Working Hours and Overtime in Uganda

In Uganda, 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 formalise working-time policies that align with statutory limits, clearly define ordinary and overtime hours in contracts, and maintain reliable timekeeping systems. Regulators are increasingly focused on excessive hours, unpaid overtime, and inadequate rest, so you should regularly audit practices, train managers on authorising overtime, and adjust staffing levels rather than relying on continuous overtime to meet demand.

• 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 Uganda?

An employee whose age is 16 or younger has a maximum of 6 hours per day and 30 hours per week. An employee whose age is 18 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 6 consecutive hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 8:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Uganda

Uganda’s employment framework generally recognises a standard workweek of 48 hours, usually spread over six days at 8 hours per day, or five days at slightly longer daily hours if agreed in writing. As an employer, you should structure work schedules so that ordinary hours do not routinely exceed these limits, and any work beyond them is clearly treated and compensated as overtime. You should also ensure that daily schedules include reasonable time for rest and meals, and that employees are not required to work excessive split shifts or extended stretches without adequate breaks.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Healthcare And Hospital Services
• Hospitality, Tourism, And Catering
• Security, Guarding, And Emergency Services
• Agriculture, Forestry, And Fishing
• Transport, Logistics, And Aviation
• Mining, Oil, And Gas Operations
• Retail, Supermarkets, And Markets

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial and high-level decision-making employees in Uganda often have greater flexibility in their working hours and may not be subject to the same strict scheduling rules as rank-and-file staff. However, you should not assume that managers are automatically exempt from all working-time protections. Clearly define in employment contracts whether a role is managerial or supervisory, outline expected working patterns, and specify whether the salary is intended to compensate for reasonable additional hours. Even for managers, you remain responsible for preventing unsafe or excessively long working hours that could breach health and safety obligations or amount to unfair labour practices.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Uganda

For most employees in Uganda, full-time work is based on a 48-hour workweek. Many employers implement a five-day week of around 40 to 45 hours and treat any hours above that internal standard as overtime according to company policy, while still remaining within the statutory ceiling of 48 ordinary hours. When designing full-time roles, you should specify the normal weekly and daily hours in the employment contract, indicate the days of work, and clarify how any additional hours will be authorised and compensated. This clarity helps you demonstrate compliance during inspections and reduces disputes over working time and pay.

Overtime Regulations In Uganda

What Counts As Overtime In Uganda?

In Uganda, overtime generally refers to any authorised work performed beyond the employee’s normal daily or weekly hours as set out in the employment contract, collective agreement, or workplace policy, provided those normal hours do not exceed the statutory 48-hour workweek. Work performed on weekly rest days or public holidays is also typically treated as overtime or premium work. As an employer, you should define in writing what constitutes ordinary hours for each category of staff, require prior approval for overtime, and maintain accurate time and attendance records to show when employees have exceeded their standard hours.

Maximum Overtime In Uganda

Ugandan labour standards expect employers to limit overtime so that total working hours remain reasonable and do not endanger employees’ health and safety. A common benchmark is that overtime should not regularly push total hours beyond 10 hours per day or 56 hours per week, and any higher peaks should be exceptional, short term, and clearly justified by operational necessity. You should monitor overtime patterns, rotate staff where possible, and avoid using overtime as a permanent substitute for adequate staffing levels. Written policies should set monthly or quarterly caps on overtime and require managerial approval when employees approach those limits.

Overtime Payout Rates In Uganda

Overtime in Uganda is typically compensated at a premium rate above the employee’s normal hourly wage. A common practice is to pay at least 150 percent of the basic hourly rate for overtime worked on ordinary working days, and higher rates – for example 200 percent – for overtime worked on weekly rest days or public holidays. Where employees are paid a salary, you should convert the salary into an hourly equivalent to calculate overtime correctly, unless a clear written agreement provides for a consolidated salary that transparently includes a reasonable amount of overtime. Ensure that your overtime rates and calculation methods are documented in contracts and policies, communicated to employees, and consistently applied across comparable roles.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Uganda

In Uganda, employees typically work up to 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, and rest periods and breaks are designed to protect their health and safety within these limits. As an employer, you must build meal and rest breaks into the working day, ensure that employees have sufficient daily and weekly rest away from work, and pay particular attention to vulnerable groups such as minors and night workers so that total working time, including overtime, does not erode their required rest.

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