Working Hours and Overtime in Azerbaijan

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Azerbaijan?

An employee whose age is 16 or younger has a maximum of 5 hours per day and 24 hours per week. An employee whose age is 18 or older is allowed to work 40 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 30 minutes must be observed by employees who work more than 6 hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 9:00 to 18:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Azerbaijan

Under the Labour Code of Azerbaijan, the general limit for normal working time is 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week for adult employees. You must distribute these hours across a five or six day workweek in the employment contract or internal work rules, ensuring that daily schedules and shift patterns are clearly communicated in advance. Any work beyond these limits is treated as overtime and must follow strict legal conditions.

You may introduce summarized (averaged) working time accounting, for example in shift-based operations, provided that the average does not exceed 40 hours per week over the chosen reference period. Collective agreements or internal policies can refine how hours are scheduled, but they cannot waive statutory maximums or reduce mandatory protections. You are required to keep accurate time records for each employee to demonstrate compliance with daily and weekly limits.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules. In these environments, you can use summarized working time so that some weeks exceed 40 hours, as long as the average over the reference period remains within the legal limit. You must still respect daily rest, weekly rest, and overtime pay rules even when using flexible schedules.

• Healthcare professionals may work 12-hour shifts with extended rest periods.
• Transport workers must comply with EU-aligned rest and driving limits.
• Manufacturing and security staff often rotate through night or weekend shifts.

Even in these sectors, you must ensure the average weekly limit is respected over a reference period. When using long shifts, you should document the reference period, shift rosters, and rest arrangements in writing. This documentation helps demonstrate that the average weekly working time does not exceed 40 hours.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

In Azerbaijan, senior managers and certain highly autonomous employees may have more flexible schedules, but they are not fully exempt from working time protections. Their contracts can provide for irregular hours or broader availability, yet you must still respect health and safety limits, rest periods, and any applicable overtime rules. You cannot rely on a job title alone to avoid paying overtime where the law requires it.

For genuinely managerial staff who control their own time, you may agree on a higher fixed salary that already reflects occasional additional hours. This arrangement should be clearly described in the employment contract, including expectations about availability and workload. Even then, you should monitor working time to prevent excessive hours that could breach general labour and occupational safety obligations.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Azerbaijan

Statutory full-time work in Azerbaijan is generally defined as 40 hours per week for adult employees. You may distribute these hours over five days at 8 hours per day or over six days with shorter daily hours, as long as the weekly total does not exceed 40 hours. Any deviation from this standard should be agreed in writing with the employee.

For employees working in harmful or hazardous conditions, the statutory full-time norm is reduced, often to 36 hours per week or less depending on the risk classification. Part-time arrangements are also permitted, where weekly hours are set below the 40-hour standard by mutual agreement. In all cases, benefits and entitlements should be pro-rated for part-time staff according to their contracted hours.

Overtime Regulations In Azerbaijan

Overtime in Azerbaijan is tightly regulated, and you must obtain the employee’s consent in most cases and keep precise records of all hours worked beyond the normal schedule. You are responsible for ensuring that overtime is exceptional, justified by production or operational needs, and does not endanger employee health. Failure to manage overtime correctly can lead to back-pay claims, administrative fines, and reputational risk.

What Counts As Overtime In Azerbaijan?

Overtime in Azerbaijan is any work performed beyond the employee’s established daily or weekly working time, typically more than 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week for adults. Work performed on an employee’s weekly rest day or on a public holiday is also treated as overtime, even if the weekly total does not exceed 40 hours. You must obtain written consent for overtime in most situations, except in emergencies such as accidents or urgent repairs.

Overtime must be ordered or approved by you as the employer, and you should avoid informal practices where employees stay late without authorization. All overtime hours must be recorded in timesheets or electronic systems so that the correct premium rates can be applied. You should also ensure that overtime does not interfere with minimum daily and weekly rest requirements.

Maximum Overtime In Azerbaijan

The Labour Code of Azerbaijan limits overtime to a maximum of 4 hours on two consecutive days and 2 hours on any other working day. In practice, this means an employee should not work more than 12 hours in a single day when overtime is used. You must plan schedules so that these daily limits are never exceeded.

On an annual basis, overtime for each employee is capped at 150 hours per calendar year. You should monitor cumulative overtime and stop assigning extra hours once an employee approaches this 150-hour limit. If you need more flexibility, consider hiring additional staff or reorganizing shifts rather than breaching the statutory overtime cap.

Overtime Payout Rates In Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan, overtime on a normal working day must be paid at a minimum of 150% of the employee’s regular hourly rate, which is a 1.5x multiplier. If you provide time off in lieu instead of cash, the time off must be at least equivalent to the overtime hours worked and the employee must still receive at least their basic wage for those hours. You should clearly document in writing whether overtime will be compensated in cash, time off, or a combination of both.

Work performed on weekly rest days or public holidays must be paid at a minimum of 200% of the regular hourly rate, which is a 2.0x multiplier. If you provide a substitute rest day for work on a rest day or holiday, you must still pay at least 100% of the wage for the hours worked and grant the additional day off. Your payroll system should be configured to apply 1.5x for regular overtime and 2.0x for rest day and public holiday work to remain compliant.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan, most adult employees work up to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and rest periods are designed to protect their health within this framework. During the working day, employees are entitled to meal and short rest breaks that do not count as working time, and between working days they must receive uninterrupted daily rest. You must organize schedules so that these breaks and rest periods are respected alongside the standard working hours.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 6 hours in a day are generally entitled to a meal break of at least 30 minutes, and in many workplaces this break is set between 30 and 60 minutes. You should specify the exact duration and timing of the meal break in internal rules or employment contracts.
• Daily Rest: Employees must receive a minimum uninterrupted daily rest period of 12 hours between the end of one working day and the start of the next. When using shift work or overtime, you must still ensure that this 12-hour rest is preserved.
• Weekly Rest: Employees are entitled to at least 42 consecutive hours of weekly rest, which in practice is usually a full Sunday or a combination of Saturday afternoon and Sunday. If business needs require work on the usual rest day, you must provide a substitute rest day and apply the correct overtime pay rate.
• Minors: Employees under 18 benefit from longer rest periods and shorter working hours, including a reduced daily limit and enhanced protection against night work. You must verify age documentation and adapt schedules so that minors receive additional rest beyond adult standards.
• Employer Duty: As an employer in Azerbaijan, you are responsible for planning work so that statutory breaks and rest periods are actually taken, not just written in policies. Timekeeping systems, rosters, and supervisory practices should all support compliance with daily and weekly rest rules.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Azerbaijan

Night and weekend work are legal in Azerbaijan but subject to additional employer responsibilities and employee protections. You must pay attention to working time limits, health and safety considerations, and any applicable premium pay rules when scheduling such work. Proper documentation and risk assessment are essential to demonstrate compliance.

Night work in Azerbaijan is generally defined as work performed between 22:00 and 06:00. This definition applies across most roles and sectors, although specific collective agreements or internal rules may refine the exact hours within this window. You should clearly indicate in contracts or policies when an employee is considered a night worker.

• Premium Pay: Azerbaijani law does not set a specific statutory percentage for night work premiums, so there is no mandatory numerical night supplement such as 25% or 1.25x. In practice, many employers provide a night shift allowance in the range of 20%–30% above the regular hourly rate, and you should state the exact percentage or multiplier in the employment contract or internal regulations.
• Health Monitoring: Regular night workers should receive periodic health assessments to identify fatigue, sleep disorders, or other risks associated with night shifts. You should also adjust workloads and provide training on managing fatigue for employees who frequently work between 22:00 and 06:00.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors under 18 are generally prohibited from night work, and pregnant or breastfeeding employees must not be required to work night shifts. If a medical certificate indicates that night work is harmful to an employee’s health, you must transfer them to day work where possible without reducing their pay.

Weekend work, including Sunday or the designated weekly rest day, is allowed in Azerbaijan but must be treated as overtime and compensated accordingly. Work on a weekly rest day or public holiday must be paid at a minimum of 200% of the regular hourly rate, or 2.0x, and you must also provide a substitute rest day if the normal weekly rest is disrupted.