Working Hours and Overtime in Chile

In Chile, your company must comply with working hour and overtime laws – including daily limits, overtime thresholds, and rest requirements – to stay compliant and build a strong employee experience.

As regulations continue to evolve, you should regularly review employment contracts, internal policies, and timekeeping practices to ensure they align with the 40-hour workweek, overtime caps, and mandatory rest rules. By 2026, authorities are expected to maintain close scrutiny of working-time compliance, with a focus on accurate recording of hours, proper classification of exempt employees, and effective controls on overtime use. Proactive compliance – including training managers, auditing schedules, and engaging with employee representatives – will help you avoid disputes and adapt quickly to any further refinements in Chile’s working-time framework.

• Standard Working Hours
• Overtime Thresholds
• Overtime Pay Rates
• Daily And Weekly Rest Requirements
• Night Work Restrictions
• Penalties For Non-Compliance

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Chile?

An employee whose age is 17 or younger has a maximum of 8 hours per day and 40 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 Chile

Under Chilean law, the general statutory limit for ordinary working hours is 40 hours per week, usually distributed over no fewer than 5 and no more than 6 days. Daily working time is commonly capped at 8 hours for standard schedules, although the law focuses primarily on the weekly cap and requires that working time be organized to avoid excessive daily stretches and to respect mandatory rest periods. You should define working hours clearly in employment contracts and internal policies, ensuring that any variation – such as shift work or compressed schedules – still respects the weekly maximum and applicable rest rules.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Continuous Process Industries And Shift Work
• Hospitality, Tourism, And Retail Operations
• Transport, Ports, And Dock Work
• Agricultural And Seasonal Activities
• Security, Surveillance, And Care Services

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Certain categories of employees in Chile – such as managers, administrators, employees who work without direct supervision, and those who render services primarily off-site with autonomy over their schedule – may be excluded from the ordinary working hours regime. These employees are generally not subject to the 40-hour weekly cap or overtime rules, provided their exempt status is genuine and properly documented. As an employer, you should carefully assess job duties, level of autonomy, and reporting structures before classifying an employee as exempt, and you should keep written evidence (job descriptions, contracts, and organizational charts) to support that classification in case of inspection or dispute.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Chile

Statutory full-time employment in Chile is based on a 40-hour workweek for adult employees, typically spread over 5 days of 8 hours each. Part-time arrangements are those with fewer hours than the statutory full-time threshold and must be clearly defined in the employment contract. When designing work schedules, you should ensure that ordinary hours do not exceed the statutory weekly limit, that employees receive at least the minimum daily meal break, and that weekly rest periods are respected. Any work beyond the agreed ordinary schedule that exceeds the statutory limits will generally be treated as overtime and must comply with Chilean overtime rules.

Overtime Regulations In Chile

What Counts As Overtime In Chile?

In Chile, overtime is any time actually worked beyond the employee’s agreed ordinary schedule that also exceeds the statutory weekly limit of 40 hours for non-exempt employees. Overtime must be exceptional, temporary, and based on a written agreement between you and the employee, typically for a defined period and for specific operational needs. Time that employees spend at your disposal outside their normal schedule – such as mandatory meetings, required training, or waiting time where they cannot freely dispose of their time – can be considered working time and may generate overtime if it pushes total hours beyond the legal threshold.

Maximum Overtime In Chile

Overtime in Chile is strictly limited. As a rule, employees may not work more than 2 hours of overtime per day, and overtime should not be used as a permanent way to organize work. The law expects you to rely on ordinary hours for regular operations and to use overtime only to address temporary increases in workload, contingencies, or special circumstances. You should monitor overtime closely, keep accurate records of hours worked, and ensure that overtime agreements are renewed or terminated in line with legal requirements, avoiding any pattern that suggests systematic overuse of overtime.

Overtime Payout Rates In Chile

Overtime hours in Chile must be paid at a premium rate over the employee’s regular hourly wage. The standard legal premium is at least 50 percent above the ordinary hourly rate for each authorized overtime hour worked. The ordinary hourly rate is generally calculated by dividing the monthly base salary by the number of ordinary hours in the month, excluding non-wage benefits and reimbursements. Collective bargaining agreements or individual contracts may provide more favorable overtime rates, but never less than the statutory minimum. You should also ensure that overtime premiums are reflected correctly in payslips and that any night work or work on weekly rest days or public holidays is compensated according to the higher rates or compensatory rest rules that may apply.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Chile

In Chile, employees generally work up to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and the law links rest periods and breaks directly to these standard working hours. You must build daily and weekly rest into work schedules so that employees receive at least a minimum uninterrupted meal break during the workday, sufficient daily rest between shifts, and a full weekly rest day, with additional protections for minors and for night or shift workers.

• Meal Break Requirements
• Daily Rest
• Weekly Rest
• Minors
• Employer Duties