{"id":39186,"date":"2026-11-12T00:14:53","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T00:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aurorainbox.com\/?p=39186"},"modified":"2026-11-12T00:19:11","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T00:19:11","slug":"disposiciones-stps-registro-de-jornada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aurorainbox.com\/en\/2026\/11\/12\/stps-provisions-for-recording-working-hours\/","title":{"rendered":"STPS regulations for recording working hours: who they apply to, from when and what "gradual adoption" means"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated on November 10, 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n

The general provisions of the STPS (Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare) are the rules that, according to Article 132, Section XXXIV, of the Federal Labor Law, will determine the scope and exceptions of the obligation to electronically record working hours. They are set to take effect on January 1, 2027 (Fifth Transitional Provision of the 2026 decree). As of November 10, 2026, they have not yet been published; the "gradual adoption" stems from a May interview.<\/p>\n

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What are general provisions and where do they come from?<\/h2>\n

The decree reforming the Federal Labor Law published in the Official Gazette of the Federation on May 1, 2026, created the obligation to electronically register working hours (article 132, section XXXIV) and, in the same article, entrusted the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) to define its scope:<\/p>\n

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"The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare will issue general provisions that determine the scope of application and exception to the obligation established in the preceding paragraph."<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And he set the date in the Fifth Transitional Provision:<\/p>\n

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"Fifth. The general provisions referred to in section XXXIV of article 132 of the Federal Labor Law shall enter into force on January 1, 2027."<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Two names, one thing. The law says "general provisions"; the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS), in an interview, referred to them as "guidelines," and the press uses both terms. They will specify who is subject to the obligation and who is exempt; the rest (what to register, its evidentiary value, the corresponding penalty) is already in the law.<\/p>\n

What has the law already decided and what remains for the STPS (Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Issue<\/th>\nIt is already in the law (in force since May 1, 2026)<\/th>\nIt remains subject to the provisions of the STPS.<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
The obligation to register<\/td>\nYes: Article 132, section XXXIV<\/td>\nNothing: the obligation exists with or without provisions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What it should contain<\/td>\nElectronic record of "each worker" with "start and end times", deliverable "to the authority when required"<\/td>\nNothing has been published yet; if they add requirements, it will be known when they are published.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Who does it apply to?<\/td>\nIt doesn't say so: the fine refers to "the obligated employer"<\/td>\nYes: the "scope of application"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Exceptions<\/td>\nShe doesn't say them<\/td>\nYes: the "exception to the obligation"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dates<\/td>\nDecree in force from 1 May 2026; provisions from 1 January 2027<\/td>\nIf they foresee stages or deadlines, they will say so.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fine<\/td>\nFrom 250 to 5,000 UMA (article 994, section IV Bis)<\/td>\nWho the "obligated" employer is depends on them.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The practical application\u2014what a business needs to register and how that registration should be supported as evidence\u2014has already been decided. What remains is to determine who will be required to do so first and who will not. The full article is available at [link to article]. Article 132, section XXXIV of the LFT<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What does "gradual adoption" mean, and who said it?<\/h2>\n

The word "gradual" does not appear in the decree referring to registration. It appears in reference to the workday: Transitional Provision Two states that the 40-hour workweek "will be achieved gradually," with a schedule of 48 hours in 2026, 46 in 2027, 44 in 2028, 42 in 2029, and 40 in 2030.<\/p>\n

The "gradual adoption" of the registry is a statement from the STPS (Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare). Alejandro Salafranca V\u00e1zquez, head of the Decent Work Unit at the STPS, told El Economista on May 28, 2026:<\/p>\n

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"In the guidelines, what we are going to do is to implement this obligation gradually, just as the reduction of the working day is in the regulations. The legislation provides in the transitional provisions that the working day will be reduced over the next four years. Therefore, the guidelines for electronic registration will be regulated over the next four years, prioritizing large and medium-sized companies first."<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In the same interview, according to the report, Salafranca "pointed out that the exceptions are still being evaluated, but it is possible that some workplaces will be totally exempt from the obligation and others partially or at some stage of implementation"; the STPS expected "to have the provisions ready by this fall", built "with social dialogue, including union and company representatives"; and the official "ruled out a cascade of inspections to verify the adoption of the electronic registry, companies will be given a deadline for implementation".<\/p>\n

This is what "gradual adoption" means to date: the intention, as stated by the STPS (Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare), to require registration in stages over approximately four years, starting with large and medium-sized companies, with exceptions yet to be defined and an implementation timeframe. And this is what it does not mean:<\/p>\n