Countries › Costa Rica › Guide › 16. What is normal abroad but not here › A 48 hour week, overtime at 50% extra and a 12 hour daily ceiling

A 48 hour week, overtime at 50% extra and a 12 hour daily ceiling

Last verified: 2026-10-30 · Status: Stable

Abroad, salaried staff are often exempt from overtime and hours are set by contract. In Costa Rica the ordinary day is capped at eight hours (six at night) and 48 hours a week, overtime is paid at 50% above the agreed salary, and ordinary plus overtime may not exceed twelve hours a day except in emergencies. Workers get a weekly rest day, and work on a paid public holiday or the rest day must be paid double.

USD figures use the Banco Central de Costa Rica reference selling rate of ₡454.82 per US dollar published for 29 October 2026 (indicator 318 on bccr.fi.cr), rounded to the cent; conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Maximum ordinary weekly hours	48 hoursCódigo de Trabajo art. 136, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Maximum ordinary night weekly hours	36 hoursConstitución Política art. 58, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Overtime premium	50 %Código de Trabajo art. 139, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Ordinary plus overtime daily cap	12 hoursCódigo de Trabajo art. 140, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Paid public holidays	9 daysCódigo de Trabajo art. 148, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. The ordinary working day may not exceed eight hours by day, six by night and 48 hours a week; in work that is not unhealthy or dangerous a day shift of up to ten hours and a mixed shift of up to eight hours may be agreed, provided the week stays within 48 hours.Ley 2, Código de Trabajo, art. 136, 1943-08-27 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. The Constitution itself caps ordinary day work at eight hours a day and 48 a week and night work at six hours a day and 36 a week, and requires overtime to be paid at 50% more than the agreed pay, save very exceptional cases set by law.Constitución Política de la República de Costa Rica, art. 58, 1949-11-07 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. Work beyond those limits, or beyond a shorter agreed day, is overtime and must be paid at 50% more than the minimum wage or the higher agreed salary.
Cost to do it: 50% premium per overtime hour.
Example: Hourly salary ₡5,000: overtime hour ₡7,500; 10 overtime hours a week ₡75,000. / About US$16.49 an hour; US$164.90 a week.Ley 2, Código de Trabajo, art. 139, 1943-08-27 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. Overtime plus the ordinary day may not exceed twelve hours, except for accidents or imminent risk to people, premises, equipment or crops when workers cannot be replaced.Ley 2, Código de Trabajo, art. 140, 1943-08-27 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. Every worker is entitled to one day of absolute rest after each week or six days of continuous work; an employer that does not grant it owes double the ordinary salary for that day.Ley 2, Código de Trabajo, art. 152, 1943-08-27 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. Paid public holidays are 1 January, 11 April, Holy Thursday and Good Friday, 1 May, 25 July, 15 August, 15 September and 25 December; 2 and 31 August and 1 December are holidays whose pay is not compulsory. Employers may not employ workers on holidays and those who do must pay as set in art. 152 (double).Ley 2, Código de Trabajo, as reformed by Ley 10050 of 25 October 2021 and Ley 10438 of 1 February 2024, art. 148 and 149, 2024-02-01 official text · verified 2026-10-30 · changed: Ley 10050 (2021) added 31 August as a holiday of non compulsory pay; Ley 10438 (2024) fixed 25 July so it is not moved to another weekday.

Shift	Daily ordinary limit	Weekly limit
Day	8 hours (up to 10 if not unhealthy or dangerous)	48 hours
Mixed	Up to 8 hours	48 hours
Night	6 hours	36 hours (Constitution art. 58)
Any, with overtime	12 hours in total	Overtime paid at 150%

Working time limits (Código de Trabajo art. 136, 139, 140, 152).

Worked example

A technician paid ₡5,000 an hour works 52 hours in a day shift week: 4 overtime hours at ₡7,500 = ₡30,000 (US$65.96) on top of ordinary pay.
Working on 15 September at ₡40,000 a day: the employer owes double, ₡80,000 (US$175.89), for that day.

Step by step

Classify each role by shift (day, mixed or night) and set schedules within the limits.
Record hours; overtime is owed on actual hours worked above the contracted day.
Plan coverage for the nine paid holidays and budget double pay where work cannot stop.

Common traps

Labelling staff as salaried or exempt does not remove the overtime premium unless the Code itself excludes the role.
A shorter agreed day lowers the overtime threshold: hours above the contracted day are overtime.
Agricultural voluntary daytime work and correcting one's own errors are the narrow statutory exceptions (art. 139).

Sources

← Dismissal without cause is allowed, but costs notice and cesantía of up to eight yearsA legal interest rate ceiling reset every six months: 36.48% in colones and 30.11% in dollars for the second half of 2026 →

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