By industry · 5 min read
Electronic working-time record for gardening and landscaping companies
Short answer
A landscaping company can meet the electronic working-time record requirement from each person's phone, with location confirmed only at the moment of recording. The law requires recording each person's start and end time; it does not require a wall-mounted time clock.
How work happens at a landscaping company
A landscaping company has gardeners, pruners and supervisors, with crews that leave early and move between several clients. That creates three challenges for measuring working time:
- Crews visit several addresses a day.
- Work is done outdoors, starting early.
- The rainy season changes workloads.
What the law requires of landscaping companies
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.
Work peaks. Overtime has a weekly cap: 9 hours at double time in 2027, with a maximum of 4 per day on no more than 4 days, and never more than 12 total hours in a day.
Work outside the premises. The time a person is at the company's disposal is working time, even if they are not at your facilities.
How to record working time at a landscaping company
- Register your team and their shifts.
- Each person clocks in from their phone where their shift begins.
- The location is captured only when clocking in; there is no tracking during the day.
- You see in one place who has already started, who is missing and where they clocked in.
Example. The crew records with location at the first garden of the day and at the last.
Calculate your overtime
How to do the math by hand
Take a salary of $400 per day on a day shift. The ordinary hour is worth 400 ÷ 8 = $50. In 2027, with 11 overtime hours in the week, the first 9 are paid at double time (9 × $100 = $900) and the remaining 2 at triple time (2 × $150 = $300). Total: $1,200.
Common mistakes at a landscaping company
- Keeping attendance from memory or in a notebook.
- Recording the clock-in and forgetting the clock-out.
- Covering peaks only with overtime, until exceeding the weekly cap.
- Asking staff who work offsite to stop by the office just to clock in.
What to check every day and every week
Every day.
- Who did not record their clock-in or clock-out.
- Records made in unexpected places.
- 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 $330 on a day shift. The ordinary hourly rate is $41.25. One overtime hour at double time costs $82.50 and one at triple time, $123.75. If a person works 9 overtime hours in a week in 2027, that is $742.50 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
Vacation premium: how much it is and when it is paid. The vacation premium is an additional payment of at least 25% on the salary for the vacation days.
What is the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF). The Official Gazette of the Federation is the publication where federal laws, decrees and rules appear.
What is PTU, or profit sharing. PTU is the workers' share in the company's profits: 10% of the company's taxable profit, which is distributed among its staff.
Frequently asked questions
Does a landscaping company 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.
Can I ask for more overtime in peak season?
The weekly cap is not extended for the season. It helps to plan relief staff.
Is staff tracked during the day?
No. The location is used only at the moment of recording.
Who monitors compliance?
The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, through inspections.
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.