it yet, the entry shows as in progress with a pulsing indicator on the timeline. This is normal while the break is happening.

If a break is left in progress after the end of the day, office staff should add the correct end time before payroll processing.

Breaks in Payroll

When payroll runs, the system calculates total break time for each technician per day:

• Unpaid breaks are subtracted from the total shift hours, reducing the payable amount
• Paid breaks are included in the total shift hours

For example, if a technician works an 8-hour day clock with a 30-minute unpaid lunch break, their payable hours are 7 hours and 30 minutes.

Exporting Break Data

1. Navigate to Office > Time
2. Click the Export button in the toolbar
3. Check Breaks under export types
4. Set the date range
5. Optionally filter by technician or office
6. Click Export to download the file

The export includes each technician's break type, date, start time, end time, duration, and paid/unpaid status.

Tips and Best Practices

• Check for in-progress breaks at the end of each day. A forgotten "End Break" can skew payroll calculations.
• Use the configured break length as a guide. The system auto-suggests end times based on break type settings, which helps maintain consistency.
• Review the Variance view to spot breaks that ran significantly longer than configured. This can indicate missed end-break actions.
• Use paid vs unpaid settings correctly. Most companies configure lunch as unpaid and short rest breaks as paid. Check your local labor laws for requirements.
• Look at existing breaks in the detail drawer before adding a new one. This prevents duplicate entries for the same break period.
• Export breaks separately when you need to analyze break patterns or verify labor law compliance.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Technician can't start a break	They must be clocked in for the day first. Check that a day clock entry exists.
"Already on break" error	The technician has an active break that hasn't been ended. End the current break before starting a new one.
Break type not in the list	The break type may be inactive. An administrator can reactivate it in Settings > Break Types.
Break duration looks wrong	Check that both start and end times are correct. Duration is calculated automatically from these fields.
Can't edit a break for a past date	The date may fall in a closed payroll period. Check the lock banner on the Time page.
Break not appearing on timeline	Verify the date and technician are correct. Breaks only appear on the timeline for the day they were recorded.
Payroll hours seem too high	Check if unpaid breaks are correctly configured. If a lunch break is set to "Paid" instead of "Unpaid," it won't be deducted from total hours.

Related Articles

• Timesheets Overview — Overview of the Time page and all views
• Day Clocks — How day clocks track shift start and end times
• Job Clocks — How job clocks track arrival and departure at customer properties
• Event Clocks — How event clocks track time at scheduled events
• Break Types — Configure break categories, lengths, and paid/unpaid settings
• Table, Variance, and Export — Grid view, schedule comparison, and exporting