Travel times and travel expenses are recorded together in ZEP – usually in the same workflow as a regular working-time entry, but with additional travel fields (direction, start and destination location, kilometers). From the recorded travel times, ZEP automatically calculates daily allowances based on per-location flat rates and any recorded meals.
Recording travel
Note: Assigning a trip to a project, operation, and customer and selecting project- or customer-specific travel settings are only available in ZEP Compact and ZEP Professional. In ZEP Clock, trips are recorded as general trips with company-wide flat rates.
Trips are created via the regular time recording – with the difference that you select an activity configured as a travel activity. Once ZEP recognizes a trip, the travel-specific fields appear automatically.
Step by step
Open Project times in the main menu or the time recording in the ZEP App and click New entry.
Select the project and – if available – the process.
Select an activity marked as a travel activity (e.g., Outbound trip to customer, Return trip, Trip by car). Which activities count as travel is configured by the administrator per project.
Enter date, from time, and to time.
Select the travel direction: outbound, onward, or return. This information is needed so ZEP correctly reconstructs the travel history for multi-day trips.
Specify start location and destination location from the location lists. Example: outbound trip from Hamburg to Munich.
If you travel by car, activate private trip and enter kilometers and, if applicable, the number of passengers. The default vehicle from your employee profile is preselected automatically.
Save the entry.
Automatic calculations
Daily allowance – based on the destination country's daily flat rates (A/C rate Germany or daily allowance Austria) and your travel duration, ZEP automatically picks the correct flat amount
Mileage – with private travel, kilometers × mileage rate from master data is calculated
Overnight recognition – if the trip exceeds the night-time window defined in the basic settings, the 24-hour flat rate applies automatically
Tax-free / taxable split – ZEP automatically splits flat rates by tax-free and taxable share (see master data for vehicles and locations)
Recording meals
Meals are independent of the travel time range and are recorded per working day. They control whether breakfast, lunch, or dinner was provided by the client on that day and accordingly reduce the daily allowance.
Open the Meals entry in the day calendar and activate the applicable checkboxes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner per day. If a meal preselection is stored in your employee profile, the typically provided meals are already preselected.
Tip: How you access the meal form depends on the time tracking view you’ve selected:
Calendar week, work week, daily view, or agenda: via the three-dot menu on the respective day
Form view: via the cutlery icon on travel days
Example: For a Mon–Fri training event with a lunch buffet, activate lunch for all five days. ZEP then automatically deducts the percentage allowance deduction for lunch (typically 40 % in Germany) per day.
Recording receipts
Receipts (hotel bills, train tickets, fuel receipts, hospitality receipts) are recorded via Receipts in the main menu or directly in the ZEP App or the ZEP Clock App via camera capture. Per receipt, you specify:
Date – receipt date
Project – assignment to the travel project
Expense category – e.g., Accommodation, Train/Flight, Rental car, Hospitality
Amount and currency – gross including disclosed VAT
Receipt file – PDF, photo, or scan, optionally uploaded as an attachment
Tip: When using the ZEP App with active camera capture, photograph the receipt directly at the place of issue. The app automatically saves date and receipt file – you then only need to add project, expense category, and amount.
Recording travel on the go
For mobile recording, two apps are available:
ZEP App – for ZEP Compact and ZEP Professional: record travel times, meals, and receipts directly on the go; photo receipt capture via camera
ZEP Clock App – for ZEP Clock: simplified travel time recording and receipt upload
All data recorded mobile appears immediately in the web application and can be processed there.
Typical travel scenarios
The following examples illustrate the interplay of recording:
Day travel to a customer
A consultant drives to the customer in the morning, is on-site all day, and returns in the evening. Recording includes:
Outbound trip: 7:00–9:00 (activity "Trip by car", direction outbound, 130 km private trip)
Meeting/working time: 9:00–17:00 (regular project time at the customer)
Return trip: 17:00–19:00 (activity "Trip by car", direction return, 130 km)
Meals: lunch provided → lunch checkbox active
ZEP automatically calculates: daily allowance A rate for 12 hours of absence, minus 40 % for provided lunch, plus 260 km × mileage rate.
Multi-day foreign travel
A trainer travels to Vienna early Monday, works on-site Mon–Wed, and returns Wednesday evening. Recording:
Mon: outbound trip 6:00–9:00 from Munich to Vienna + working time 10:00–18:00
Tue: working time 9:00–18:00
Wed: working time 9:00–16:00 + return trip 16:00–19:00 from Vienna to Munich
Meals: breakfast included at the hotel Mon+Tue+Wed → breakfast checkbox active each time
ZEP automatically picks the foreign allowance for Vienna; per day, the A or C rate is applied (24-hour overnight Mon and Tue), meal deduction is automatic.
Commuter travel with arrival allowance
A consultant drives to a customer every Monday, with whom a flat-rate "per day" arrival compensation was agreed. With each arrival, the arrival allowance from the customer travel settings is automatically picked – in addition to the daily allowance.