Work Hours Calculator South Africa

Enter your weekly schedule and instantly see ordinary vs overtime hours, BCEA compliance status and total pay. Covers the BCEA's 45-hour week, its 9- and 8-hour daily limits and the 10-hour overtime cap.

Work Hours Updated: 14 Oct 2026 · 2026/2027 tax year By Faheema Sheikh
How many hours can I legally work per week in South Africa in 2026?

The BCEA caps ordinary hours at 45 a week (9 a day on a 5-day week, 8 on a 6-day week) and overtime at 10 hours a week. These limits apply to employees earning R269,600.90 a year or less who aren't senior managers, sales staff who set their own hours or people working under 24 hours a month. Enter your daily hours and the calculator splits ordinary and overtime hours, checks each BCEA limit and prices the week.

South African working hours are governed by the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, which sets a maximum of 45 ordinary hours per week, caps overtime at 10 hours per week (15 by collective agreement, for up to 2 months a year) and requires premium pay for Sundays and public holidays. Whether you are an employer checking BCEA compliance or an employee verifying your overtime entitlement, this calculator uses your actual weekly schedule to show ordinary hours, overtime hours and the total pay owed under current BCEA rules.

Weekly Work Schedule

Enter rate as
Hours worked each day
BCEA Section 9: your daily ordinary limit is 9 hours if you normally work five days or fewer, 8 hours if you normally work more. If you only work a Saturday now and then as overtime, answer No: your weekday limit stays at 9 hours and every Saturday hour is overtime at 1.5×.
BCEA Section 16(1): 2× per hour if you do not normally work Sundays, 1.5× if Sunday is a normal working day. Either way, a short Sunday shift is topped up to your ordinary daily wage (Section 16(2)).
Yes: at least double your daily wage (Section 18(2)). No: your daily wage plus pay for the hours worked (Section 18(3)). Only matters if you enter public holiday hours; a holiday on a working day that you did not work is paid at your ordinary daily wage and is not part of this weekly total.
Daily limit follows your normal week: 9h a day if you normally work five days or fewer; 8h a day if you normally work more (a Saturday or Sunday counts only if you answer Yes above). A Saturday that is not a normal working day is overtime from its first hour. Sunday and public holiday pay follow Sections 16 and 18 using your answers above; your ordinary daily wage is taken as your average ordinary hours on the normal Monday to Saturday days you entered, multiplied by your hourly rate. For the 10-hour overtime check, holiday hours on a normal working day count only beyond that day's ordinary limit; on any other day they all count. Enter net hours worked, excluding any unpaid lunch break.
Enter hours for each working day Your BCEA compliance check and pay breakdown appear here as you type.

Also useful from PayTools

Calculator Overtime Calculator Calculate overtime pay at 1.5× and 2× rates under South African labour law. Use Calculator → Payslip Code Code 3607: Overtime How overtime hours convert into a separately taxed payslip code. View Code → Guide Work Hours SA BCEA hour limits, overtime rates and your rights. Read Guide →

How to Use This Calculator

Enter hours worked each day

Fill in the hours for each day you worked, then say whether Saturday is one of your normal working days. The daily ordinary limit follows your normal working week: 9 hours a day if you normally work five days or fewer, 8 hours a day if you normally work more. A Saturday worked only as overtime leaves the limit at 9 hours, and every hour on it counts as overtime.

Ordinary and overtime hours are split automatically

The calculator classifies each day's hours as ordinary or overtime against your daily limit, then checks the weekly total against the 45-hour ordinary cap.

Sunday and public holiday rates applied

Sunday hours are paid at 2×, or 1.5× if you say Sunday is one of your ordinary working days (Section 16), with a short shift topped up to your daily wage. Public holiday pay follows Section 18: at least double your daily wage on a normal working day, or your daily wage plus pay for the hours worked on a day you would not normally work.

Weekly overtime cap is checked

BCEA Section 10 limits overtime to 10 hours/week (15 by collective agreement, for up to 2 months a year). A warning shows if you exceed this.

Total weekly pay is calculated

Results show ordinary pay, overtime pay and total gross weekly earnings.

BCEA work hours in South Africa: the full rules

The Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) sets the national floor for working hours in South Africa. Understanding these rules matters for both employees (to know their rights) and employers (to avoid costly disputes and CCMA referrals). The key sections are Section 9 (ordinary hours) and Section 10 (overtime).

Section 9: ordinary hours of work

An employee may not be required to work more than 45 ordinary hours per week. The daily limit depends on the work pattern:

/* BCEA Section 9: Ordinary hour limits */
5-day week → Max 9 hours per day × 5 days = 45 hours/week
6-day week → Max 8 hours on any day, 45 hours a week

/* Daily total cap (ordinary + overtime combined) */
Absolute max → 12 hours in any single day (Section 10)

The daily limit follows the days you normally work, not an occasional extra shift. If you normally work Monday to Friday and work a Saturday as overtime, the 9-hour limit stays and every Saturday hour is overtime. The calculator's Saturday question sets which limit applies.

Section 10: overtime

Overtime is any time worked beyond the Section 9 limits. Key rules:

  • Maximum overtime: 10 hours per week. There is no separate daily overtime cap under current law; the original 1997 Act's 3-hour-a-day limit was removed by the 2002 amendment
  • Overtime rate: 1.5 times the normal rate
  • Overtime requires your agreement (Section 10(1)(a)); the Act does not require that agreement to be in writing, and overtime cannot be imposed on you unilaterally, except for urgent work the employer could not reasonably have planned for and that cannot wait for ordinary hours (Section 6(2)). A clause agreed in your first three months lapses after one year (Section 10(5))
  • By agreement, time off may replace overtime pay: at least 90 minutes off per overtime hour, or your ordinary wage for the hour plus at least 30 minutes off (Section 10(3))
  • By collective agreement, the weekly overtime cap can rise to 15 hours, but only for up to 2 months in any 12-month period, a limited exception, not the default
  • Total daily maximum: 12 hours (ordinary + overtime combined)

For a dedicated breakdown of overtime pay across weekday, Sunday and public holiday rates, use our Overtime Calculator.

Section 16: Sunday work

Work performed on a Sunday is paid at double (2×) the normal rate. If Sunday is one of the employee's ordinary working days, for example on a hospitality or retail roster where Sundays are regularly scheduled, the rate is 1.5× the normal rate instead.

Section 18: public holidays

Employees may not be required to work on a public holiday except in accordance with an agreement (Section 18(1)); the Act does not require that agreement to be in writing. If they do work on a holiday that falls on a normal working day, they must be paid at least double the ordinary daily wage, or the daily wage plus pay for the hours worked if that is more (Section 18(2)). On a holiday that is not a normal working day, the pay is the ordinary daily wage plus pay for the hours worked (Section 18(3)). A public holiday can also be exchanged for another day by agreement (Public Holidays Act, Section 2(2)). Our guide to public holiday pay in South Africa covers each of these cases in full. This calculator asks whether the holiday fell on a normal working day and applies Section 18(2) or 18(3) accordingly, taking the ordinary daily wage as the average ordinary hours on the normal Monday to Saturday days entered multiplied by the hourly rate.

The full BCEA limits summary

BCEA Provision Section Limit
Ordinary hours per weekSection 945 hours
Ordinary hours per day (5-day week)Section 99 hours
Ordinary hours per day (6-day week)Section 98 hours
Overtime per weekSection 1010 hours (15 by collective agreement, max 2 months/yr; no separate daily overtime cap)
Maximum total hours per daySection 10(1A)12 hours (ordinary + overtime)
Overtime rate (weekdays and Saturdays)Section 101.5× normal rate
Sunday rateSection 162× normal rate (1.5× if Sunday is an ordinary working day)
Public holiday worked (normal working day)Section 18(2)At least double the daily wage
Meal interval (after more than 5 continuous hours)Section 1460 min (reducible to 30 min)
Rest period between shiftsSection 1512 consecutive hours
Weekly rest periodSection 1536 consecutive hours
BCEA earnings thresholdSection 6R269,600.90/year (May 2026)

Compressed working week: what BCEA Section 11 allows

By written agreement, an employer and employee can arrange a compressed working week under Section 11. This allows up to 12 hours a day, inclusive of meal intervals, without overtime pay, provided the employee works no more than 45 ordinary hours a week, no more than 10 hours' overtime a week (hours past 45 in the week) and no more than 5 days' work in that week. Common arrangements include four 10-hour days, giving a 3-day weekend.

The compressed working week agreement must be in writing. It does not override the 45-hour weekly maximum; it only allows the daily ordinary limit to extend to 12 hours. Hours above 45 in the week remain overtime. The BCEA itself sets no review interval or notice period to end the arrangement; some agreements add one, so check yours.

Who the BCEA working time provisions apply to

The BCEA's working time rules protect employees earning R269,600.90 a year or less (R22,466.74 a month) as of 1 May 2026. Three groups are outside these rules whatever they earn (Section 6(1)): senior managerial employees, sales staff who travel to customers' premises and regulate their own hours, and employees who work less than 24 hours a month for the employer.

Above the threshold, the Minister's determination under Section 6(3) excludes you from Sections 9 (ordinary hours), 10 (overtime), 11 (compressed week), 12 (averaging), 14 (meal intervals), 15 (rest periods), 16 (Sunday pay), 17(2) (night work allowance and transport) and 18(3) (pay for a public holiday on a day you would not normally work), so your contract governs those. Section 13 (the Minister's power to cap working hours, including overtime, by regulation on health and safety grounds) still applies, as do the night work duties in Section 17(3)(a) to (c) (informing regular night workers of the risks, arranging medical examinations on request, and transferring them to suitable day work within a reasonable time where practicable if an examination finds their health affected) and Sections 18(1) and 18(2) (no public holiday work without agreement, and at least double the daily wage for a holiday worked on a normal working day). Many SA employers voluntarily apply BCEA standards to all staff. If you earn above the threshold, check your employment contract, particularly for overtime rates and Sunday work clauses.

If you're paid hourly and want to check your rate against the legal floor, see our Minimum Wage Calculator for the current national minimum wage.

Step-by-step overtime calculation example

Employee works 5 days per week. Hourly rate R120. Schedule: Mon 9h, Tue 9h, Wed 11h, Thu 9h, Fri 10h.

Day Hours Worked Ordinary Hours Daily Overtime
Monday9h9h0h
Tuesday9h9h0h
Wednesday11h9h2h (over 9h daily limit)
Thursday9h9h0h
Friday10h9h1h (over 9h daily limit)
Total48h45h3h daily OT

Each day is capped at the 9-hour daily ordinary limit independently: Wednesday and Friday both exceed it, contributing 2h and 1h of daily overtime respectively. Because every day's ordinary hours are already capped at 9h each, the weekly ordinary total (9 × 5 = 45h) lands exactly on the 45-hour limit with no separate weekly overflow.

Pay ComponentHoursRateAmount
Ordinary pay45hR120 × 1.0R 5,400
Overtime pay3hR120 × 1.5R 540
Total weekly pay48hR 5,940

Daily and weekly rest periods

Beyond capping working hours, the BCEA also protects rest time. Section 15 requires a daily rest period of at least 12 consecutive hours between finishing work one day and starting work the next, as well as a weekly rest period of at least 36 consecutive hours, which must include a Sunday unless otherwise agreed between employer and employee. Shift workers in retail or hospitality, for example, often agree to a different rest day in place of Sunday. These rest period rules exist independently of the maximum working hours limits; an employer complying with the 45-hour weekly cap can still fall foul of the BCEA if daily or weekly rest periods aren't respected.

Meal intervals during the working day

Section 14 also requires a meal interval of at least 60 minutes once an employee has worked continuously for more than 5 hours, though this can be reduced to 30 minutes, or dispensed with for an employee who works fewer than 6 hours a day, by written agreement. Meal intervals are typically unpaid unless the employee is required to remain on duty or on standby during the break, in which case the interval should be treated as ordinary working time and factored into any overtime calculation where applicable.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours per week can I legally work in South Africa?
Under the BCEA, the maximum is 45 ordinary hours plus 10 overtime hours per week, giving a total maximum of 55 hours. The ordinary hours cap is 9 hours per day for a 5-day week and 8 hours per day for a 6-day week. The absolute daily maximum (including overtime) is 12 hours in any single day. These limits apply to employees earning R269,600.90 a year or less, other than senior managers, sales staff who travel to customers and set their own hours, and anyone working under 24 hours a month for the employer (Section 6(1)); above the threshold, your contract governs your hours.
Can my employer force me to work overtime?
No. Under BCEA Section 10(1)(a) overtime is worked only by agreement, which need not be in writing; the exception is urgent work the employer could not reasonably have planned for (Section 6(2)). Check your overtime clause's date: one agreed when you started, or in your first three months, lapses after a year unless renewed (Section 10(5)). Without a current agreement, an instruction to work overtime is unlawful and refusing is not insubordination (AMCU obo Mkhonto v CCMA [2023] ZALCJHB 23). With a live clause you can be disciplined for refusing, though the same judgment held dismissal for a first, non-wilful refusal too harsh. For employees at or under the earnings threshold (and not in a Section 6(1) group), the limits hold regardless: 10 hours' overtime a week and 12 hours in total on any day.
What is the daily hours limit for a 6-day work week?
When an employee normally works more than 5 days a week (for example, Saturday is one of their working days), the daily ordinary hours limit drops from 9 hours to 8 hours on every working day, not just the extra day. The weekly total remains capped at 45 ordinary hours regardless of how many days are worked. A 6-day worker doing 8h × 5 days + 5h on Saturday = 45h ordinary is within the limit. The common mistake is dropping a Monday-to-Friday worker to 8 hours a day because they worked one Saturday: they keep the 9-hour limit, and every Saturday hour is overtime.
How does night shift work affect my pay under BCEA?
Under BCEA Section 17, night work is work between 18:00 and 06:00 and needs your agreement. The employer must pay a night work allowance or reduce your hours, and make sure transport is available between home and work at each end of the shift. The BCEA sets no allowance amount, so check your sectoral determination or collective agreement. Further duties apply only if you work regularly at night (more than one hour between 23:00 and 06:00, at least 5 times a month or 50 times a year): a duty to tell you about the health and safety risks, to offer medical examinations on request at the employer's cost, and to move you to suitable day work, where practicable, if an examination finds your health affected.
What must my employer provide during my shift for meal breaks?
Count your continuous hours: once you have worked more than 5 hours without a break, you are owed a meal interval of at least 1 continuous hour (Section 14). A written agreement can cut it to 30 minutes or, for an employee who works fewer than 6 hours a day, dispense with it. The break is unpaid only while you are free of duty. If you must work or stay available for work during it, that time is paid, and any part of a break longer than 75 minutes is paid too, unless you live on the employer's premises (Section 14(3)).
How much overtime can an employee work per week in South Africa?
Ten hours a week, with no separate daily overtime cap on top. The original 1997 BCEA also limited overtime to 3 hours a day; the 2002 amendment removed that, so the only daily cap that touches overtime is the 12-hour total day, ordinary and overtime together. On a 9-hour day that leaves room for 3 hours' overtime, and the weekly 10 can fall on any days you agree, for example 3, 3, 3 and 1. A collective agreement can raise the weekly figure to 15 hours, but only for up to 2 months in any 12-month period.
What is the pay rate for working on a Sunday in South Africa?
Double, unless Sunday is one of your ordinary working days. A Sunday you don't normally work pays 2× your hourly rate for every hour (Section 16(1)(a)); on a roster where Sunday is a normal working day it pays 1.5× (Section 16(1)(b)). At R100 an hour, an 8-hour Sunday comes to R1,600 at double time or R1,200 at time and a half. A short shift is topped up to your ordinary daily wage (Section 16(2)): 2 hours at double time is R400, but on a R900 daily wage you are paid R900. The calculator applies both rules once you answer its Sunday question.
What is the BCEA earnings threshold and who does it affect?
Check your gross pay against R22,466.74 a month (R269,600.90 a year, in force from 1 May 2026). At or under it, the BCEA's hours, overtime, compressed-week, averaging, meal break, rest period, Sunday pay and night work allowance rules protect you, unless you are a senior manager, a sales employee who travels to customers and sets your own hours, or someone working under 24 hours a month for the employer: Section 6(1) puts those three groups outside these rules whatever they earn. Above it, Section 6(3) removes those and the Section 18(3) public holiday rule, and your contract governs them; the Section 17(3) night work duties to regular night workers still apply, whatever you earn. The calculator checks every schedule you enter against these limits and repeats the threshold in a note under the results; above the threshold, read any breach it shows against your contract, not the Act.
What is a compressed working week under BCEA?
A written agreement under BCEA Section 11 that lets you work up to 12 hours a day without overtime pay, provided you work no more than 45 ordinary hours, 10 hours' overtime (hours past 45 in the week) and 5 days a week. The common mistake is paying hours past 45 at the plain rate: they are still overtime, paid at 1.5× (Section 10(2)). The 12 hours also include meal intervals, so a 12-hour day with a 1-hour lunch is 11 hours worked. The compressed working week section above sets out the full conditions.
How do I calculate my hours worked if I took a lunch break?
Subtract your unpaid lunch break before entering hours into this calculator: it expects the net time you actually worked, not your total time on the premises. For example, clocking in at 8:00 and out at 17:00 with a 1-hour unpaid lunch gives 8 net hours worked, not 9. Under BCEA Section 14, a standard meal interval is unpaid unless your contract or a sectoral determination says otherwise, or unless you're required to stay on duty or on call during it, in which case that time counts as worked hours and must be included. If your lunch break is paid, include it in the hours you enter; if it's unpaid, leave it out.
How many working hours are there in a month and in a year?
At the BCEA maximum of 45 ordinary hours a week, a year has 2,340 hours (45 × 52) and a month averages 195 (2,340 ÷ 12). On a 40-hour week it is 2,080 a year and about 173.33 a month. The calculator uses 195 hours a month to turn a monthly salary into an hourly rate. Your actual hours in any one month move with the calendar, so treat these as averages.
How many hours is full time per week?
Your contract sets your full-time hours, and 40 a week (8 × 5 days) and 45 a week (9 × 5 days) are the usual figures. Hours between 40 and 45 are still ordinary hours under the BCEA, so whether your employer pays extra for them depends on your contract. Check the hours stated in your written particulars, then enter your actual daily hours in the calculator to see them against the 45-hour limit.
How many working days is 41 hours?
On a 9-hour day, 41 hours is 4.56 working days. On an 8-hour day it is about 5.1 days. Either way it sits inside the 45-hour weekly limit. If 41 hours is one week, it could be four 9-hour days and one 5-hour day. Enter each day's hours in the calculator to see the ordinary and overtime split.
How many hours a month before overtime applies?
Overtime is counted by the day and the week, not the month, so a monthly total never tells you whether overtime applies. The exception is an averaging agreement under Section 12, where a collective agreement spreads ordinary hours over up to four months. The calculator checks daily and weekly limits only, so it does not apply averaging.

Related Reading

Overtime Rules in South Africa: What Employers Must Pay How Many Leave Days Are You Entitled to in South Africa? Minimum Wage South Africa 2026: Full Breakdown by Sector
Disclaimer: This calculator applies BCEA Sections 9, 10, 16 and 18 as in force in May 2026. The BCEA earnings threshold of R269,600.90/year is effective 1 May 2026. Working time provisions may be varied by sectoral determination (e.g., domestic workers under SD7, retail sector, farm workers), collective agreement or individual contract within BCEA limits. This calculator does not constitute legal advice. For working time disputes, contact the Department of Employment and Labour or refer the dispute to the CCMA.