Overtime pay in France: rates, calculation and unpaid hours

The legal working week in France is 35 hours. Every hour above it, requested or accepted by your employer, is overtime and must be paid with a premium.

Updated on 13 October 2026

Overtime rates

• Hours 36 to 43 of the week: +25%.
• From hour 44: +50%.

A company or industry agreement may set different rates, never below 10%, or replace payment with time off.

Worked example

Hourly rate €12, 46 hours worked in a week: 8 hours × €12 × 1.25 = €120, plus 3 hours × €12 × 1.50 = €54. Total overtime: €174 gross.

Part-time: additional hours

Part-time employees work heures complémentaires: +10% up to one tenth of the contract hours, +25% beyond when allowed by an agreement.

Managers on a “forfait jours”

Employees on a yearly days package (forfait jours) do not count overtime hours, provided the package is valid (collective agreement and signed individual agreement).

Keep a record

Note your hours every day. In a dispute, your records, schedules and e-mails count as evidence, and the employer must justify the hours actually worked.

Read next

• Mistake on your French payslip? How to check it and get paid
• Minimum wage in France (SMIC): how to check you are paid enough

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This guide gives general information about French employment law. It is not legal advice: your collective agreement (convention collective) or contract may give you more. If in doubt, ask your payroll department, an employee representative, the labour inspectorate or a lawyer.