What is the overtime cap in Hungary?
Hungary’s Labour Code limits the overtime (rendkívüli munkaidő) an employer can order to 250 hours per calendar year. The cap can rise to 400 hours, through a written agreement with the employee or under a collective agreement.
Overtime means work outside the working-time schedule or above the working-time frame, and time spent on standby duty at a set place. The employee can ask for overtime to be ordered in writing, and the cap does not apply to work needed to prevent accidents, disasters or serious damage.
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On top of the standard 250 hours, the employer and employee can agree in writing to up to 150 more hours a year of voluntary overtime (önként vállalt túlmunka). Under a collective agreement, the employer can order up to 300 hours, and a written agreement can add up to 100 more. Either way, the maximum is 400 hours a year. The employee can end a voluntary overtime agreement with effect from the end of the calendar year.
Pro-rata rules and records
The caps apply pro rata when employment starts during the year, is fixed-term or is part-time. Employers must keep an up-to-date record of ordinary and overtime hours, including start and finish times, and keep the written voluntary overtime agreements on file.
Overtime pay
Overtime beyond the scheduled daily working time earns a 50% wage supplement, or time off where the rules or the parties allow it, and the time off cannot be shorter than the overtime worked. Overtime on a scheduled weekly rest day earns a 100% supplement, or 50% if another rest day is given, and overtime on a public holiday earns 100%.
Overtime when you hire through an EOR
With TopSource as your Employer of Record in Hungary, overtime is tracked and paid through payroll at the correct supplement, and any voluntary overtime agreement is put in writing before the extra hours are worked.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours of overtime are allowed in Hungary?
250 hours a year as standard, and up to 400 with a written voluntary overtime agreement or under a collective agreement.
Can an employee refuse overtime above 250 hours?
Where no collective agreement applies, yes. Overtime above 250 hours needs the employee’s written agreement, which they can end from the end of the calendar year.
How is overtime paid in Hungary?
With a 50% wage supplement, or time off of at least the same length. Overtime on a weekly rest day or a public holiday earns 100%.
Related terms in Hungary
- Written Employment Information (Hungary)
- Fixed-Term Employment Limits (Hungary)
- Simplified Employment (Hungary)
- Telework and Home Office Rules (Hungary)
- Additional Leave (Hungary)
- Protected Periods and Dismissal Justification (Hungary)
- Termination by Mutual Agreement (Hungary)
- Non-Compete Agreement (Hungary)
- Works Council and Collective Agreements (Hungary)
- Guest Worker Permit and Single Permit (Hungary)
- Occupational Safety and Medical Aptitude Exam (Hungary)