Set up breaks
About breaks
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.
You can also adjust your break settings and block team members from ending breaks early and convert paid break overages into unpaid breaks.
Before you begin
You can add breaks from Square Dashboard.
With Square Plus, Square Premium, Square Shifts Plus, Square for Retail Premium, Square for Restaurants Plus and Premium, or Square Appointments Premium, you can also do the following from Square Dashboard:
Block team members from ending breaks early.
Convert paid break overages into unpaid breaks.
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. Upon account creation, meal and rest breaks are set up based on your business location.
Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Staff > 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.
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If desired, you can make the break mandatory by toggling on Mandatory break. Choose one of the following options to configure when a team member is eligible for a mandatory break:
Multiple times per shift, team members earn a break after working a set number of hours.
Once per shift, team members earn a break if their shift is long enough.
Select Save to confirm the break settings.
A missed mandatory break creates a Missed break alert on the timecard at clock out.
Block ending breaks early
To stay compliant with local labor regulations requiring employee breaks, you can prevent team members from ending their breaks early.
Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Staff > 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.
Add default breaks
Upon account creation, meal and rest breaks are set up based on your business location.
By default:
Rest break will display a set time limit.
Meal break will display a set time limit.
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 Square Dashboard and go to Staff > 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.