Working Time Rules: Estonia
Estonia: working hours, holiday calendars and annual leave rules for practical workforce planning.
This is a general overview, not legal advice. Limits, reference periods, exceptions, and record-keeping duties vary by sector and contract and change over time. Confirm the current rules with the official source and a qualified adviser.
Working week used in calculations40 hours per week8 hours a day over 5 days
Minimum annual leave28 calendar daysThe Estonian minimum annual holiday is generally 28 calendar days. Calendar days include ordinary weekends, so twenty-eight must not be subtracted as twenty-eight Monday-Friday working days. National and public holidays are excluded from the annual leave count; special employee categories can have longer entitlements.Source
Statutory working time
Estonian full-time work is generally eight hours a day and forty hours per seven days unless shorter hours are agreed. Summarised working-time schedules need period-based checks. Three-hour pre-holiday reductions are separate from full holiday dates; this calculator does not determine the final statutory norm or an employee’s approved schedule.
What to check before you rely on this
- The current statutory limits, reference periods, and any opt-outs.
- Sector or collective-agreement rules that may override the defaults.
- How overtime is authorised, recorded, and compensated.
- What working-time records you must keep and for how long.