Working Hours and Overtime in Finland

In Finland, 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, authorities are expected to continue focusing on accurate working time records, transparent scheduling practices, and the correct application of collective agreements. You should regularly review your working time models, overtime approval processes, and rest period arrangements to ensure they align with the Working Hours Act, sectoral agreements, and any EU‑driven updates to working time and platform work rules.

• 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 Finland?

An employee whose age is 15 or younger has a maximum of 7 hours per day and 35 hours per week. An employee whose age is 16 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 Finland

Under the Finnish Working Hours Act, the general statutory maximum for regular working time is 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, calculated over a reference period. Many collective agreements shorten the weekly hours to 37.5 or 38 hours without changing the legal maximum. Regular working time can also be arranged as an average – for example, up to 10 hours per day and 48 hours per week – provided that the average does not exceed 40 hours per week over the agreed adjustment period and that the arrangement is documented in advance.

As an employer, you must ensure that total working time – including overtime and additional hours – does not exceed the limits set by law and applicable collective agreements. You are required to maintain accurate working time records for each employee, showing daily and weekly hours, overtime, and any on-call time. These records must be retained and made available to authorities and employee representatives upon request.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Healthcare And Social Services With Shift Work
• Transport, Logistics, And Road Transport Operations
• Hotels, Restaurants, And Catering With Extended Opening Hours
• Retail And Commerce With Evening And Weekend Work
• Security, Guarding, And Emergency Services
• Seasonal Industries Such As Agriculture And Forestry

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Certain senior managerial employees who independently determine their own working hours may fall outside the scope of the Working Hours Act. These individuals typically have broad decision-making authority, are responsible for the overall management of the enterprise or a significant part of it, and are not subject to detailed scheduling by the employer. For such exempt employees, statutory limits on daily and weekly working time and overtime compensation may not apply in the same way as for other staff.

However, you must apply this exemption narrowly and assess each role based on its actual duties, not just job titles. Middle managers and specialists who follow company schedules or whose hours are monitored usually remain covered by working time rules and are entitled to overtime or corresponding time off according to law or collective agreement. Even for exempt employees, you must still safeguard occupational safety, reasonable workload, and adequate rest.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Finland

Statutory full-time work in Finland is generally based on 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, although many sectors operate with slightly shorter full-time hours under collective agreements. Full-time status is usually determined by the regular weekly hours agreed in the employment contract and the applicable collective agreement, not solely by the legal maximum.

When drafting contracts, you should clearly state the regular daily and weekly working hours, the working time system used (for example, fixed schedule, flexible working time, or average working time), and how any additional and overtime hours will be compensated. For part-time employees, specify the reduced hours and how changes to the schedule will be communicated. Transparent documentation helps you demonstrate compliance and manage working time costs effectively.

Overtime Regulations In Finland

What Counts As Overtime In Finland?

Overtime in Finland is defined in the Working Hours Act as work performed at the employer’s initiative that exceeds the agreed regular working hours, provided the employee has given consent. In a standard working time arrangement of 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, hours beyond 8 in a day or 40 in a week are typically considered overtime, unless they are treated as additional hours for part-time employees under a collective agreement.

Overtime always requires the employee’s consent, which can be given for a specific occasion or for a limited period. You must distinguish between regular working time, additional hours (for part-time staff up to full-time hours), and statutory overtime, because each category may have different pay or time-off rules. Collective agreements often refine these definitions and may set lower thresholds for overtime pay than the law.

Maximum Overtime In Finland

The Working Hours Act sets strict caps on overtime to protect employee health and safety. As a rule, overtime may not exceed 2 hours per day and 12 hours per week. In addition, total overtime is limited to 138 hours over a 4‑month period and 250 hours per calendar year. By local agreement with employee representatives, it is possible to arrange up to 80 additional overtime hours per year, but the overall annual ceiling must still be respected.

When using flexible or average working time schemes, you must monitor overtime over the entire adjustment period to ensure that the statutory limits are not exceeded. Accurate working time records are essential, and you should implement internal controls or alerts in your timekeeping system to flag when employees are approaching legal or collectively agreed overtime caps.

Overtime Payout Rates In Finland

Overtime work must be compensated with increased pay or corresponding paid time off. Under the Working Hours Act, the first 2 overtime hours in a day are paid at a minimum of 150% of the employee’s regular hourly wage, and any subsequent overtime hours the same day are paid at 200%. Weekly overtime that does not coincide with daily overtime is generally paid at 150%. Many collective agreements provide more generous rates or additional supplements for night work, weekend work, or work on public holidays.

Instead of monetary compensation, you and the employee may agree that overtime will be compensated with equivalent paid time off, calculated using the same increase percentages. Any such agreement should be documented, and the compensatory time off should be granted within the timeframe set by law or the collective agreement. You must also ensure that overtime premiums are correctly reflected in payslips and that your payroll system is configured to apply the correct multipliers for different types of overtime.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Finland

In Finland, employees generally work up to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and the Working Hours Act links rest periods and breaks directly to these limits to safeguard health and safety. As an employer, you must schedule meal breaks when daily working time exceeds certain thresholds, ensure uninterrupted daily rest between shifts, and provide weekly rest days so that total working time – including any overtime – does not erode the statutory protections tied to the standard working hours framework.

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