[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 29, Volume 3]
[Revised as of July 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 29CFR785.48]

[Page 699]
 
                             TITLE 29--LABOR
 
         CHAPTER V--WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
 
PART 785_HOURS WORKED--Table of Contents
 
                    Subpart D_Recording Working Time
 
Sec. 785.48  Use of time clocks.

    (a) Differences between clock records and actual hours worked. Time 
clocks are not required. In those cases where time clocks are used, 
employees who voluntarily come in before their regular starting time or 
remain after their closing time, do not have to be paid for such periods 
provided, of course, that they do not engage in any work. Their early or 
late clock punching may be disregarded. Minor differences between the 
clock records and actual hours worked cannot ordinarily be avoided, but 
major discrepancies should be discouraged since they raise a doubt as to 
the accuracy of the rec ords of the hours actually worked.
    (b) ``Rounding'' practices. It has been found that in some 
industries, particularly where time clocks are used, there has been the 
practice for many years of recording the employees' starting time and 
stopping time to the nearest 5 minutes, or to the nearest one-tenth or 
quarter of an hour. Presumably, this arrangement averages out so that 
the employees are fully compensated for all the time they actually work. 
For enforcement purposes this practice of computing working time will be 
accepted, provided that it is used in such a manner that it will not 
result, over a period of time, in failure to compensate the employees 
properly for all the time they have actually worked.