Working Hours and Overtime in Croatia

In Croatia, 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 you plan staffing and scheduling, you must align your internal policies with Croatian labour law, collective agreements, and EU working-time rules. This includes defining clear standard working hours, controlling overtime so that weekly and reference-period limits are not exceeded, and guaranteeing statutory daily and weekly rest. Looking ahead to 2026, you should expect continued emphasis on digital timekeeping, transparency of working-time records, and stricter enforcement around vulnerable workers, night work, and psychosocial risks linked to excessive hours.

• 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 Croatia?

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 8:00 to 16:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Croatia

Under Croatian labour law, the statutory full-time schedule is 40 hours per week, usually spread over five working days. Daily working time is commonly 8 hours, and you should structure work schedules so that employees do not exceed this limit on a regular basis. Any work beyond the agreed full-time schedule is considered an exception and must be justified by increased workload, seasonal needs, or other objective and documented reasons. You must also ensure that daily and weekly rest periods are respected when planning shifts, particularly in operations that run beyond standard daytime hours.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Continuous Process Industries – Such As Energy, Utilities, And Certain Manufacturing
• Health Care And Social Services – Hospitals, Clinics, And Residential Care Facilities
• Hospitality, Tourism, And Catering – Hotels, Restaurants, And Seasonal Resorts
• Transport And Logistics – Road, Maritime, And Air Transport Services
• Retail And Service Sectors – Extended Opening Hours, Weekends, And Public Holidays

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Managers and senior executives in Croatia may have more flexible working-time arrangements, but they are not fully exempt from working-time protections. Employment contracts for managerial staff often provide for broader availability, irregular schedules, and a higher level of responsibility, which can justify longer working days during peak periods. However, you must still respect mandatory daily and weekly rest, health and safety obligations, and any collective agreement provisions that apply. Where managers are not explicitly classified as exempt from overtime in a collective agreement or contract, you should treat hours beyond the standard schedule as overtime and compensate them accordingly, either through premium pay or time off in lieu.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Croatia

Statutory full-time work in Croatia is defined as 40 hours per week. You may agree on shorter full-time hours through collective agreements or internal policies, but you cannot unilaterally increase full-time hours beyond 40 without breaching labour law. Part-time employees work fewer than 40 hours per week, and their entitlements – including annual leave, sick pay, and certain benefits – are generally prorated based on their contracted hours. When designing work schedules, ensure that full-time and part-time arrangements are clearly documented in employment contracts, and that any changes to working hours are agreed in writing and communicated in advance.

Overtime Regulations In Croatia

What Counts As Overtime In Croatia?

In Croatia, overtime is any work performed beyond the employee’s contracted full-time schedule, which is typically 40 hours per week. Overtime can arise from extending the daily working time beyond the usual 8 hours, adding extra days to the working week, or calling employees in outside their regular shift patterns. You may only require overtime in exceptional circumstances – such as unexpected workload peaks, urgent repairs, or seasonal surges – and it should not be used as a permanent staffing solution. Overtime must be ordered or at least explicitly approved by you as the employer, and you should keep accurate records of all overtime hours worked.

Maximum Overtime In Croatia

Croatian law limits the amount of overtime an employee can perform to protect health and safety. As a general rule, overtime may not exceed 8 hours per week, which means that total working time should not surpass 48 hours in any given week. Over a longer reference period – typically four months – the average weekly working time, including overtime, must not exceed 48 hours. Certain sectors or collective agreements may allow for different reference periods, but the overall protective limit remains. You must also obtain the employee’s consent for overtime in many cases and ensure that vulnerable groups – such as pregnant workers, parents of very young children, and minors – are subject to stricter limits or prohibitions on overtime.

Overtime Payout Rates In Croatia

Overtime work in Croatia must be compensated at a higher rate than regular working hours. The Labour Act requires a premium for overtime, which is commonly set at a minimum of 30 percent above the employee’s basic hourly wage, although collective agreements or company policies often provide more generous rates. You should clearly define overtime premiums in employment contracts or internal regulations, specifying different rates where applicable – for example, overtime at night, on Sundays, or on public holidays may attract higher supplements. Instead of cash payment, you may agree with the employee to grant paid time off in lieu, but the value of that time off must at least match the statutory overtime premium. All overtime payments and compensatory time off must be transparently recorded on payslips and in your working-time records.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Croatia

In Croatia, employees typically work up to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and rest periods and breaks are designed to protect their health and safety within this framework. When you schedule work, you must build in meal breaks during the working day, ensure that employees receive uninterrupted daily rest between shifts, and provide weekly rest days so that total working time – including any overtime – does not undermine these protections.

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