Countries › Peru › Guide › 7. Labor and employment › Working hours and overtime in Peru: 8 hours a day, 48 a week, 25 and 35 percent overtime, weekly rest and holidays

Working hours and overtime in Peru: 8 hours a day, 48 a week, 25 and 35 percent overtime, weekly rest and holidays

Last verified: 2026-10-28 · Status: Stable

The ordinary working day is at most 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week, and employers can set shorter or averaged schedules after notifying workers 8 days ahead. Overtime is voluntary, must be recorded and pays at least 25 percent extra for the first two hours and 35 percent after; work on the weekly rest day or a public holiday without a substitute day pays a 100 percent surcharge. Management staff, workers not under immediate supervision and intermittent standby or security staff are outside the maximum, and lunch breaks of at least 45 minutes do not count as working time.

USD figures use S/ 3.452 per US dollar, the banking system selling rate published by the Superintendencia de Banca, Seguros y AFP for 27 October 2026, from the Banco Central de Reserva del Perú statistics series PD04640PD. UIT based amounts use the 2026 UIT of S/ 5,500 (Decreto Supremo Nº 301-2025-EF, as cited by SUNAT Resolución de Superintendencia Nº 000016-2026). Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Maximum ordinary working day	8 hoursTUO DL 854 (DS 007-2002-TR) art. 1, as of 2026-10-28 · in force
Maximum ordinary working week	48 hoursTUO DL 854 (DS 007-2002-TR) art. 1, as of 2026-10-28 · in force
Minimum overtime premium, first two hours	25 %TUO DL 854 (DS 007-2002-TR) art. 10, as of 2026-10-28 · in force
Minimum overtime premium after the first two hours	35 %TUO DL 854 (DS 007-2002-TR) art. 10, as of 2026-10-28 · in force
Indemnity when overtime is imposed on the worker	100 % of the overtime hourTUO DL 854 (DS 007-2002-TR) art. 9, as of 2026-10-28 · in force
Minimum weekly rest	24 consecutive hoursDL 713 art. 1, as of 2026-10-28 · in force
Surcharge for work on the weekly rest day or a holiday without substitute rest	100 %DL 713 art. 3 and 9, as of 2026-10-28 · in force
Minimum meal break on continuous schedules	45 minutesTUO DL 854 (DS 007-2002-TR) art. 7, as of 2026-10-28 · in force
Notice to workers before changing working days, shifts or schedules	8 daysTUO DL 854 (DS 007-2002-TR) art. 2, as of 2026-10-28 · in force
Night work window	10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. hoursTUO DL 854 (DS 007-2002-TR) art. 8, as of 2026-10-28 · in force

The rule

1. The ordinary working day for adults is at most 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week. A shorter day can be set by law, agreement or the employer's decision. Breaching the maximum is an administrative infraction.Texto Único Ordenado del Decreto Legislativo Nº 854, Ley de Jornada de Trabajo, Horario y Trabajo en Sobretiempo (Decreto Supremo Nº 007-2002-TR), Art. 1, 2002-07-04 official text · verified 2026-10-28

2. The employer may set the daily or weekly working day, use compensatory schedules where some days are longer and others shorter, change the number of working days and spread the hours, and set fixed or rotating shifts, as long as the average stays within 48 hours a week. Before doing so it must notify the union, or workers' representatives or the affected workers, 8 days in advance; workers can ask for a meeting and, after the measure is adopted, challenge it before the labor authority within 10 days. Alternative or accumulated schedules in special activities must also average no more than the maximum.Texto Único Ordenado del Decreto Legislativo Nº 854, Ley de Jornada de Trabajo, Horario y Trabajo en Sobretiempo (Decreto Supremo Nº 007-2002-TR), Art. 2 and 4, 2002-07-04 official text · verified 2026-10-28

3. Management staff, workers not under immediate supervision and those providing intermittent waiting, watch or custody services are not covered by the maximum working day.Texto Único Ordenado del Decreto Legislativo Nº 854, Ley de Jornada de Trabajo, Horario y Trabajo en Sobretiempo (Decreto Supremo Nº 007-2002-TR), Art. 5, 2002-07-04 official text · verified 2026-10-28

4. Where the day is worked straight through, the meal break cannot be shorter than 45 minutes and is not part of the working day or schedule unless a collective agreement says otherwise.Texto Único Ordenado del Decreto Legislativo Nº 854, Ley de Jornada de Trabajo, Horario y Trabajo en Sobretiempo (Decreto Supremo Nº 007-2002-TR), Art. 7, 2002-07-04 official text · verified 2026-10-28

5. Overtime is voluntary on both sides; it can only be required in cases of force majeure that put people, property or the continuity of the business in imminent danger. Imposing overtime is an infraction and the employer must pay an indemnity equal to 100 percent of the overtime hour if the worker proves it was imposed. Overtime worked without an express order is deemed tacitly authorised and must be paid.Texto Único Ordenado del Decreto Legislativo Nº 854, Ley de Jornada de Trabajo, Horario y Trabajo en Sobretiempo (Decreto Supremo Nº 007-2002-TR), Art. 9, 2002-07-04 official text · verified 2026-10-28

6. Time beyond the daily or weekly working day is overtime and pays a premium of at least 25 percent of the hourly value for the first two hours and 35 percent for the remaining hours. Overtime around a night shift is valued on night pay. The parties can agree to compensate overtime with equivalent rest. The employer must record overtime with reliable technical or manual means; a deficient record does not prevent the worker from proving and claiming it. The hourly value is the daily pay divided by the hours of the worker's ordinary day.
Cost to do it: On S/ 3,000 a month the hourly value is S/ 12.50; overtime hours cost S/ 15.62 (first two) and S/ 16.88 (after).
Example: A worker on S/ 3,000 who stays 3 extra hours on one day earns 2 x S/ 15.62 + 1 x S/ 16.88 = S/ 48.12. / About US$13.94 for that day's overtime.Texto Único Ordenado del Decreto Legislativo Nº 854, Ley de Jornada de Trabajo, Horario y Trabajo en Sobretiempo (Decreto Supremo Nº 007-2002-TR), Art. 10, 10-A and 12, 2002-07-04 official text · verified 2026-10-28

7. Workers are entitled to at least 24 consecutive hours of rest each week, preferably on Sunday; the employer may designate another day when production requires it. Working on the weekly rest day without a substitute day in the same week entitles the worker to pay for the work plus a 100 percent surcharge. Work on a national public holiday without a substitute rest day is paid the same way, and holiday pay is one ordinary day's pay.
Cost to do it: On S/ 3,000 a month a day's pay is S/ 100.00; working a rest day without a substitute adds S/ 100.00 for the work and S/ 100.00 of surcharge.
Example: A technician on S/ 3,000 called in on Sunday with no other rest day that week is owed S/ 200.00 on top of the monthly salary. / About US$57.94.Decreto Legislativo Nº 713, descansos remunerados, Art. 1, 2, 3, 8 and 9, 1991-11-08 official text · verified 2026-10-28

Item	Soles	US dollars
Hourly value (S/ 3,000 / 30 / 8)	S/ 12.50	US$3.62
Overtime hour, first two hours (+25%)	S/ 15.62	US$4.53
Overtime hour, after two hours (+35%)	S/ 16.88	US$4.89
Rest day worked without substitute (pay plus 100%)	S/ 200.00	US$57.94

Overtime and rest day pay on a S/ 3,000 monthly salary with an 8 hour day (DS 007-2002-TR art. 10 and 12; DL 713 art. 3; S/ 3.452 per US$).

Worked example

A Lima logistics company pays a dispatcher S/ 3,000 a month for an 8 hour day, 6 days a week (DS 007-2002-TR art. 1).
During a peak week the dispatcher agrees to stay 2 extra hours on 5 days: 10 overtime hours at S/ 15.62 = S/ 156.25 (about US$45.26) (art. 9 and 10).
The company also calls the dispatcher in on Sunday without giving another rest day that week, adding S/ 200.00 (DL 713 art. 3).
The company records all overtime in its attendance system; if it did not, the dispatcher could still prove the hours by other means (art. 10-A).

Step by step

Set each role's ordinary schedule within 8 hours a day and 48 a week, and identify management, unsupervised and standby roles that fall outside the maximum (DS 007-2002-TR art. 1 and 5).
Give 8 days' notice to the union or worker representatives before changing working days, shifts or schedules (art. 2).
Allow at least 45 minutes for meals on continuous schedules (art. 7).
Request overtime, get the worker's agreement, record it and pay the 25 and 35 percent premiums, or agree equivalent rest (art. 9, 10 and 10-A).
Plan a 24 hour weekly rest for each worker and a substitute day when someone works on the rest day or a holiday (DL 713 art. 1 to 3 and 9).

Common traps

Overtime done without an express order is still payable if the worker proves it, so uncontrolled late work becomes a liability (DS 007-2002-TR art. 9).
Forcing overtime costs an extra indemnity of 100 percent of each hour on top of the premium (art. 9).
Calling someone 'management' to avoid overtime does not work if the role does not meet the definition; the law does not protect simulation (DS 003-97-TR art. 43 and 44).
Averaged or accumulated schedules, common in mining and remote sites, must still average 48 hours a week or less (DS 007-2002-TR art. 4).

Sources

← Minimum wage in Peru: S/ 1,230 from October 2026, the S/ 1,300 step for 2027, family allowance and the night work floorStatutory benefits in Peru: the July and December gratificaciones, the CTS severance fund and 30 days of vacation →

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