Working Hours and Overtime in Liberia

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Liberia?

An employee whose age is 16 or younger has a maximum of 6 hours per day and 36 hours per week. An employee whose age is 17 or older is allowed to work 48 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 60 minutes must be observed by employees who work more than 5 hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 08:00 to 16:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Liberia

Under Liberian labour practice, the standard limit for adult employees is 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, usually spread over six working days. You should structure work schedules so that employees do not routinely exceed these limits without a clear overtime arrangement. Any regular pattern above 48 hours per week should be treated as overtime and documented accordingly.

Collective agreements or individual contracts may distribute hours differently across the week, provided the average does not exceed 48 hours over the agreed reference period. You must clearly state normal hours, overtime conditions, and any averaging arrangements in the employment contract. Keep accurate daily and weekly time records to demonstrate compliance in the event of an inspection or dispute.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules. In practice, these sectors often rely on shift systems that can extend individual workdays beyond 8 hours, while still aiming to keep the weekly total near 48 hours. You should use written shift rosters and ensure employees receive adequate daily and weekly rest.

• Healthcare professionals may work 12-hour shifts with extended rest periods.
• Transport workers must comply with EU-aligned rest and driving limits.
• Manufacturing and security staff often rotate through night or weekend shifts.

Even in these sectors, you must ensure the average weekly limit is respected over a reference period. Where operational needs require longer weeks, you should compensate with reduced hours in other weeks or additional rest days. Clearly communicate these patterns to employees in advance.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial staff and certain high-level professionals in Liberia may not be subject to the same strict hour-by-hour controls as rank-and-file employees. However, you should still define expected working hours, availability windows, and any overtime in their contracts to avoid claims of excessive workload. Even where managers are treated as exempt from overtime pay, they remain protected by general health and safety and rest-period principles.

For employees classified as exempt, ensure that their salary level and responsibilities genuinely reflect this status. Misclassifying employees as managerial to avoid overtime obligations can expose you to back-pay claims and penalties. Regularly review job descriptions and actual duties to confirm that exemptions remain justified.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Liberia

In Liberia, full-time work is generally understood as 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week for adult employees. Many employers, especially in offices and services, voluntarily adopt a 40-hour week of 8 hours per day over 5 days to remain competitive and attractive. You should specify in each contract whether full-time is based on 40 or 48 hours per week.

Part-time and shift-based arrangements are permitted as long as they are clearly documented and do not circumvent minimum wage or social security obligations. When reducing or increasing contracted hours, obtain written consent and update payroll and benefits calculations accordingly. Consistent documentation helps demonstrate that working-time arrangements are lawful and mutually agreed.

Overtime Regulations In Liberia

As an employer in Liberia, you should treat any work beyond the employee’s normal daily or weekly schedule as overtime and record it accurately. Maintain detailed timesheets or electronic records showing start and end times, breaks, and total hours worked each day. Failure to control and document overtime can lead to wage claims, disputes over hours, and potential sanctions from labour authorities.

What Counts As Overtime In Liberia?

In practice, overtime in Liberia is generally any time worked beyond 8 hours per day or 48 hours per week for adult employees. Work performed on an employee’s agreed weekly rest day or on a public holiday is also treated as overtime and should be compensated at a premium rate. You should define in writing whether overtime is calculated on a daily basis, a weekly basis, or both, and ensure employees understand when premium rates apply.

Overtime should be expressly authorized by a supervisor or manager before it is performed. You may require employees to obtain written or electronic approval for overtime, but you must still pay for all hours actually worked if you knew or reasonably should have known about them. Clearly communicate that unauthorized overtime may lead to disciplinary action, while still honoring the legal obligation to pay for the time worked.

Maximum Overtime In Liberia

Liberian labour practice typically limits overtime to a maximum of 2 hours per day, resulting in a total of up to 10 hours on any working day. On a weekly basis, you should not exceed 12 hours of overtime, meaning total hours should generally remain at or below 60 hours per week for adults. These limits are designed to protect employee health and reduce fatigue-related safety risks.

Where exceptional operational needs arise, you may temporarily exceed these thresholds with employee consent and, for larger or higher-risk operations, after consulting worker representatives. However, you should treat 12 hours of overtime per week and 60 total hours as a hard upper boundary and avoid using such schedules continuously. No statutory overtime cap exists on an annual basis, but you should monitor cumulative overtime to prevent chronic overwork and potential liability.

Overtime Payout Rates In Liberia

In Liberia, a common statutory benchmark is to pay at least 150% of the employee’s regular hourly rate (1.5x) for overtime worked on ordinary working days. For work performed on the weekly rest day or on a public holiday, you should pay at least 200% of the regular hourly rate (2.0x). These numerical premiums should be clearly stated in employment contracts, staff handbooks, or collective agreements.

Some employers choose to offer higher rates, such as 175% (1.75x) for weekday overtime or 250% (2.5x) for public holidays, to attract and retain staff in demanding roles. Whatever rates you adopt, apply them consistently and calculate them based on the employee’s full regular remuneration, including fixed allowances that form part of normal pay. Keep payroll records that show the number of overtime hours, the applicable multiplier, and the resulting overtime pay for each pay period.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Liberia

In Liberia, employees typically work up to 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, and rest periods are structured around these standard limits to protect health and safety. During the working day, employees who work more than 5 hours must receive a meal break, and they are also entitled to daily and weekly rest between shifts. You should design work schedules so that these breaks are built in and clearly communicated to all staff.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 5 consecutive hours must receive at least a 60-minute unpaid or paid meal break, which should be scheduled at a reasonable midpoint in the shift.
• Daily Rest: Adult employees should receive a minimum of 11 consecutive hours of rest between the end of one workday and the start of the next, and you should avoid split shifts that undermine this rest.
• Weekly Rest: Employees are entitled to at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest, typically on Sunday, and any work on this day should be exceptional and compensated at premium rates.
• Minors: Workers under 18 should have shorter daily hours, more frequent breaks, and at least 12 consecutive hours of daily rest, and they should not be scheduled for night work.
• Employer Duty: You are responsible for organizing work so that statutory breaks and rest periods are actually taken, and for keeping rosters and records that demonstrate compliance during inspections or disputes.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Liberia

Night and weekend work are legal in Liberia but they come with additional responsibilities for employers to safeguard employee health and ensure fair compensation. You should carefully plan staffing levels, transport arrangements, and security measures for employees working outside normal daytime hours. Written policies on night and weekend work help demonstrate that you are managing these risks proactively.

Night work in Liberia is generally understood as work performed between 22:00 and 06:00, although specific contracts or collective agreements may define a slightly different window. This definition applies across most roles, including manufacturing, security, healthcare, and hospitality, unless a sector-specific rule states otherwise. You should clearly indicate in contracts when an employee is hired specifically as a night worker.

• Premium Pay: There is no statutory night work premium in Liberia, but many employers pay at least 125% of the regular hourly rate (1.25x) for hours worked between 22:00 and 06:00 to compensate for the inconvenience and health impact.
• Health Monitoring: For employees who regularly work night shifts, you should offer periodic health assessments, at least annually, to monitor fatigue, sleep disorders, and other health issues linked to night work.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors under 18 and pregnant workers should not be assigned to night shifts, and if a pregnant employee is already on nights, you should transfer her to daytime duties without loss of pay where medically recommended.

Weekend work, particularly on Sunday, is generally treated as work on the weekly rest day and should be limited to genuine business needs. When employees work on Sunday, you should provide a substitute rest day during the same week and pay at least 200% of the regular hourly rate (2.0x) for those hours or an equivalent premium agreed in writing.