What are full-time hours?
Full-time hours are the number of hours a week that an employer treats as a full working week, usually between 35 and 40. Many countries set a statutory standard or maximum normal week, such as 35 hours in France or 40 in Japan and Indonesia, and hours above it count as overtime. Others, including the UK and the US, have no legal definition, so the contract sets the hours.
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In most countries a full-time job means 35 to 40 hours a week, typically 7 or 8 hours a day over five days. Where the law sets a standard week, that figure is the usual full-time contract and the point where overtime starts. Where it does not, employers choose their own standard, and pay, leave and benefits for part-time staff are worked out as a proportion of it.
Some countries are reducing the standard week by law. Colombia cut it from 48 to 42 hours in steps, completed on 15 July 2026, and Mexico will reduce its 48-hour week to 40 hours by 2030.
Full-time hours by country
| Country | Standard full-time week | Limits and overtime |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 38 hours | Employers can ask for reasonable additional hours under the National Employment Standards. |
| Brazil | 44 hours, with a maximum of 8 a day | A proposal to cut the week to 40 hours (PEC 221/2019) has not been passed. |
| Canada (Ontario) | No legal definition | Maximum 8 hours a day and 48 a week; overtime at 1.5 times pay after 44 hours a week. |
| China | 40 hours, 8 a day | Overtime is paid at 150%, 200% on rest days and 300% on public holidays. |
| Colombia | 42 hours | Down from 48 in yearly steps; the 42-hour week took effect on 15 July 2026. |
| France | 35 hours | Overtime premium of 25% for the first 8 extra hours a week and 50% after that. |
| Germany | No weekly standard in law | Maximum 8 hours per working day (Monday to Saturday), or 10 if the average stays at 8 over six months or 24 weeks. |
| Hong Kong | No statutory standard hours | Employees working at least 17 hours in each of 4 weeks, or 68 hours over the 4 weeks, are on a continuous contract with full statutory entitlements (since 18 January 2026). |
| India | Maximum 8 hours a day and 48 a week | Overtime is paid at twice the normal rate of wages under the Labour Codes. |
| Indonesia | 40 hours: 7 a day over six days, or 8 a day over five | Overtime is limited to 4 hours a day and 18 a week. |
| Italy | 40 hours | Average weekly hours, including overtime, cannot exceed 48. |
| Japan | 40 hours, 8 a day | Overtime and holiday work need a labour-management agreement and carry premiums. |
| Kenya | Up to 52 hours over six days | Set by the general wage order; some occupations have different hours. |
| Mexico | 48 hours | Falls to 46 hours in 2027, 44 in 2028, 42 in 2029 and 40 in 2030 under a reform published on 3 March 2026. |
| Netherlands | No statutory standard | Maximum 12 hours a shift and 60 a week, averaging no more than 55 a week over 4 weeks and 48 over 16 weeks. |
| Portugal | 40 hours, 8 a day | |
| Saudi Arabia | 48 hours, 8 a day | 36 hours a week (6 a day) during Ramadan for Muslim employees. |
| Singapore | Up to 44 hours | Up to 9 hours a day on a five-day week, or 8 on a longer week; overtime is capped at 72 hours a month. |
| South Korea | 40 hours | Up to 12 hours of overtime a week, so 52 hours in total. |
| Spain | 40 hours | Averaged over the year. |
| Switzerland | No standard week | Maximum 45 hours a week for industry, offices, technical staff and large retailers, and 50 for other workers. |
| United Arab Emirates | 48 hours, 8 a day | Reduced by two hours a day during Ramadan. |
| United Kingdom | No legal definition; usually 35 hours or more | Maximum average of 48 hours a week over 17 weeks unless the worker opts out. |
| United States | No definition in federal labour law | Overtime at 1.5 times pay after 40 hours a week for non-exempt employees; 30 hours a week counts as full-time for Affordable Care Act purposes. |
Figures checked in November 2026 against labour ministries and legislation. Collective agreements often set a shorter standard week than the law, for example in Germany, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries.
Full-time vs part-time
A part-time employee works fewer hours than a comparable full-time employee at the same employer. There is rarely a fixed threshold. Singapore is an exception: an employee contracted for fewer than 35 hours a week is part-time. In the EU and the UK, part-time employees must not be treated less favourably than full-time colleagues, so their pay, paid leave and most benefits are pro-rated rather than removed.
Some rules use their own hours test. In the United States, an employee averaging 30 hours a week, or 130 hours a month, counts as full-time under the Affordable Care Act. In Hong Kong, statutory entitlements depend on the continuous contract test, and in South Korea severance applies to employees working 15 or more hours a week.
Full-time hours in Indonesia and India
In Indonesia, full-time work means 40 hours a week, either 7 hours a day over six days or 8 hours a day over five. Overtime is limited to 4 hours a day and 18 hours a week, and the hourly rate for overtime is 1/173 of the monthly wage.
In India, the Labour Codes in force since 21 November 2025 cap working time at 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week, with overtime paid at twice the normal rate of wages. Office jobs often follow a shorter contractual week, but the 48-hour limit is the legal maximum.
Full-time hours per month and per year
A full-time week converts into monthly and annual hours by multiplying by 52 weeks. A 40-hour week is 2,080 hours a year, or about 173 hours a month (40 × 52 ÷ 12), which is why Indonesia calculates hourly overtime pay as 1/173 of the monthly wage. A 37.5-hour week is 1,950 hours a year and a 35-hour week 1,820.
These are paid hours, not hours actually worked: annual leave and public holidays are paid but not worked. Some countries use their own monthly figure. South Korea, for example, quotes the monthly minimum wage on 209 hours, because the paid weekly rest day adds 8 hours to the 40-hour week.
Full-time equivalent (FTE)
Full-time equivalent expresses an employee’s hours as a share of the full-time week. Divide the contracted hours by the employer’s full-time hours: an employee working 24 hours where full-time is 40 hours is 0.6 FTE, and two such employees add up to 1.2 FTE. Employers use FTE to budget headcount, pro-rate salary, leave and benefits for part-time staff, and work out size thresholds that some laws count in FTE rather than in people.
Because the full-time standard differs by country, the same contract can give a different FTE. A 35-hour contract is 1.0 FTE in France but 0.875 FTE in a country where full-time is 40 hours.
Why full-time hours matter for employers
- Overtime. Hours above the statutory or contractual week usually trigger an overtime premium or time off in lieu.
- Minimum wage. A monthly salary has to cover the minimum wage for the hours actually worked, so long unpaid hours can push pay below it.
- Benefits and leave. Paid leave, pension, health cover and bonuses are often set for full-time staff and pro-rated for part-time staff.
- Contracts. In the EU, the written statement of employment terms must include the normal working day or week.
- Records. Employers need records of hours worked to show they comply with working time limits and the minimum wage.
Maximum working hours in the EU
The EU’s Working Time Directive limits average weekly working time to 48 hours, including overtime, and requires at least 11 consecutive hours of rest a day and 4 weeks of paid annual leave. Member states can set stricter rules, and most do. See the Working Time Directive for how the averaging works.
Is a four-day week full-time?
It depends on how the hours are arranged. A compressed week fits the same full-time hours into four longer days, so the employee is still full-time. A reduced week cuts the hours, for example to 32, and whether that counts as full-time depends on the employer’s own standard and on any rule that uses an hours test, such as the 30-hour threshold under the US Affordable Care Act.
How TopSource helps
When TopSource employs your team through our employer of record service, or runs payroll for your own entities through our global payroll service, we write contracts with the hours each country allows, calculate overtime under local rules and track changes such as the shorter working weeks in Colombia and Mexico.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours is full-time?
Usually 35 to 40 hours a week. France sets a 35-hour legal week, Japan, China, South Korea and Indonesia 40 hours, and Brazil 44. The UK and the US have no legal definition, although full-time usually means 35 hours or more in the UK.
Is 30 hours a week full-time?
Not usually. In most countries 30 hours is part-time. The main exception is the US Affordable Care Act, which treats an employee averaging 30 hours a week, or 130 a month, as full-time for health coverage rules.
Is 40 hours a week full-time?
Yes. A 40-hour week is the standard full-time week in many countries, including Japan, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Spain, Italy and Portugal, and it is where overtime starts for non-exempt employees in the United States.
What are full-time hours in Indonesia?
40 hours a week, worked as 7 hours a day over six days or 8 hours a day over five. Overtime is limited to 4 hours a day and 18 hours a week.
What is the maximum number of working hours a week?
It depends on the country. The EU caps average weekly hours at 48 including overtime, India at 48, Ontario at 48, the Netherlands at 60 in any single week and South Korea at 52 including overtime.
Related terms
Sources
- GOV.UK: Part-time workers’ rights
- GOV.UK: Maximum weekly working hours
- U.S. Department of Labor: Full-time employment
- IRS: Identifying full-time employees
- Germany: Arbeitszeitgesetz, section 3
- Singapore MOM: Hours of work, overtime and rest days
- Ontario: Hours of work
- Rijksoverheid: Rules on working hours and rest
- Directive 2003/88/EC on working time