New rules — from 1 April 2027
Check In and Out at Work 2027: what's changing?
Check In at Work — often written as one word, CheckinAtWork, and abbreviated to CIAW (or CIAOW, Check In and Out at Work) — has existed since 2014. But on 1 April 2027 the registration obligation on construction sites becomes a lot stricter: from then on, every worker has to check in and out themselves, at the moment itself. Here you'll find exactly what changes, the fines for a missing registration and how to prepare as a construction company.
What is Check In at Work?
Check In at Work (CheckinAtWork) is the mandatory electronic attendance registration of the NSSO (RSZ/ONSS). It has existed since April 2014 and applies to construction sites with a total value of €500,000 (excl. VAT) or more.
Important: the registration obligation applies to everyone on site. Not just your own employees, but self-employed workers and subcontractors too. Every attendance must be registered with the NSSO — otherwise you're not compliant, and that means fines.
Until now, site registration has been fairly lenient: only the check-in is mandatory, and the employer may even send it in advance. That is exactly what changes in 2027.
What changes in 2027?
From 1 April 2027, new rules apply to checking in and out at work. In short: registration becomes personal, real-time and two-way — in and out.
Today vs. from 2027
| Today | From 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| What do you register? | Check-in only | Check-in and check-out |
| When do you register? | In advance is allowed, even the evening before | In real time, on the site itself — registering in advance is prohibited |
| Who registers? | The employer may register on behalf of their people | Every worker registers themselves, on arrival and on departure |
| Link with the NSSO | Site number separate from declarations | Site numbers linked to the NSSO declarations |
| Breaks | Not registered | Not registered for now |
Check-out becomes mandatory
The biggest change: alongside the check-in comes a mandatory check-out. The government wants to know not only who was on site, but also for how long. So every worker has to check in on arrival and check out on departure — every working day.
Real-time, on the site itself
Today an employer may send the registration in advance — even the evening before, from behind a desk. From 2027 that is prohibited. Registration has to happen at the moment itself, on the site itself. And not by the employer, but by each worker personally, on arrival and on departure.
On top of that, site numbers are linked to the NSSO declarations, so the government can automatically cross-check registrations against declarations. Breaks don't need to be registered for now.
What are the fines?
The registration obligation in construction is no paper tiger. Anyone who doesn't follow the CheckinAtWork rules risks a hefty fine. These are the penalties for a missing or incorrect registration:
Up to €1,000
for a worker on site without a registration.
€600 to €6,000 per person
for the employer or contractor who doesn't provide a registration system — per person concerned.
Up to €36,000 and possible imprisonment
in the event of a workplace accident without correct registration.
With ten people on site, a fine can quickly run into tens of thousands of euros. Watertight attendance registration on your construction site is simply cheaper than a single inspection that goes wrong.
How do you prepare?
2027 may seem far off, but if you get your site registration right now, you avoid panic later. Four practical steps:
Map out your sites
Check which of your sites are or will be above the €500,000 (excl. VAT) threshold. That's where Check In at Work applies — and so do the new 2027 rules.
List everyone who comes onto your sites
Not just your own workers: freelancers and subcontractors must be registered too. As main contractor, the inspectors look at you.
Stop registering in advance now
Do you already register tonight for tomorrow? Break that habit. From 2027 it's prohibited and everything has to happen in real time on site.
Choose a system that registers automatically
The biggest pitfall of the new rules: you depend on 30 workers who each have to clock in and out manually twice a day. One forgotten check-out and your records no longer add up. So choose a system that does the check-in and check-out by itself.
Frequently asked questions about CIAW 2027
What changes in 2027 for Check In at Work?
On 1 April 2027, check-out becomes mandatory alongside check-in. Registering in advance will no longer be allowed: every worker must check in and out themselves, in real time and on the site itself. In addition, site numbers are linked to the NSSO (RSZ/ONSS) declarations.
What do CIAW and CIAOW mean?
CIAW is short for CheckInAtWork, the mandatory attendance registration on construction sites. CIAOW (Check In and Out at Work) refers to the extended version from 2027, in which checking out also becomes mandatory.
What are the fines for a missing registration?
A worker without a registration risks up to €1,000. An employer or contractor who doesn't provide a registration system risks €600 to €6,000 per person concerned. In the event of a workplace accident without correct registration, that rises to as much as €36,000 and possible imprisonment.
From what amount does Check In at Work apply?
The registration obligation applies to construction sites with a total value of €500,000 (excl. VAT) or more. On those sites everyone must be registered — including self-employed workers and subcontractors.
Read also
- What is Checkinatwork (CIAW)?
- Time tracking in construction: get exact hours from the mandatory registration
- From what amount is Checkinatwork mandatory?
- Everything AutoCheckIn takes care of for you
Disclaimer: the law introducing Check In and Out at Work has been approved. The main principles (check-in and check-out, real-time registration by the worker themselves, from 1 April 2027) are fixed; the implementing decree with the technical details is still being prepared, so those may still change. We keep this page up to date.