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Set up breaks

Who is this article for?
  • Sellers with the shifts permission to manage timecard reports. Set permissions in Square Dashboard.
  • Square Shifts Free and Plus, Square for Retail Plus and Premium, Square for Restaurants Plus and Premium, and Square Appointments Plus and Premium subscribers
  • About breaks

    With Square Shifts, you can manage your team member’s break duration and compensation. With a Square Shifts Plus subscription, you can adjust your break settings and block team members from ending breaks early.

    Before you begin

    Before you set up breaks, make sure you have Set up team rosters , Set up time tracking and Set your work period and overtime rules.

    Visit the Fair Work website meal and rest period rules and any other related requirements to confirm your settings are accurate for your business.

    Add a break

    You can set up break tracking through your Square Dashboard. Upon account creation, meal and rest breaks are set up based on your business location.

    1. Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Staff > Settings >

    2. Click Add new break to add your first break.

    3. Add a name, duration and select the compensation setting (unpaid and paid) for the break. Click Save.

    4. If desired, you can make the break mandatory by toggling on Mandatory break. Choose one of the following options to configure when a team member is eligible for a mandatory break:

      • Once per shift, team members earn a break if their shift is long enough.

      • Multiple times per shift, team members earn a break after working a set number of hours.

    5. Click Save to confirm the break settings.

    A missed mandatory break creates a Missed break alert on the timecard at clock out.

    Block ending breaks early

    To stay compliant with local labour regulations requiring employee breaks, Square Shifts Plus allows you to prevent team members from ending their breaks early.

    1. Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Staff > Settings > Breaks.

    2. Toggle on Block ending breaks early.

    3. If applicable, enter a time under Allow Within and toggle on Only this location or All locations.

    4. Click Save.

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