Working Time Rules: United Kingdom
United Kingdom: standard working hours, overtime, rest, annual leave, and record-keeping rules - a practical overview, not legal advice.
Statutory working time
Under the Working Time Regulations 1998, workers may not work more than an average of 48 hours per week, measured over a 17-week reference period. Workers may voluntarily opt out of this limit by written agreement with their employer.
Overtime
There is no statutory overtime premium; pay for extra hours follows the contract, subject to National Minimum Wage averaging. The 48-hour average weekly limit can be set aside by a voluntary written opt-out that the worker can later cancel, and regular overtime can increase statutory holiday pay.
Rest periods
At least 11 consecutive hours of rest in each 24, and an uninterrupted 20-minute break away from the workstation once the working day passes six hours. Weekly rest is an uninterrupted 24 hours in each seven days, which the employer may instead give as two such periods, or one of 48 hours, across fourteen days.
Record-keeping
Employers must keep records adequate to show that the working-time limits are being met, and retain them for two years. Since 2024 those records may be kept in whatever manner and format the employer reasonably thinks fit, and daily hours need not be recorded for every worker if compliance can be shown another way.
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.