What is Check-in at Work (CIAW)?
Checkinatwork is mandatory on every Belgian construction site with a total investment of 500,000 euros or more (excluding VAT). It is the digital online service of the National Social Security Office (RSZ) that allows you to register the presence of everyone on a large construction site. This way, the government knows exactly who is working where at all times. This basic guide explains step by step when Checkinatwork is mandatory, for whom, how it works, and what will change starting in 2027.
This requirement applies to so-called real estate-related work: demolition, construction, renovation, finishing, furnishing, maintenance, repair, and cleaning. Please note that failure to comply with this requirement can result in severe penalties: CIAW fines can quickly amount to 6,000 euros per employee.
Why is attendance registration mandatory?
The government requires the use of Check-in-at-Work to ensure that employers properly register their employees. The primary goal is to curb social fraud and unfair competition. In addition, the measure aligns with occupational safety and health regulations: in the event of a dangerous situation or evacuation, you immediately know who is on site at that moment.
Depending on the policies within your organization, the responsibility for recording attendance lies with either the employer or the employee. Nevertheless, this entire process is very time-consuming for companies. The time you lose manually tracking all employees is time you can’t invest in your business. With AllConnects’ solution, you can significantly speed up that process: attendance tracking happens automatically, quickly, and seamlessly. That way, as a manager, you no longer have to worry about errors or misuse.
When is Check-in at Work needed?
Depending on the size of the construction site and the number of employees, you should install one or more checkinatwork time clocks at the site entrance. Everyone who comes to work must clock in on the time clock before starting their shift. It remains the employee’s responsibility to do this correctly every day.
Do you want to ensure that only authorized personnel enter your construction site? Then choose a turnstile solution. This involves linking the attendance tracking system to a turnstile, so that no one can enter the site without a valid registration or if an error message is displayed. This way, you combine legal registration with physical access control.
Time clock, vehicle, or app — find out which AllConnects Checkinatwork solution is right for your construction site.
Who is required to use Check-in at Work?
The registration requirement affects various parties on the construction site. Below, we outline what is expected of you for each role.
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Employer / Contractor As an employer or contractor, you are responsible for ensuring that your employees, subcontractors (and their employees) are registered. You can handle the registration yourself, or clearly agree with the employee or subcontractor that they will register themselves. If you ask them to do this themselves, you are responsible for providing a means of registration: the checkinatwork solution from AllConnects, via time clock, vehicle, or mobile app.
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Employees Employees must ensure that their presence at the construction site is properly recorded. They can check in themselves as agreed with their employer, or review and verify the check-in records provided by their employer.
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Self-employed subcontractor Self-employedindividuals who work as subcontractors must be registered. The same rules that apply to employees also apply to them.
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Temporary Employment Agency as a Subcontractor For the purpose of reporting work (30bis), the temporary employment agencyacts as a subcontractorto the company that deploys the temporary workers. The company that uses the temporary worker reports the worker’s presence. The relationship between the worker, the temporary employment agency, and the client company is determined based on the Dimona data.
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Foreign contractor / employee As a foreign contractor or employee, you need the LIMOSA document. You record your attendance by scanning the QR codes on the Limosa-1 documents using the checkinatwork time clock. You do not need secure access to the portal to do this. Please note: this method only allows you to record attendance; you cannot view or cancel entries.
How does the Check-in-at-Work system work?
The registration process consists of three steps and is largely automated. The only manual step is the check-in itself.
- The employee clocks in using their unique identification key at the time clock or via the mobile app.
- AllConnects processes this registration and requests validation from the RSZ. Once the check-in and validation are successful, the employee is approved and may enter the site.
- The RSZ receives the required data. This all happens automatically.
Automate Checkinatwork via a web service
Do you already have an existing system? If so, you can integrate it with a web service to track attendance at work sites. AllConnects offers a check-in-at-work solution that can be implemented in various ways. Through this web service, you can record, cancel, and view attendance at the work site.
A universal notification system
AllConnects has ensured that all the standard forms of identification your employees use today also work for checking in at the construction site. You can choose one or more ways for your team to check in:
- RFID badge
- Dallas key
- Construbadge
- Own company badge
- QR code
- Id.
- 2 BE LISA badge
- Metal Badge and More
By using an existing badge system, you can avoid having your employees carry an extra badge.
What personal data is stored?
Checkinatwork is a secure service that collects data from various databases. The attendance record connects the following data already known to Social Security:
- the identification of a natural person using their national identification number, or the Limosa-L1 number for those not covered by the Belgian social security system;
- the identification of businesses or self-employed individuals using their business identification number;
- the construction site using the site number provided in the Notice of Work;
- the registration date: the day(s) on which the person concerned will be present at the workshop.
Flexible yard check-in
Your employees can check in in three different ways, depending on the situation at the job site:
- Using a CIAW time clock at one or more entrances to your construction site. Once the construction project is complete, you can easily move it to a new site.
- Using a mobile CIAW time clock in a company vehicle.
- Through a CIAW mobile app on your own smartphone.
Please note: A time clock alone does not prevent unauthorized persons from entering your site. If you want to prevent this, choose a turnstile gate with CIAW. This ensures that no one enters the site without valid registration or if an error message is displayed.
Check-in and check-out at work: what will change starting in 2027?
The biggest change is coming in 2027. A proposed bill will significantly expand the current attendance tracking system, and this will directly affect how you track attendance today. Start preparing for this now so you won’t be caught off guard.
Specifically, the draft law provides for the abolition of advance registration. Currently, employers are still allowed to register their employees in advance and remotely, but this will no longer be permitted. Instead, every person present must register themselves in real time upon both arrival (IN) and departure (OUT) at the construction site. For now, you do not yet need to register breaks. The requirement applies, just like the current IN registration, to anyone who reports to a temporary or mobile construction site valued at over 500,000 euros.
Incidentally, this system of clocking in and out has been in use for some time in other sectors. In the cleaning sector, the Check In and Out at Work (CIAO) system has been in effect since September 2024, requiring real-time recording of the start and end of work activities. The new rules now extend this approach to the construction industry.
Would you like to know what the elimination of prior registration means for your construction site, and how you can start preparing today? You can read all about it in our separate blog post and on our landing page.
Benefits of AllConnects' checkinatwork solution
- ✅ Automatic and digital attendance tracking
- ✅ Fast, efficient check-in at a large construction site
- ✅ Minimal wait time for verifying employee information
- ✅ All existing identification methods can be integrated
- ✅ Can be integrated with turnstiles and swing gates for physical access control
- ✅ Ready for real-time IN and OUT registration starting in 2027
Frequently Asked Questions
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Check-in@work is mandatory once the total cost of construction work on a site reaches or exceeds 500,000 euros (excluding VAT). Above that amount, everyone working on the site must register their presence with the RSZ.
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The employer or contractor is ultimately responsible for ensuring that all employees and subcontractors are registered. You can handle the registration yourself or arrange for the employee or subcontractor to do so, but in that case, you must provide a means for them to register.
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The penalties can add up quickly: a CIAW fine can amount to as much as 6,000 euros per unregistered employee. Proper, automatic registration prevents that risk.
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You can use an RFID badge, a Dallas key, a Construbadge, your own company badge, a QR code, an ID card, or a 2 BE LISA badge, among other options. You can choose one or more methods, so your employees don’t have to carry an extra badge.
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As of January 1, 2027, at the latest, advance registration will be abolished. From that date on, every person present must register themselves in real time upon arrival (IN) and departure (OUT) at the construction site. For now, there is no requirement to record breaks. This is a draft bill that is still going through the legislative process. Read more about it.
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Currently, Checkinatwork only records arrival at the construction site. Check In and Out at Work (CIAO) is already in use in the cleaning sector and requires real-time recording of both start and end times. Starting in 2027, the construction sector will adopt the same IN and OUT principle.
Ready to automate check-in at work?
In 30 minutes, we’ll show you how checkinatwork works via AllConnects: time clock, vehicle, or app—a universal check-in system that’s ready for the 2027 IN and OUT registration requirements.
