By industry · 4 min read
Attendance control for academies and language centers: how to comply with the law
Short answer
An academy can meet the electronic working-time record requirement by combining a QR code on site with location-based clock-in for people who work offsite. The law requires recording each person's start and end time; it does not require a wall-mounted time clock.
How work happens at an academy
An academy employs teachers, coordinators and receptionists, with afternoon, evening and Saturday classes. That brings three challenges for measuring working hours:
- Teachers work at several campuses.
- Many classes are at night.
- In-person and online classes are mixed.
What the law requires of academies and language centers
Since the 2026 reform, the Federal Labor Law requires recording electronically the start and end time of each worker's workday (article 132, section XXXIV). Failing to do so is fined 250 to 5,000 UMA. The STPS will define who it applies to and what exceptions there will be. The details are in the reform guide.
Night shifts. A night shift lasts 7 hours at most, one less than a day shift. It helps if the record separates night hours from day hours.
Multiple locations. Each place needs its own clock-in point. With a QR code, that is one printed sheet per location.
Work from home. Someone who works remotely also has working hours. The law does not exclude them from the record.
Hourly or temporary staff. They have the same working-hour limits and must also be recorded.
How to record working time at an academy
- Register the location, your team and their shifts.
- Those who work on site scan the QR code.
- Those who work offsite clock in from their phone, with the location confirmed at that moment.
- They all appear in the same report, with the place or mode of each record.
Example. An online class from home is also working time. The teacher clocks in from their phone at the start and at the end.
Types of shift
| Shift | Schedule | Daily maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Day | Between 6:00 am and 8:00 pm | 8 hours |
| Night | Between 8:00 pm and 6:00 am | 7 hours |
| Mixed | Both day and night, with less than 3 and a half night hours | 7 and a half hours |
Articles 60 and 61 of the LFT.
Common mistakes at an academy
- Keeping attendance from memory or in a notebook.
- Recording the clock-in and forgetting the clock-out.
- Not separating night hours, which have a lower daily maximum.
- Using a different control at each location.
- Assuming that someone who works from home has no working hours.
- Not recording temporary staff because they only come in for one day.
What to check every day and every week
Every day.
- Who did not record their clock-in or clock-out.
- Shifts that went over their daily maximum.
- Departures later than planned.
Every week.
- Each person's overtime against the weekly cap.
- Days when someone came close to 12 hours.
- Rest days that were actually taken.
How much an overtime hour costs: example in pesos
Suppose a daily wage of $420 on a day shift. The ordinary hourly rate is $52.50. One overtime hour at double time costs $105 and one at triple time, $157.50. If a person works 9 overtime hours in a week in 2027, that is $945 extra.
It is an example to show the calculation, not a reference wage for the sector.
What changes every year, from 2026 to 2030
| Year | Maximum working hours | Double-time overtime | Triple-time overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 48 h | 9 h | 4 h |
| 2027 | 46 h | 9 h | 4 h |
| 2028 | 44 h | 10 h | 4 h |
| 2029 | 42 h | 11 h | 4 h |
| 2030 | 40 h | 12 h | 4 h |
Decree published in the Official Gazette of the Federation on May 1, 2026, second and fourth transitory provisions, and article 68 of the LFT. Each change applies from January 1.
Related terms
Sunday premium: what it is and how it is calculated. The Sunday premium is an additional payment of at least 25% on the salary of an ordinary day for anyone who works on Sunday.
What the STPS is and what it does. The STPS is the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare.
What is a labor severance payment (liquidación). The liquidación is what is paid when the company ends the employment relationship without just cause.
Frequently asked questions
Does an academy need to buy a time clock?
No. The law requires an electronic record of working time, not a device. An app on a phone complies.
What options are there for recording working time?
An app on each person's phone, a shared tablet or a clock connected to a system. All three comply if they generate an electronic record per person, with a start and an end time.
How are shifts that cross midnight recorded?
Clock-in and clock-out are saved with their actual date and time, and the hours are added up even if the day changes.
What happens if someone works at two locations?
Use the same account. Each record is linked to the place where it was made.
Can someone work more than 12 hours in a day?
No. The sum of ordinary and overtime hours cannot exceed 12 hours per day.
Legal basis and sources
- Electronic working-time record: article 132, section XXXIV, of the LFT and fifth transitory provision of the decree.
- Overtime: articles 66 and 68 of the LFT and fourth transitory provision of the decree.
- Working hours: articles 58 to 64 of the LFT and second transitory provision of the decree.
- Decree amending the Federal Labor Law on the reduction of the working week. Official Gazette of the Federation, May 1, 2026.
- Federal Labor Law, current text. Chamber of Deputies.
How we write this content. The Sicheca team writes it from the official text of the law. When something is not yet defined by the authority, we say so. It is general information and does not replace the advice of a lawyer or an accountant.