WTR Compliance Reports
Stay on the right side of UK Working Time Regulations with automatic monitoring and clear compliance reports.
What Is WTR?
A plain-English explanation of the Working Time Regulations.
WTR stands for Working Time Regulations. These are UK laws that protect workers from being asked to work excessive hours. As an employer or agency, you have a legal responsibility to make sure your workers are not exceeding the limits set by these regulations.
TempClock helps you stay compliant by automatically tracking working hours and flagging any workers whose hours break the limits it checks.
WTR compliance is a legal requirement, not optional. Failing to comply can result in enforcement action from HMRC or the Health and Safety Executive. TempClock makes it easy to monitor, but it is your responsibility to act on the data.
The 48-Hour Rule
The key limit you need to know about.
The most important WTR rule for staffing agencies is the 48-hour weekly limit. Here is what it means:
Workers should not work more than an average of 48 hours per week
The average is usually measured over a 17-week rolling period, not a single week
A worker can work more than 48 hours in one week as long as the average over 17 weeks stays at or below 48
Almost all workers in the UK, including temporary and agency workers
For example, if a worker does 52 hours one week but 44 hours the next, their two-week average is 48 hours, which is compliant. The 17-week rolling window gives more flexibility for occasional busy periods.
The 17-week reference period is the standard. Some sectors (such as healthcare or transport) use different reference periods. If you are unsure which applies to your workers, check with your legal advisor.
Open the WTR report
In the client dashboard, go to Time & Pay > WTR report. You need the Admin role. On the agency console it is under Time & Pay > WTR report too, where you can also filter by client.
Choose the reference period and location
Pick the reference period (17 weeks is the UK standard; 4, 8, 26 and 52 weeks are also available) and, if you want, a single location.
Review the summary
Three cards at the top show Workers Analysed, Compliance Issues (how many workers have at least one issue) and the Reference Period.
Reading the WTR Report
What each column means and what counts as an issue.
Below the summary, a table lists every worker with shifts in the reference period.
| Worker | Avg Weekly | Max Weekly | Weeks >48h | Rest Violations | Long Shifts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Johnson | 38.2h | 44.0h | 0 | 0 | 0 | Compliant |
| Tom Williams | 51.3h | 58.5h | 9 | 2 | 0 | Issues Found |
A worker is marked Issues Found if any of these is true in the reference period:
Their average weekly hours are above 48
Fewer than 11 hours between the end of one shift and the start of the next
A single shift of more than 13 hours
The report does not know whether a worker has signed a 48-hour opt-out, so a worker who has opted out still shows Issues Found if their average is over 48. Check your signed opt-outs before you act on an average-hours issue. Rest and long-shift issues apply whether or not the worker has opted out.
Opt-Out Agreements
When and how workers can voluntarily agree to work beyond 48 hours.
Workers can choose to opt out of the 48-hour limit voluntarily. If a worker signs an opt-out agreement, they are allowed to work more than 48 hours per week on average. However, there are important rules:
Handling opt-outs in TempClock
In TempClock an opt-out is a signed agreement. The agency console’s Clients > Agreements has a starter template in its template library, Working Time Regulations, 48-hour Opt-Out. You fill in the worker’s name and effective date, send it for signature and keep the signed copy. The signed agreement is stored in Agreements, not on the worker’s record.
Opt-outs are not yet tracked as a flag on the worker or on the WTR report. Keep your own list of who has opted out and when, and use it alongside the report.
Even when a worker has opted out, you still have a duty of care to make sure they are not working unsafe hours. Keep an eye on opted-out workers and make sure they are getting adequate rest.
Exporting Compliance Data
Download your WTR data for audits and record-keeping.
You can export the full WTR compliance report as a CSV or Excel file for your records. This is useful for audits, client reviews, or sharing with your legal team.
Set up the report
Choose the reference period and location you want. The export uses the same filters as the report on screen.
Click "Export CSV" or "Export Excel"
Click Export CSV or Export Excel at the top of the report. The file downloads to your computer, and the export is recorded in the audit log.
Review the export
The file lists each worker with their employee ID, client, home site, shifts, total hours, average and peak weekly hours, weeks over 48 hours, rest breaches, shifts over 13 hours, whether they are compliant, and the issues found.
It is good practice to export your WTR compliance data at least once a month and keep it on file. If you are ever audited, having historical records shows you were actively monitoring compliance.
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