Working Hours and Overtime in Mongolia

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Mongolia?

An employee whose age is 15 or younger has a maximum of 6 hours per day and 30 hours per week. An employee whose age is 16 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 09:00 to 18:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Mongolia

Under the Labour Law of Mongolia, the standard working time for adult employees is 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week based on a five‑day workweek. You may organize working time over a six‑day schedule, but the total weekly hours for full‑time staff must still not exceed 40 hours. Any hours beyond these limits are generally treated as overtime and must follow statutory rules.

You can introduce aggregated or shift schedules, provided that the average working time does not exceed 40 hours per week over the chosen reference period. Collective agreements or internal policies may set shorter standard hours or additional protections, but they cannot lawfully increase the statutory maximums. You are responsible for maintaining accurate time records to demonstrate compliance with daily and weekly limits.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules. In Mongolia, these sectors often rely on shift work, split shifts, and aggregated accounting periods to ensure 24/7 coverage while keeping average hours within the 40‑hour weekly standard. You must document these arrangements clearly in employment contracts or internal regulations.

• 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. When using aggregated working time, Mongolian practice is to apply reference periods of up to 3 months, during which the average must not exceed 40 hours per week. You should monitor rosters proactively to avoid systematic overwork and related health and safety risks.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managers and certain highly autonomous employees in Mongolia may have more flexible schedules, but they are not completely exempt from working‑time protections. Their contracts can provide for irregular hours or broader availability, yet you must still respect general health and safety principles and avoid excessive daily or weekly workloads. In many cases, managerial staff are compensated for longer hours through higher base salaries rather than separate overtime payments.

If you intend to treat a role as functionally exempt from overtime, this should be clearly justified by the level of responsibility and decision‑making authority. The employment contract and internal rules should explicitly describe expected working patterns and any inclusive salary arrangements. Transparent documentation helps reduce disputes about unpaid overtime and misclassification.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Mongolia

Statutory full‑time work in Mongolia is generally defined as 40 hours per week for adult employees. This is usually organized as 8 hours per day over 5 working days, excluding the unpaid meal break. Any reduction below 40 hours per week is typically treated as part‑time work and should be reflected proportionally in pay and benefits.

You may introduce flexible schedules, compressed workweeks, or shift systems as long as the average full‑time hours do not exceed 40 per week over the applicable reference period. Changes to full‑time hours or patterns should be agreed in writing with employees and, where applicable, with the trade union or employee representatives. Clear communication of full‑time norms supports workforce planning and compliance.

Overtime Regulations In Mongolia

Overtime in Mongolia must be carefully controlled, documented, and compensated according to the Labour Law. You are required to keep accurate records of all hours worked beyond the normal 8‑hour day or 40‑hour week, including work performed at night, on weekly rest days, and on public holidays. Failure to manage overtime properly can lead to back‑pay claims, administrative fines, and reputational risk.

What Counts As Overtime In Mongolia?

Overtime in Mongolia generally means any working time performed beyond the employee’s normal daily or weekly hours, typically more than 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week for full‑time staff. Work performed on an employee’s weekly rest day or on a public holiday is also treated as overtime, even if the total weekly hours remain within 40. You should obtain prior written consent from the employee for overtime, except in emergency situations defined by law.

On‑call time that requires the employee to remain at the workplace or be ready to work at short notice may be counted as working time depending on the level of restriction. If you use aggregated working time, overtime is assessed against the average weekly limit of 40 hours over the reference period. Clear internal rules on what constitutes overtime help prevent misunderstandings and disputes.

Maximum Overtime In Mongolia

Mongolian law limits overtime to a maximum of 4 hours on any single working day and 8 hours on a weekly rest day. In practice, this means an adult employee should not work more than 12 hours in a 24‑hour period, including overtime. You must also ensure that overtime does not become a regular substitute for proper staffing levels.

Over a longer period, the Labour Law caps overtime at 120 hours per year per employee under normal circumstances. With the employee’s consent and, where applicable, consultation with employee representatives, this annual limit may be increased up to 180 hours, but not beyond. You should implement approval workflows so that line managers cannot authorize overtime that would exceed these numerical caps.

Overtime Payout Rates In Mongolia

In Mongolia, overtime worked on a normal working day must be paid at a minimum of 150% of the employee’s regular hourly wage, equivalent to a 1.5x rate. If overtime is performed at night in addition to being overtime, the night premium is added on top of the overtime rate, so you must calculate both components. These statutory minimums can be improved by collective agreements or company policy but not reduced.

Work performed on weekly rest days or public holidays must be compensated at a higher premium of at least 200% of the regular hourly wage, equivalent to a 2.0x rate. If you provide a substitute rest day instead of the weekly rest day worked, you are still required to pay at least the 150% overtime rate for the hours worked on that day. All overtime and premium payments should be itemized clearly on payslips to ensure transparency.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Mongolia

In Mongolia, adult employees typically work 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and rest periods are structured around these standard hours to protect health and safety. Employees who work more than 6 hours in a day must receive a meal break of at least 60 minutes, which is usually unpaid but must be provided away from the workstation. Daily and weekly rest rules ensure that employees have sufficient time to recover between shifts and across the workweek.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 6 consecutive hours must receive a meal break of at least 60 minutes, usually scheduled around the middle of the shift. You should fix meal break times in internal rules or shift rosters and ensure employees are free from duties during this period.
• Daily Rest: Employees are entitled to a minimum uninterrupted daily rest period of 11 hours between the end of one workday and the start of the next. When using shift work or overtime, you must still respect this 11‑hour gap unless a narrowly defined emergency applies.
• Weekly Rest: Mongolian law provides for at least 2 consecutive rest days per week for most employees, commonly Saturday and Sunday. If operational needs require work on a rest day, you must grant a substitute rest day and pay the applicable overtime premium.
• Minors: Employees under 18 benefit from stricter rest protections, including shorter daily hours and a prohibition on night work. You must schedule minors so they receive longer rest periods and are not exposed to hazardous or excessively long shifts.
• Employer Duty: You are responsible for organizing work so that statutory breaks and rest periods are actually taken, not just recorded on paper. Timekeeping systems, rosters, and supervisory practices should all support compliance with Mongolian rest‑period rules.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Mongolia

Night and weekend work are legal in Mongolia but subject to additional employer responsibilities and employee protections. You must pay statutory premiums where required, monitor working time, and ensure that health and safety risks associated with irregular hours are properly managed. Particular care is needed for vulnerable groups such as minors, pregnant employees, and those with health conditions.

Night work in Mongolia is generally defined as work performed between 22:00 and 06:00, regardless of the industry or role. Any hours worked within this time window are treated as night work and may attract a specific night premium in addition to normal or overtime pay. You should clearly identify night hours in rosters and payroll systems so that premiums are calculated correctly.

• Premium Pay: Mongolian law requires that night work be compensated at a minimum of 130% of the employee’s regular hourly wage, equivalent to a 1.3x rate. If the night work is also overtime, you must apply both the overtime rate of at least 150% and the night premium, resulting in a combined rate of at least 195%.
• Health Monitoring: Regular night workers should be offered periodic health assessments to identify fatigue‑related or circadian‑rhythm issues. You should adjust schedules or reassign employees if medical advice indicates that continued night work would endanger their health.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors under 18 and pregnant employees are generally prohibited from night work in Mongolia, except in very limited circumstances defined by law. You must also avoid assigning such workers to hazardous or heavy work during evening or early‑morning hours.

Weekend work, including work on the usual weekly rest days of Saturday and Sunday, is allowed but must respect rest‑day guarantees and premium pay rules. Employees who work on a weekly rest day must receive either a substitute rest day and at least 150% pay, or if no substitute rest day is given, at least 200% pay for those hours. Public holiday work is similarly compensated at a minimum of 200% of the regular hourly wage in Mongolia.