Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 7. Labor and employment › Working hours and overtime in the Dominican Republic: the 44 hour week, premiums and monthly reports

Working hours and overtime in the Dominican Republic: the 44 hour week, premiums and monthly reports

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

The limit is eight hours a day and 44 a week, ending at noon on Saturday by default. Overtime pays 35% more up to 68 hours a week and 100% more beyond that, night hours pay 15% more, and work on a rest day or holiday pays 100% more. Employers report overtime to the Ministry every month.

USD figures use the Banco Central de la República Dominicana reference selling rate of RD$60.9007 per US dollar for 29 October 2026, as shown on its home page on the verification date, rounded to the cent.

Key facts

Maximum ordinary week	44 hoursLey 16-92 art. 147, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Maximum ordinary day	8 hoursLey 16-92 art. 147, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Minimum overtime premium up to 68 hours	35 %Ley 16-92 art. 203, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Minimum overtime premium above 68 hours	100 %Ley 16-92 art. 203, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Minimum night premium	15 %Ley 16-92 art. 204, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Premium for work on a legal holiday or weekly rest	100 %Ley 16-92 art. 164 and art. 205, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Overtime cap for extraordinary demand	80 hours a quarterLey 16-92 art. 155, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Uninterrupted weekly rest	36 hoursLey 16-92 art. 163, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Exchange rate used for USD conversions	60.9007 DOP per USDBanco Central reference selling rate, as of 2026-10-29 · in force

The rule

1. Normal hours cannot exceed eight a day or 44 a week, and the week ends at noon on Saturday unless the Ministro de Trabajo sets another time for certain businesses.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 147, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. Hazardous or unhealthy work is limited to six hours a day and 36 a week with no pay cut.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 148, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. Day hours run from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and night hours from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. A mixed shift with three or more night hours counts as a night shift.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 149, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. The limits do not apply, unless agreed, to representatives of the employer, management and inspection staff and small family farms. Intermittent workers cannot stay more than ten hours a day at the site.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 150, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. Intermittent workers cannot exceed 60 hours a week.Decreto 258-93, Reglamento del Código de Trabajo, art. 25, 1993-10-01 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. Overtime for extraordinary demand cannot exceed 80 hours a quarter.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 155, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. Each hour over the normal shift, up to 68 hours in the week, pays at least 35% more. Each hour over 68 pays at least 100% more.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 203, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

8. Night hours pay at least 15% more.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 204, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

9. Work on a legal holiday by agreement pays at least 100% more.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 205, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

10. Workers get an uninterrupted weekly rest of 36 hours, which starts on Saturday at noon unless agreed. A worker who works it can choose 100% more pay or equal rest the next week.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 163 and art. 164, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

11. A break of at least one hour follows four straight hours of work and an hour and a half follows five. Workers and employer can agree continuous shifts of up to ten hours in commerce and nine in industry, within 44 a week.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 157, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

12. Continuous process companies rotate shifts every eight hours. Shifts can run one hour longer, up to a 50 hour weekly average, and hours over 44 are paid as overtime.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 158, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

13. The Ministry can authorize hours spread over more than one week if the average stays at or under 44 and no day exceeds ten.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 162, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

14. When overtime is worked, the employer reports the hours and amounts paid to the labor authority within the first ten days of the following month.
Cost to do it: DGT-2 overtime form RD$300 (about US$4.93) under Resolución 01-2022.Decreto 258-93, Reglamento del Código de Trabajo, art. 26, 1993-10-01 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Type of hour	Premium	Hourly pay at RD$60,000 a month
Normal	None	RD$314.73
Overtime up to 68 hours	35%	RD$424.88
Overtime over 68 hours	100%	RD$629.46
Night	15%	RD$361.94
Legal holiday by agreement	100%	RD$629.46

Premiums on a normal hour of salary / 23.83 / 8

Worked example

A worker on RD$60,000 a month has a normal hour worth RD$314.73 (about US$5.17). Six overtime hours in a 50 hour week cost RD$2,549.31 (about US$41.86).

Step by step

Post the stamped schedule.
Keep hours in the register the code requires.
Agree any continuous shift or longer averaging in writing.
File the DGT-2 by the 10th of each month after overtime.
Remember overtime claims have a one month limit, so keep good records.

Common traps

A manager exemption depends on the real role, not the title.
Overtime is not in the severance base, which uses ordinary hours only.
Art. 155 limits overtime for extra demand, and the art. 153 emergency cases have their own rules.
Art. 16 relieves the worker of proving facts that should be in the employer's mandatory records.

Sources

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