Working Hours and Overtime in Kosovo

In Kosovo, 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, you should expect closer scrutiny of working-time records, stronger enforcement of rest and night-work protections, and potential alignment with broader European working-time standards. Proactively updating your policies, timekeeping systems, and manager training now will help you adapt smoothly to any regulatory refinements and reduce the risk of costly disputes or sanctions.

• 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 Kosovo?

An employee whose age is 18 or younger has a maximum of 6 hours per day and 30 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 09:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Kosovo

Under Kosovo labour legislation, the standard working time for adult employees is 40 hours per week, typically spread over five working days. Daily working time is usually 8 hours, excluding the meal break. You should define working schedules in employment contracts or internal regulations, ensuring that any variation – such as shift work or compressed weeks – still respects the weekly cap and mandatory rest periods. For part-time employees, the agreed hours must be proportionate and clearly documented, and you must avoid using part-time arrangements to circumvent overtime or social security obligations.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Continuous Process Manufacturing And Energy Supply
• Healthcare, Emergency, And Social Care Services
• Hospitality, Tourism, And Retail With Extended Opening Hours
• Transport, Logistics, And Security Services
• Agriculture And Seasonal Field Work

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managers and certain high-level professionals in Kosovo may have more flexible working-time arrangements, but they are not automatically exempt from working-time protections. You can agree on broader availability and irregular schedules for directors, executives, and key specialists, yet you must still respect health and safety principles, reasonable limits on total hours, and adequate rest. Where you provide higher salaries that are intended to cover a degree of overtime, this should be explicitly stated in the contract, along with a clear description of expected working patterns, to reduce disputes and demonstrate transparency to labour inspectors.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Kosovo

Full-time employment in Kosovo is generally defined as 40 hours per week for adult employees. This is the benchmark you should use when classifying roles as full-time or part-time, calculating proportional benefits, and determining when overtime rules apply. Any regular requirement for employees to work beyond 40 hours per week should be treated as overtime, subject to consent, limits, and premium pay. You should keep accurate records of scheduled and actual hours worked for all employees, as these records are often requested during inspections or in the event of a dispute.

Overtime Regulations In Kosovo

What Counts As Overtime In Kosovo?

In Kosovo, overtime is generally any working time performed by an employee in excess of the standard 40-hour full-time workweek or beyond the normal daily schedule set in the employment contract or internal regulations. Overtime must be ordered or at least explicitly approved by the employer – you should not rely on implied consent or informal arrangements. Work performed on weekly rest days, official public holidays, or at night can also qualify as overtime or attract higher pay rates, depending on the circumstances and the applicable collective agreement. To remain compliant, you should define what constitutes overtime in your internal policies, require prior authorization, and ensure that all additional hours are recorded and compensated correctly.

Maximum Overtime In Kosovo

Kosovo law limits how much overtime you may require from employees in order to protect their health and safety. As a general rule, overtime should not cause the total weekly working time to exceed 48 hours on average, calculated over the reference period allowed by law or collective agreement. There are also caps on the number of overtime hours that can be worked per day and per year, with only narrow exceptions for emergencies or force majeure. You must obtain the employee’s consent for overtime, avoid assigning overtime to pregnant employees and certain categories of vulnerable workers, and pay particular attention to minors, who are not allowed to perform overtime work. Documenting overtime requests, approvals, and actual hours worked is essential to demonstrate compliance.

Overtime Payout Rates In Kosovo

Overtime in Kosovo must be compensated at a premium rate above the employee’s regular hourly wage. While specific percentages can be set by law, collective agreements, or company policies, common practice is to pay at least 125% of the regular rate for standard overtime hours and higher rates – for example 150% or more – for overtime performed at night, on weekly rest days, or on public holidays. You should calculate the overtime rate based on the employee’s base salary divided by the normal monthly or weekly working hours, then apply the appropriate premium. In addition to monetary compensation, some collective agreements allow for time off in lieu, but this must be agreed with the employee and scheduled so that overall working-time and rest requirements are still respected.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Kosovo

Employees in Kosovo typically work 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and the law links rest periods and breaks directly to these standard working hours to protect health and safety. During the working day, employees who work more than a set number of hours are entitled to a meal break, and between working days they must receive a minimum uninterrupted daily rest period. In addition, employees are entitled to a weekly rest period, usually provided as consecutive days off, and special protections apply to minors and other vulnerable groups. As an employer, you must plan schedules so that operational needs are met without breaching these mandatory rest entitlements.

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