Working Hours and Overtime in Liberia

In Liberia, 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 workforce schedules through 2026, you should formalize clear policies on standard hours, overtime approval, and rest breaks, and ensure that managers are trained to apply them consistently. Regulators and international partners are increasingly focused on working-time compliance, record-keeping, and the prevention of excessive hours, especially in higher-risk sectors such as mining, agriculture, and security services.

Expect closer scrutiny of timekeeping systems, written contracts, and proof that employees receive appropriate overtime premiums and rest periods. Investing in reliable attendance tracking, transparent payslips, and periodic internal audits will help you anticipate regulatory changes, respond to inspections, and demonstrate that your operations in Liberia meet both local legal requirements and international labour standards.

• 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 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 consecutive hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 8:00 to 16:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Liberia

Under Liberian labour practice, the standard workweek for adult employees is generally 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, spread over no more than 6 days. You should design work schedules so that employees do not routinely exceed these limits, except where overtime is clearly justified, documented, and compensated. For minors, you must apply reduced daily and weekly limits and avoid late-night or hazardous work.

In office and commercial environments, a 40–44 hour workweek is common as a matter of policy, even though the statutory ceiling is higher. Adopting a lower internal cap can help you manage fatigue, reduce overtime costs, and demonstrate good-faith compliance if inspected by authorities or audited by international partners.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Continuous Process Manufacturing
• Mining And Natural Resources Operations
• Agriculture And Plantation Work
• Hospital And Emergency Health Services
• Hospitality, Hotels, And Restaurants
• Security, Guarding, And Surveillance Services
• Transport, Ports, And Aviation Support

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managers and certain highly skilled professionals in Liberia often work beyond the standard daily or weekly hours without receiving traditional overtime. Their higher base salaries and broader responsibilities are typically understood to cover additional time worked. However, you should clearly define this status in employment contracts, including job descriptions, decision-making authority, and compensation structure, to avoid disputes about unpaid overtime.

Even for managerial or exempt staff, you remain responsible for protecting health and safety. Avoid excessive hours, ensure reasonable rest, and monitor workloads. If you label too many roles as “managerial” while exercising tight control over schedules and pay, courts or labour authorities may reclassify those employees as non-exempt and award back pay for overtime.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Liberia

For most adult employees, full-time work in Liberia is based on a schedule of up to 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week. Many employers choose to define full-time internally as 40 hours per week – for example, 8 hours per day from Monday to Friday – to align with international standards and to simplify overtime calculations.

When drafting contracts, specify the normal daily and weekly hours, the distribution of those hours across the week, and the conditions under which additional hours may be required. Make sure that any part-time or shift-based arrangements are clearly documented so you can demonstrate that you are staying within the legal limits and applying overtime rules correctly.

Overtime Regulations In Liberia

What Counts As Overtime In Liberia?

In Liberia, overtime generally refers to any time an employee works beyond the normal daily or weekly hours set out in the employment contract, provided those hours do not exceed the statutory ceiling of 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week for adults. Once an employee’s hours exceed the agreed normal schedule – for example, more than 8 hours in a day or more than 40–48 hours in a week – the additional time should be treated and compensated as overtime unless the employee is genuinely exempt.

Overtime should be expressly authorized by the employer in advance, except in emergencies where immediate action is required to protect life, property, or continuous operations. You should maintain accurate time records – including start and end times, breaks, and overtime approvals – to demonstrate compliance and to resolve any later disputes about hours worked.

Maximum Overtime In Liberia

While Liberian law allows employers to request overtime in specific circumstances, you are expected to keep overtime within reasonable limits to protect employee health and safety. As a best practice, avoid scheduling more than 2–4 hours of overtime per day or more than 12–16 hours of overtime per week, and ensure that total hours – regular plus overtime – do not exceed what can be safely worked over a sustained period.

For continuous operations such as mining, security, or health services, you may use shift systems or rotating rosters to cover 24-hour operations without overloading individual employees. Any extended-hour arrangements should be documented in writing, consulted on with workers or their representatives, and periodically reviewed to ensure they remain compliant and do not lead to fatigue-related incidents.

Overtime Payout Rates In Liberia

Overtime in Liberia is typically paid at a premium above the employee’s normal hourly rate. A common structure is at least 125% of the regular rate for overtime worked on normal working days and at least 150% – or higher by collective agreement or company policy – for overtime worked on weekly rest days or public holidays. Some employers adopt more generous multipliers to remain competitive in the labour market.

To calculate overtime pay, determine the employee’s regular hourly rate by dividing the monthly or weekly wage by the corresponding number of normal working hours, then apply the appropriate overtime multiplier to each overtime hour. Clearly describe your overtime rates and calculation method in contracts, policies, and payslips so employees understand how their additional hours are compensated and you can demonstrate transparency to regulators and auditors.

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 and breaks are designed to ensure that these hours are worked safely and sustainably. You should provide a meal break of at least 60 minutes when an employee works more than 5 consecutive hours, schedule daily and weekly rest so that employees can recover between shifts, and pay particular attention to minors and night workers whose working time must be more strictly limited.

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