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 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 time cards for team members, and set up your work period and overtime rules. Learn how to Set up team schedules , Set up time tracking, and Set your work period and overtime rules.
Review your state’s meal & rest period rules and any other related requirements to confirm your settings are accurate for your business.
Add a break
You can set up break tracking through your Square Dashboard. You can create up to 3 breaks in total for each of your locations.
Sign in to your Square Dashboard and select Staff & payroll > Shifts > 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.
Select Save to confirm the break settings.
Block ending breaks early
To stay compliant with local labor regulations requiring employee breaks, Square Shifts Plus allows you to prevent team members from ending their breaks early.
Sign in to your Square Dashboard and select Staff & payroll > Shifts > Settings > Breaks.
Toggle on Block Ending Breaks Early.
If applicable, enter a time under Allow Within and toggle on Only This Location or All Locations.
Select Save.
Convert paid break overages into unpaid breaks
You can convert paid break overages into unpaid breaks from your Square Dashboard. If enabled, team members automatically switch from a paid break to an unpaid break once they go one minute over their allotted break time. Any break that goes over by a minimum of one minute is flagged in your Workday and Labor Cost reports to make sure you’re aware of the change. By default, the setting is turned off.
Sign in to your Square Dashboard and select Staff & payroll > Shifts > Settings > Breaks.
Toggle on Convert excess time from a paid break to an unpaid break.
Select the Apply to option to either Only this location or All locations.