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Travel time and expenses

Travel time, rayon and expense reimbursement are the topics with the greatest configuration effort, because the GAV works with distances and travel times here that codeto report does not determine on its own.

Recording travel time

Travel time is recorded separately in the report and shown separately. This meets the requirement of Art. 20.6, according to which paid travel time must be recordable separately.

Recording is described under Normal hours, travel time and additional hours.

Where work begins: three models

The employer defines where work begins (Art. 27.1). Three models follow from this. The choice is made per company or company domicile and determines which travel time is paid at all.

ModelWork beginsPaid travel timeArticle
1 – At the companyat the companyHome to company unpaid, journey from company to site always fully paid working time. A rayon plays no role.Art. 27.2
2 – Site without rayonat the siteDifference between travel time home to site minus the usual commute home to company, if positiveArt. 27.3
3 – Site with rayonat the siteNone within the rayon, outside according to the formulaArt. 27.4
Model 2 is the standard case

Model 2 also applies to EIT.swiss members as long as no rayon has been validly agreed. The calculation then remains individual per employee, also from 2027.

Requirements for model 3, only for EIT.swiss members and only if the rayon rule

  • was defined together with the employees or their representation,
  • is anchored in the company regulations or the employment contract and
  • has been deposited with the responsible regional joint commission.

If one of these requirements is missing, model 2 applies automatically.

Rayon rule (model 3)

The rayon covers at most 15 minutes of effective travel time from the company domicile. Within the rayon, travel time from home to the site does not count as working time.

No distance criterion in codeto report

codeto report cannot store a rayon as a distance or travel time. The automatic conditions for additions recognise projects, branches, time of day, weekdays and public holidays, but no distance criterion.

The rayon rule can therefore only be mapped through a maintained project list.

Procedure in practice

The process is semi-automatic: the application runs automatically, the assignment remains a permanent manual task.

  1. Determine per project whether the site lies inside or outside the rayon. The effective travel time from the company domicile is authoritative, determined for example with a map service.
  2. Create an addition with a condition and select the projects concerned in the "Projects" field. If most projects meet the condition and only a few do not, the reverse route is simpler: exclude those few specifically. This keeps the ongoing maintenance considerably smaller.
  3. Keep the assignment up to date. Since new projects are created continuously, this is not a one-off step but a recurring task.
What runs automatically and what does not

Automatic is the application of the rule: as soon as a project is stored in the condition, the addition is booked without any further action.

Manual is the assignment: a person decides which project lies outside the rayon. New projects are not classified automatically and drop out of the rule unless they are added.

Change of calculation formula as at 01.01.2027

The calculation of travel time outside the rayon has been redefined as of 01.01.2027. This concerns model 3 only, model 2 stays individual per employee:

  • Until 31.12.2026: travel time from home to the site minus the usual travel time from home to the company premises.
  • From 01.01.2027: travel time from the company domicile to the site minus 15 minutes. The place of residence no longer plays a role.

From 2027 the rule set at the beginning of the year also applies for at least one year, a change during the year is not permitted. Review the project assignment in good time before the effective date.

Expense reimbursement for meals

According to Art. 33.1, CHF 18.– per day is owed if the site is more than 15 minutes of effective travel time from the company domicile. What counts is the contractual place of employment, for temporary staff the seat of the hiring company, never the site. The employee's place of residence plays no role.

The travel time is determined with a map service such as Google Maps, departing from the company at the project-specific working hours.

In codeto report the lunch allowance is mapped as a general addition, because it arises per person and day and is not tied to an individual project report. There are two ways to do this:

ApproachWhen it makes sense
Automatic through a condition with a project selectionEntitlement to the supplement per project is clear and stable
Manual by employees per dayProjects change frequently or the entitlement is decided case by case

Even on the automatic route it remains a general addition. The "Projects" field in the condition only restricts when it is booked automatically.

The configuration is described under General additions. How employees record the allowance is described under Recording general additions.

Exception for organised lunch provision

Since 01.01.2026 the expense reimbursement does not apply if the employer organises a free and appropriate lunch. This requires prior approval from the regional joint commission, limited to the duration of the site. Details from the PLK.

Mileage allowance

For the use of a private vehicle, Art. 34 provides for CHF 0.60 per kilometre.

Only through an interface

Mileage rates cannot be configured in codeto report itself. They are only available if they are delivered through an interface. The calculation method "Quantity times mileage rate" is available, the rate itself comes from the upstream system.