Working hours in Switzerland: limits, breaks and overtime
Contractual working hours and the legal weekly maximum answer different questions. Understanding both helps employers plan schedules and employees check how extra hours should be treated.
By Sarah Prieur · Swiss certified public accountant
The Swiss working week: what the rules actually say
Switzerland does not impose one contractual working week for every employee. Normal hours come from the employment contract, a collective agreement or other applicable rules. For employees covered by the relevant Employment Act provisions, the general legal weekly maximum is 45 or 50 hours, depending on their category.
A 40-hour contract does not allow an employer to require 45 hours routinely without considering overtime. Equally, a 50-hour statutory ceiling does not mean every employee must work 50 hours.
Breaks, daily rest, night and Sunday work, and additional protections also apply. Check special regimes and exclusions before applying the general rules below. In English, “overtime” can refer to two distinct Swiss legal concepts; this guide separates them.
What weekly hours should the contract specify?
State the normal working week in the employment contract. A collective agreement may prescribe hours or working arrangements. Without clear terms, established practice can matter, making a written agreement particularly useful.
For part-time work, specify the percentage and the full-time reference. An 80% role on a 40-hour full-time week means 32 hours. The percentage alone does not define the schedule.
Set out the distribution too. Four full days and five shorter days may produce the same weekly total but different leave and public holiday calculations.
Flexible working does not remove the duty to track working time. It changes how hours are allocated within agreed limits; it is not a general exemption from employee protections.
What is the maximum working week in Switzerland?
| General category covered by the relevant rules | Ordinary weekly maximum |
|---|---|
| Industrial employees, office staff, technical staff and other specified employees | 45 hours |
| Sales staff in large retail businesses covered by the Act | 45 hours |
| Other employees within the relevant statutory scope | 50 hours |
These categories must be read with the Act’s scope. Flexibility provisions and special regimes exist. The general ceiling is not a universal rule covering every profession.
A “manager” job title does not by itself exclude an employee from the Employment Act. A senior executive function must meet specific legal criteria; changing a title in a contract does not remove working-time limits.
The weekly maximum can be reduced proportionately when a public holiday treated like a Sunday falls on a day the employee normally works. Reflect this in weekly time controls, not only in annual leave records.
Mandatory breaks and rest periods
| Daily working time | Minimum break |
|---|---|
| More than 5½ hours | 15 minutes |
| More than 7 hours | 30 minutes |
| More than 9 hours | 60 minutes |
A break must allow a genuine interruption of work. If the employee cannot leave their workstation, it counts as working time under the statutory rules. Labelling a period “unpaid lunch” does not settle the issue.
Adults generally need at least 11 consecutive hours of daily rest. Limited reductions are possible under specific conditions; they do not permit a permanent pattern of insufficient rest.
An individual’s daytime and evening work must fit within a maximum span of 14 hours, including breaks and any statutory overtime. This is a scheduling window, not permission to perform 14 hours of actual work every day.
Young workers, pregnant employees and breastfeeding mothers benefit from additional protections. Check the relevant rules before applying an ordinary adult schedule.
Contractual overtime versus work above the legal maximum
Contractual overtime exceeds agreed normal hours. In French it is heures supplémentaires; in German, Überstunden. Statutory excess hours exceed the Employment Act’s weekly maximum: travail supplémentaire or Überzeit. They are not interchangeable categories.
Example: a 40-hour contract and a 45-hour maximum
An employee exceptionally works 48 hours in a week without a public-holiday adjustment. The five hours from 40 to 45 exceed contractual hours. The three above 45 also cross the statutory ceiling and fall under the stricter excess-hours regime.
Do not process all eight hours under one general contract clause. Necessity, reasonableness and rest limits must also be respected.
Contractual overtime is generally paid with a 25% supplement or compensated by equivalent time off with the required agreement. A valid written agreement can adjust or exclude payment within permitted limits. Mandatory statutory excess-hours rules cannot be waived in the same way.
Statutory excess hours are exceptional. The general annual limits are 170 hours where the weekly maximum is 45 hours and 140 hours where it is 50 hours. These are ceilings, not an automatic extra-hours allowance.
A specific rule applies to office staff and certain comparable categories: the special statutory payment obligation under article 13 of the Employment Act applies after the first 60 excess hours a year. Correctly classify the role and read the contract before calculating compensation.
Evening, night and Sunday work
The general framework defines daytime work as 06:00–20:00 and evening work as 20:00–23:00. Introducing evening work requires the prescribed consultation with employees. The interval can be shifted under statutory conditions.
Night and Sunday work is generally prohibited unless an exception, authorisation or special sector regime applies. Compensatory rest and pay supplements may be required. Permission to work does not replace those obligations.
Do not use one flat supplement for every hour “outside office hours”. Temporary night work, regular night work and Sunday work follow different rules.
Before scheduling unusual hours, check the activity’s regime with the labour inspectorate. Paying a premium afterwards does not necessarily cure an unlawful schedule.
How an SME can organise working-time records
Define contractual hours, approval of extra work and the compensation process. Employees should know when to flag additional hours and who approves their timesheets.
Keep the records required by the applicable regime. Working independently or from home does not create a general exemption. Simplified recording or waivers require specific conditions.
Review balances regularly. Extra hours accumulating every month may indicate a staffing or workload problem. Payroll checks should reconcile timesheets, leave and compensatory time off.
For remote working, specify availability and rest periods. Working from abroad adds tax and social security issues. A practical starting point is a written schedule, a recording tool, an approver and a monthly review.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 45-hour week compulsory in Switzerland?
No. It is a general statutory maximum for specified categories, not the normal contractual week for everyone.
Does an 80% employee only work overtime after reaching full-time hours?
The agreed part-time schedule is the starting point. Check separately whether valid contractual provisions alter compensation.
Is a lunch break always unpaid?
No. The ability to leave the workstation and the applicable rules matter. An actual break differs from required availability.
Does “overtime included” remove every protection?
No. The clause’s validity and scope need assessment. It cannot remove mandatory working-time and rest protections.
Does working from home remove time-recording obligations?
No. The place of work is not a general exemption. The employer must apply the recording regime appropriate to the employee.
Sources and further reading
Updated on 18 September 2026, based on the official guidance below. Worked examples are illustrative and state their assumptions. Individual circumstances may require a separate assessment.
About the author
Sarah Prieur
Sarah Prieur is a Swiss certified public accountant, partner and head of operations at Karpeo. She supports SMEs, self-employed professionals and entrepreneurs with accounting, tax and VAT, and oversees the quality of client work. Before joining Karpeo, she spent eight years in audit at PwC Switzerland, progressing to manager.
More about Sarah →