Japan requires objective working-hour records; Everhour supports structured tracking and reporting without forcing a specific app.
Enter your time in and out for each day. Overtime and gross pay are calculated automatically.
| Day | Time In | Break Start | Break End | Break | Time Out | Total |
|---|
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Use this page to turn start times, stop times, break time, project labels, and notes into a clean working-time record for Japan. The useful output is more than a total. It should show who worked, the dates covered, actual working time excluding breaks, the work category or project, and any entries that affect wages, billing, or manager review.
Japan's Industrial Safety and Health Act requires employers to ascertain each worker's working-hour status. The Industrial Safety and Health Regulations point to time cards, computer-use records, or other objective and appropriate methods, and those records are preserved for three years. The law does not require a particular time-tracking software system, so practical selection centers on record quality and internal controls.
A usable entry ties each work segment to a person, date, start time, finish time, break duration, project or cost center, and approval status. Separate actual working time from paid time not worked, because wage checks, capacity planning, and invoice backup answer different questions. Notes should explain exceptions, such as a missed timer, a split shift, or a manager-approved correction.
Payroll-facing records also need a path into wage documentation. Employers in Japan must prepare a wage ledger for each workplace and enter wage-calculation information, wage amounts, and other required particulars without delay each time wages are paid. For client billing, yen-denominated summaries work better when each line keeps the client, project, service, billable status, and approved hours together.
Japan's standard working-hours limit is 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, excluding break time. An employer may extend working hours or require work on days off only with a written Article 36 agreement with the majority union or majority representative, filed with the relevant government agency. A tracker should make these review points visible before payroll closes.
Employee time records that identify workers are personal data under Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information. Businesses handling that data must specify the purpose of use, keep handling within that purpose unless advance consent or a statutory exception applies, take necessary and appropriate security measures, and supervise employees who handle the records. Track work activity only at the level needed for wage, safety, billing, or project review.
A free one-off tracker is enough for a small job, a contractor summary, or a quick weekly review when you can check every entry yourself. It should leave you with dated hours, break exclusions, project labels, and a clear export or copyable summary. It becomes weak when entries need approvals, corrections, rolling overtime review, or consistent backup for wage ledgers, invoices, and labor records.
A managed workflow suits teams that repeat the process across clients, projects, and pay periods. Everhour can sit on that side by turning approved time into reports with grouping, filters, and exports for payroll, billing, or management review. Keep the legal rule separate from the software choice: the system should support objective records, Article 36 checks, APPI controls, and yen-based reporting.
This content is for general information only, may not be fully up to date, and is provided without any warranty or liability.
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No. Japan requires employers to ascertain each worker's working-hour status under the Industrial Safety and Health Act, and the Industrial Safety and Health Regulations accept time cards, computer-use records, or other objective and appropriate methods. Records must be preserved for three years. The key compliance issue is whether the method produces complete, reliable records for the worker and period reviewed.
A useful payroll timesheet shows worker, workplace or department, date, start and finish times, break time, actual working time, day-off work, night work between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., approvals, and correction notes. Employers also need wage-calculation information for the wage ledger prepared for each workplace each time wages are paid.
Flag daily and weekly standard-hours exceptions, then monthly and annual Article 36 totals. The ordinary limit is 45 hours per month and 360 hours per year. Extraordinary workload cases require overtime and holiday work to stay below 100 hours in a month, within an 80-hour rolling monthly average, under 720 hours per year, and above 45 hours in no more than six months per year.
No. A tracker organizes evidence, but payroll review still applies the employment category, collective or internal rules, Article 36 agreement, and wage calculation. The Labor Standards Act requires premium wages of at least 25% for covered overtime or day-off work, at least 50% for overtime beyond 60 hours in a month, and at least 25% for work between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information applies when time records identify workers. Businesses handling personal information must specify the purpose of use and stay within it unless advance consent or a statutory exception applies. Security controls also matter: restrict access, supervise employees who handle time data, and collect activity detail only when it serves the stated purpose.
Everhour Reporting turns logged time, budgets, costs, and project data into configurable reports with 45+ columns, grouping, filters, and date ranges. Teams can export CSV, Excel/XLSX, or PDF files, schedule email delivery, and use Team Hours or custom reports to review overtime visibility before billing or payroll handoff.
Everhour Timesheets collect project hours and working hours by person, then let employees submit weekly time for review. Managers can approve, reject, or partially approve entries, and submitted or approved time stays locked unless withdrawn or rejected, giving the team a cleaner approval trail.
Track approved hours, group them by client or project, and export scheduled reports for payroll, billing, or management review. Everhour turns recurring time records into clear reporting.
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