Working Hours and Overtime in Cuba

In Cuba, 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.

Looking ahead to 2026, Cuban authorities are expected to continue tightening enforcement of working-time rules, with greater scrutiny of timekeeping, overtime justification, and rest-period planning. You should proactively review schedules, contracts, and payroll calculations to ensure that standard hours, overtime, and night work are clearly defined, properly recorded, and fairly compensated, and that employees receive the daily and weekly rest to which they are entitled.

• 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 Cuba?

An employee whose age is 15 or younger has a maximum of 6 hours per day and 30 hours per week. An employee whose age is 16 or older is allowed to work 44 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 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Cuba

Under Cuban labor legislation, the standard workweek for most adult employees is 44 hours, usually spread over five or six days. In practice, this often means eight hours per day from Monday to Friday, with a shorter shift on Saturday where a six-day schedule is used. You should structure working time so that daily hours are predictable, recorded, and do not regularly exceed the statutory norm except under clearly defined overtime arrangements.

For minors, stricter limits apply. Employees under 18 are generally subject to reduced daily and weekly hours, and they are prohibited from night work and hazardous activities. You must verify age documentation before assigning schedules and ensure that timekeeping systems flag any attempt to schedule minors beyond their legal limits.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Continuous Process Manufacturing And Energy Production
• Healthcare And Emergency Medical Services
• Tourism, Hotels, And Restaurants
• Transportation, Ports, And Aviation Services
• Agriculture And Seasonal Harvest Activities
• Security, Surveillance, And Essential Public Services

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managers and certain highly trusted employees in Cuba may have more flexible schedules and may not be subject to the same rigid daily limits as rank-and-file staff. However, this does not give employers unlimited discretion. You should define managerial or exempt status in the employment contract, describe expected working hours and availability, and clarify how additional hours are compensated – whether through higher base pay, fixed supplements, or time off in lieu – in line with Cuban labor rules and any applicable collective agreements.

Even for exempt employees, you are expected to prevent excessive working hours that could endanger health and safety. Internal policies should cap weekly hours, require periodic rest, and ensure that managers are not pressured to work continuously without adequate breaks or weekly rest days.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Cuba

Full-time employment in Cuba is generally based on the 44-hour workweek for adult employees. Any schedule that consistently reaches this weekly limit is considered full-time, whether organized over five or six days. Part-time arrangements involve fewer weekly hours and should be clearly documented in the employment contract, including how pay, benefits, and social security contributions are prorated.

When designing work schedules, you should align contractual hours with the statutory full-time standard, specify the normal daily start and end times, and indicate how work on weekends, public holidays, or beyond the 44-hour threshold will be treated. Transparent communication of these parameters helps avoid disputes and supports compliance during inspections by Cuban labor authorities.

Overtime Regulations In Cuba

What Counts As Overtime In Cuba?

In Cuba, overtime is generally any working time performed beyond the employee’s normal daily schedule or above the standard 44-hour workweek for adult employees. Overtime must be exceptional, justified by production or service needs, and authorized in advance by a competent manager. You should not rely on overtime as a permanent staffing solution, and you must ensure that all additional hours are accurately recorded.

Work performed on weekly rest days or public holidays is typically treated as overtime or as specially compensated work, depending on the applicable collective agreement. On-call time may count as working time when the employee is required to remain at the workplace or in conditions that significantly restrict personal freedom. Your internal policies should clearly define what constitutes working time, how employees report extra hours, and who can approve them.

Maximum Overtime In Cuba

Cuban labor rules limit the amount of overtime that can be imposed on employees to protect their health and safety. While specific caps can vary by sector and collective agreement, overtime should remain occasional and must not cause total weekly hours to become excessive. As a best practice, you should avoid scheduling more than 12 additional hours per week and should respect monthly and annual ceilings established in sectoral regulations or union agreements.

Overtime for minors is heavily restricted or prohibited, particularly at night or in hazardous environments. Pregnant employees, employees on medical restrictions, and workers in high-risk roles may also be subject to tighter limits. Before assigning overtime, you should check medical recommendations, risk assessments, and any special protections that apply to the employee.

Overtime Payout Rates In Cuba

Overtime in Cuba must be compensated at a premium rate above the employee’s normal hourly wage, or through equivalent paid time off where this is permitted by law or collective agreement and agreed with the employee. Common practice is to pay a higher multiplier for overtime hours – for example, at least 1.5 times the regular rate for standard overtime and higher rates for work on weekly rest days or public holidays – although exact percentages can depend on sectoral rules and company-level agreements.

To remain compliant, you should define overtime rates in employment contracts or internal regulations, ensure that payroll systems correctly calculate premiums based on the employee’s base salary and any regular fixed allowances, and keep detailed records of overtime hours and payments. Where time off in lieu is used, it should be granted within a reasonable period and documented so that inspectors can verify that employees received the full value of their overtime work.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Cuba

In Cuba, employees typically work around 8 hours per day and 44 hours per week, and rest periods and breaks are designed to ensure that these hours do not compromise health, safety, or productivity. As an employer, you must integrate meal breaks, daily rest between shifts, and weekly rest days into your scheduling so that employees have sufficient recovery time relative to their standard working hours, and you must pay particular attention to enhanced protections for minors and other vulnerable groups.

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