Set up breaks
About breaks
With Square Shifts, you can manage your team member’s breaks including break tracking, settings, and converting overages into unpaid breaks.
Meal and rest period rules vary by state and specify when team members should take their break, and whether that break qualifies as paid or unpaid.
With Square Shifts Plus, you can adjust your break settings and block team members from ending breaks early and convert paid break overages into unpaid breaks.
Before you begin
Before you set up breaks, make sure you have created and published a team schedule, set up timecards for team members, and set up your work period and overtime rules. Learn how to Set up team rotas , Set up time tracking and Set your work period and overtime rules.
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.
Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Staff > Settings > Breaks.
Select Add new break to add your first break.
Add a name, duration, and select the compensation setting (paid or unpaid) for the break.
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If desired, you can make the break mandatory by toggling Mandatory break on. Choose one of the following options to configure when a team member is eligible for a mandatory break:
Multiple times per shift: team members earn a break after working a set number of hours.
Once per shift: team members earn a break if their shift is long enough.
Select 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.
Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Staff > Settings > Breaks.
Toggle Block Ending Breaks Early on.
If applicable, enter a time under Allow Within and toggle Only This Location or All Locations on.
Select Save.