Working hours, rest and overtime

The short answer

Record the hours you actually work and compare them with your roster and payslip. Paid hours, breaks, travel time and overtime can be treated differently, so check the applicable agreement rather than assuming all time at the workplace is paid in the same way.

For the general adult regime, the maximum is 12 hours per shift and 60 per week. You cannot normally work 60 every week: the averages are generally at most 55 over four weeks and 48 over sixteen weeks. The four-week rule can have CAO exceptions. Young workers, pregnancy, night work and certain professions have separate rules.

Record actual time across the working week

Keep start and finish times, breaks and schedule changes, including work for another employer. Maximum hours in one week do not replace limits averaged over longer periods or required rest. Night work and young workers need additional checks, so a general adult daytime summary is not a universal rota approval.

Check payment separately from permitted hours

A shift can be within working-time limits while its pay is still wrong. Compare normal hours, overtime and premiums with the contract and CAO. For on-call work, keep the original call and cancellation timestamps because they can affect payment even where no work was ultimately performed.

What to do next

Keep your own dated record of starts, finishes, breaks and roster changes.
Check daily and weekly rest as well as the total hours; the general daily rest is 11 consecutive hours, with limited exceptions.
Look up the night-work or sector rules when they apply, and ask for the contractual overtime percentage.

A practical example

A 60-hour week may fit a single-week maximum but still make a longer-period average unlawful. The overtime calculator only calculates pay for entered hours; it does not certify that a roster is legal.

Explore this topic

Cancelled shifts and on-call notice
Check when you were called, when the shift changed and which CAO notice period applies.
Two jobs: working hours, rest and payroll
Check combined hours and recovery time across employers instead of assessing each schedule in isolation.

Questions people ask

Is overtime automatically paid at 150%?

No universal 150% rule applies. Check your actual agreement. In the calculator, an extra premium of 50% adds half of the base pay, resulting in 150% total gross pay for those hours.

Can each employer separately schedule the maximum hours?

No. Your combined work pattern and rest must be assessed. Two separate contracts do not create two separate bodies that can each work the maximum.

Is the call period always four days?

Four days is the ordinary rule, but a CAO can shorten it within legal limits. Check the agreement that actually applies.

Am I guaranteed 40 hours if that was advertised?

Not necessarily. Check the signed hours clause and keep the advertisement or messages if they conflict with the contract.

Is the agency or the customer my first contact?

Start with the legal employer in your contract. Include the customer’s approved time records where they support your claim.

Sources

Last verified: 4 October 2026. Sources are in Dutch or English.