Working Hours and Overtime in Malawi

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Malawi?

An employee whose age is 18 or younger has a maximum of 7 hours per day and 42 hours per week. An employee whose age is 19 or older is allowed to work 48 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 30 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 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Malawi

Under the Employment Act, the normal limit for most employees is 48 hours per week, usually spread over no more than 6 days. Daily hours are commonly set at 8 hours, but employers may distribute hours differently as long as the weekly cap is respected and daily limits remain reasonable. You should clearly define the normal working hours in each employee’s contract and internal policies.

Any work beyond the agreed normal hours is treated as overtime and must be compensated at the applicable premium rate. Employers must keep accurate time and attendance records to demonstrate compliance with daily and weekly limits. Collective agreements or company policies can provide more favourable limits for employees but cannot lawfully reduce statutory protections.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules. These sectors often require continuous or shift-based operations, which can involve irregular hours or split shifts. You must still ensure that total weekly hours and minimum rest periods comply with the Employment Act.

In practice, you should use written shift rosters that show how hours are distributed over days and weeks. Where longer shifts are necessary, such as 12-hour patterns, you must balance them with longer rest periods or additional days off. This is particularly important where fatigue could create safety risks for employees or the public.

• 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. You should also monitor overtime levels to avoid excessive working hours that could breach health and safety obligations. Written consent and clear communication with employees are essential when implementing atypical schedules.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial and certain supervisory employees in Malawi may be excluded from some overtime provisions where their remuneration already reflects the requirement to work beyond standard hours. However, this does not mean they can be required to work unlimited hours without regard to health and safety. You should still set reasonable expectations for availability and working time in their contracts.

Where you classify an employee as managerial or exempt, the job description, salary level, and actual duties must support that classification. It is good practice to specify in the contract whether overtime premiums apply or whether compensation is deemed to be included in the salary. Misclassifying employees to avoid overtime obligations can expose you to disputes and enforcement action.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Malawi

In Malawi, full-time employment is generally based on a 48-hour working week for adult employees. Many employers, particularly in office-based roles, adopt a 40- to 45-hour week as a matter of policy or collective agreement. You should define full-time hours clearly in contracts and employee handbooks.

Part-time and shift-based arrangements are permitted as long as they respect daily and weekly limits and provide appropriate rest. Where employees work compressed weeks or variable hours, you must ensure that the average does not exceed 48 hours per week over the agreed reference period. Any hours worked beyond the normal contractual schedule should be treated and paid as overtime where applicable.

Overtime Regulations In Malawi

Employers in Malawi must ensure that any work performed beyond the employee’s normal hours is properly authorised, recorded, and compensated at the statutory overtime rates. You are required to maintain accurate records of hours worked, including overtime, rest days, and public holidays. Failure to do so can lead to back-pay claims, penalties, and reputational risk during inspections or disputes.

What Counts As Overtime In Malawi?

Overtime in Malawi generally means any hours worked in excess of the employee’s normal daily or weekly hours as set out in the contract, up to the statutory maximum of 48 hours per week. Work performed beyond 48 hours in a week is treated as overtime at premium rates and should only occur with the employee’s agreement. Work performed on a weekly rest day or public holiday is also treated as overtime, even if the 48-hour weekly limit is not exceeded.

Employers should obtain prior written or documented consent from employees before requiring overtime, except in genuine emergencies. You should also distinguish between occasional, voluntary overtime and systematic overtime that effectively increases normal working hours. Systematic overtime may trigger scrutiny from labour authorities and can require adjustment of contractual hours and pay.

Maximum Overtime In Malawi

Malawian law limits normal working time for adults to 48 hours per week, and overtime should not routinely push total hours far beyond this level. As a practical compliance benchmark, many employers cap overtime at 12 additional hours per week, resulting in a maximum of 60 hours in any week. You should avoid patterns where employees regularly exceed 60 hours per week, as this can be considered excessive and unsafe.

There is no explicit annual overtime cap in the Employment Act, but labour officers may intervene where overtime is excessive or endangers health and safety. You should implement internal rules that limit overtime per employee per month, for example to 40–50 hours, and require higher-level approval once an employee exceeds 20 hours of overtime in a single month. Documenting these thresholds helps demonstrate that you actively manage working time risks.

Overtime Payout Rates In Malawi

In Malawi, the statutory minimum overtime rate for work performed beyond normal hours on ordinary working days is 1.5x the employee’s normal hourly rate, equivalent to 150%. Work performed on a weekly rest day or public holiday must be paid at a minimum of 2.0x the normal hourly rate, equivalent to 200%. These are minimum legal rates, and collective agreements or company policies may provide higher premiums.

To calculate overtime pay, you should first determine the employee’s normal hourly rate by dividing the monthly wage by the standard monthly hours, typically 208 hours for a 48-hour week. You then multiply the overtime hours by the applicable premium rate, such as 1.5x for weekday overtime or 2.0x for Sunday and public holiday work. Ensure that payroll systems are configured to apply these numerical multipliers consistently and that payslips clearly show overtime hours and rates.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Malawi

In Malawi, employees typically work up to 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, and rest periods are designed to protect their health within these limits. The Employment Act requires employers to provide meal breaks during the working day and daily and weekly rest between shifts. You must plan schedules so that these breaks are built into the normal working pattern rather than treated as optional.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 5 consecutive hours must receive at least a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break, which should not be unreasonably delayed. Many employers in Malawi provide a 60-minute lunch break in practice to support productivity and wellbeing.
• Daily Rest: Employees are entitled to a minimum continuous rest period of 12 hours between the end of one workday and the start of the next. You should design shift rosters so that no employee is required to return to work before this 12-hour rest has elapsed.
• Weekly Rest: The law provides for at least 24 consecutive hours of rest each week, commonly taken on Sunday in Malawi. If business needs require Sunday work, you must grant a substitute rest day of at least 24 consecutive hours during the same week.
• Minors: Young workers under 18 must not be employed for excessively long hours and should receive more frequent rest breaks. You should avoid scheduling minors for late evening work and ensure their total weekly hours remain well below the 48-hour adult limit.
• Employer Duty: Employers are responsible for organising work so that statutory breaks and rest periods are actually taken, not just written into policy. Labour inspectors may review schedules and time records to verify that daily and weekly rest requirements are respected in practice.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Malawi

Night and weekend work are legal in Malawi but subject to additional employer responsibilities and employee protections. You must pay close attention to working-time limits, rest periods, and any applicable premium rates when scheduling such work. Particular care is required for vulnerable groups such as young workers and pregnant employees.

Night work in Malawi is generally understood as work performed between 21:00 and 06:00, although specific definitions may be refined by sectoral agreements. Employees who regularly perform at least 3 hours of work within this window, or whose schedules frequently fall in this period, should be treated as night workers. You should clearly identify night shifts in contracts or shift rosters so that entitlements and protections are transparent.

• Premium Pay: There is no statutory night work premium rate expressly set in Malawian law, so there is no mandatory percentage such as 25% or 1.25x. In practice, many employers voluntarily pay a night-shift allowance of around 20%–30% on top of the normal hourly rate, or apply a 1.2x–1.3x multiplier, which should be clearly documented in contracts or policies.
• Health Monitoring: While not always mandated numerically, regular night workers should be offered periodic health assessments to monitor fatigue, sleep disorders, and related risks. You should also implement measures such as safe transport after late shifts and adequate rest breaks during the night to reduce health and safety hazards.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors under 18 are generally prohibited from night work, especially in hazardous sectors such as mining, construction, and industrial plants. Pregnant workers should not be required to perform night shifts where medical advice indicates a risk, and you should consider temporary reassignment or schedule adjustments to protect their health.

Weekend work, particularly on Sunday, is treated as work on a weekly rest day in Malawi and should be limited to genuine business needs. When employees work on Sunday or their designated weekly rest day, you must provide a substitute rest day of at least 24 consecutive hours and pay at a premium rate, commonly 2.0x the normal hourly rate or at least equivalent to the public holiday overtime rate. Clear policies and advance planning will help you manage weekend staffing while remaining compliant.