Working Hours and Overtime in Madagascar

In Madagascar, 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 regulations continue to evolve toward 2026, authorities are placing greater emphasis on accurate timekeeping, transparent overtime practices, and the prevention of excessive working hours that could endanger employee health. You should regularly review employment contracts, internal policies, and collective agreements to ensure they reflect current rules on standard hours, overtime, and rest, and you should train managers to apply these rules consistently across teams.

• 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 Madagascar?

An employee whose age is 17 or younger has a maximum of 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. An employee whose age is 18 or older is allowed to work 40 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 60 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 08:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Madagascar

Under Madagascar’s Labour Code, the general statutory limit for normal working time is 40 hours per week, usually spread over five days. Daily working time is commonly set at 8 hours, and you should structure schedules so that employees do not exceed this limit on a regular basis. Any hours worked beyond the statutory weekly limit – or beyond the daily schedule you have contractually agreed – are treated as overtime and must be compensated accordingly. You should clearly define working hours in employment contracts and internal regulations, including start and end times, breaks, and any shift patterns.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Hotels, Restaurants, And Tourism Services
• Agriculture And Seasonal Harvest Activities
• Transport, Ports, And Logistics Operations
• Health Care And Emergency Services
• Security, Guarding, And Surveillance Services

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managers and certain categories of autonomous employees may have more flexible schedules, but they are not automatically exempt from working time protections. Where the law or a collective agreement allows a forfait – a lump-sum arrangement based on days or hours – you must still ensure that overall working time remains reasonable, that rest periods are respected, and that workloads do not endanger health and safety. Clearly document any special status for managerial staff in the employment contract, including expectations around availability, overtime eligibility, and any inclusive salary arrangements that already factor in a certain volume of additional hours.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Madagascar

For most sectors, full-time employment in Madagascar is based on 40 hours per week. This threshold is used to distinguish full-time from part-time work and to determine when overtime rules apply. If you adopt a different weekly schedule – for example, distributing hours over six days instead of five – you must still respect the total weekly limit and ensure that employees receive the minimum daily and weekly rest. Any reduction or increase in contractual hours should be agreed in writing and must not fall below legal minimum standards or exceed statutory limits without triggering overtime obligations.

Overtime Regulations In Madagascar

What Counts As Overtime In Madagascar?

In Madagascar, overtime is generally any working time performed beyond the statutory 40-hour workweek or beyond the normal daily schedule set in the employment contract or collective agreement. You should track hours accurately and distinguish clearly between regular hours, overtime hours, and any on-call or standby time that qualifies as working time. Overtime must be requested or approved by the employer – employees should not work extra hours informally – and you should have a written policy explaining when overtime is allowed, how it is recorded, and how it is compensated.

Maximum Overtime In Madagascar

Overtime is intended to cover exceptional or temporary increases in workload, not to replace proper staffing. As a best practice aligned with regional norms, you should avoid exceeding an average of 10 hours of work per day and 48 hours per week, including overtime. Many employers cap overtime at around 20 hours per month per employee, unless a collective agreement or specific authorization provides otherwise. When planning schedules, ensure that overtime does not compromise mandatory daily and weekly rest periods, and avoid systematic reliance on overtime that could be viewed as an abuse of working time rules.

Overtime Payout Rates In Madagascar

Overtime in Madagascar must be paid at a higher rate than normal hours. While specific percentages can be set by collective agreements or regulations, a common structure is to apply a premium for hours worked beyond the 40-hour weekly limit, with higher premiums for night work, work on weekly rest days, and work on public holidays. You should define overtime rates clearly in contracts or internal policies – for example, a minimum of 30 percent above the normal hourly rate for standard overtime, 50 percent for night or rest-day overtime, and up to 100 percent for public holiday work – and ensure that these rates never fall below any applicable legal or collectively agreed minimums. Keep detailed payroll records showing the number of overtime hours, the applicable rate, and the total overtime compensation paid.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Madagascar

Employees in Madagascar typically work up to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and rest periods are designed to protect their health within these limits. During the working day, employees who work more than a set number of consecutive hours must receive a meal break, and between working days they are entitled to a minimum daily rest period. In addition, employees must benefit from a weekly rest day, usually on Sunday, which cannot be replaced by systematic overtime. As an employer, you should integrate these breaks and rest periods into work schedules so that operational needs are met without exceeding the standard daily and weekly working hours.

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