Maximum working time
Art. 9 ArG45 or 50 hours per week, notice from 90 percent.
Calculate overtime and check working time under the Swiss Labour Act
Enter a working week. The calculator shows contractual overtime and statutory excess hours and checks breaks, rest periods, the daily frame, night and Sunday work, each with the relevant article of the ArG and ArGV 1.
Free, no sign-up, everything is calculated in your browser
In short
What is the difference between Überstunden and Überzeit?
Überstunden are hours above the contractually agreed working time, governed by the Code of Obligations (Art. 321c OR). Überzeit are hours above the statutory maximum of 45 or 50 hours per week (Art. 9, 12 and 13 ArG). Überzeit is capped at 2 hours per day and 170 or 140 hours per year, and the 25 percent supplement is mandatory, for office staff only from the 61st hour in a year. Both can be compensated with time off of equal length by agreement.
Working time check for one week
Enter start, end and break for each day. Work past midnight is recognised when the end is before the start.
Result
- Working time this week
- 0:00 h
- Overtime (OR)
- 0:00 h
- Excess hours (ArG)
- 0:00 h
In CrewDeck this check runs with every time entry, for every employee, in the weekly view and again every night. Every warning names its legal article.
See CrewDeck liveSimplified check without guarantee, not legal advice. Not covered are special rules for individual sectors (ArGV 2), collective and standard employment contracts, young people, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people the Labour Act does not apply to, such as senior executives.
What the calculator checks
Excess hours
Art. 12 and 13 ArGHours above the maximum, at most 170 or 140 per year, 25 percent supplement.
Overtime
Art. 321c ORHours above contractual time up to the maximum, 25 percent supplement unless agreed otherwise in writing.
Breaks
Art. 15 ArGMore than 5.5 hours of work 15 minutes, more than 7 hours 30 minutes, more than 9 hours 1 hour.
Daily rest
Art. 15a ArG11 hours between two working days, reducible to 8 hours once a week.
Daily frame
Art. 10 para. 3 ArGDay and evening work including breaks and excess hours within 14 hours.
Night work
Art. 16 and 17 ArGWork between 11 pm and 6 am usually needs a permit.
Sunday work
Art. 18 and 19 ArGWork on Sunday usually needs a permit.
Limits from the ArG (SR 822.11) and ArGV 1 (SR 822.111), the same rules as in CrewDeck. Updated .
Download the CrewDeck fact sheet
All modules and features as a compact PDF, straight to your inbox.
By submitting, you agree to our privacy policy.
Frequently asked questions
How much break time is required in Switzerland?
Under Art. 15 ArG, more than 5.5 hours of daily work requires a 15 minute break, more than 7 hours 30 minutes and more than 9 hours one hour. Working time is counted without breaks. Breaks longer than half an hour may be split. If someone may not leave the workplace during the break, it counts as working time.
How long must the rest period between two working days be?
At least 11 consecutive hours (Art. 15a ArG). Once a week it may drop to 8 hours, provided the average over two weeks is 11 hours.
How many excess hours are allowed per year?
Excess hours are only allowed by way of exception, for example in urgent cases or an unusual workload. They may not exceed 2 hours per day, except on non-working weekdays or in emergencies, and at most 170 hours per calendar year with a 45 hour week and 140 hours with a 50 hour week (Art. 12 ArG).
Must excess hours be paid with a supplement?
Yes, the supplement of at least 25 percent is mandatory (Art. 13 ArG). For office staff, technical and other employees and sales staff in large retailers it only applies to excess hours above 60 per calendar year. With the employee consent, excess hours can instead be compensated with time off of equal length within a reasonable period.
What is the difference between overtime and excess hours?
Overtime (Überstunden) lies above contractual working time but below the statutory maximum. Art. 321c OR applies, with a 25 percent supplement that can be excluded in writing. Excess hours (Überzeit) lie above the statutory maximum of 45 or 50 hours, and the mandatory rules of the Labour Act apply.
Does the 45 or the 50 hour week apply to us?
The 45 hours apply to employees in industrial companies, office staff, technical and other employees and sales staff in large retailers. All others have 50 hours (Art. 9 ArG).
What must be recorded in working time records?
In principle daily and weekly working time with start and end, compensatory and excess hours and breaks of half an hour or more (Art. 73 ArGV 1). Simplified recording of daily duration only is possible under conditions (Art. 73b ArGV 1), waiving it only with a collective agreement, high time autonomy and an annual salary above CHF 120,000 (Art. 73a ArGV 1). Records must be kept for at least five years.
Does CrewDeck check this automatically?
Yes. CrewDeck checks every time entry against the same limits, shows issues in the weekly view and checks again every night. Every warning names its legal article. Responsibility for compliance stays with the business, and CrewDeck does not replace employment law advice.
Rather checked automatically every week than once by hand?
In 30 minutes we show you how CrewDeck runs time tracking, leave and the labour law check in one system.
No obligation · 30 minutes · reply within 24 hours
Prefer to write? Send us your request
We reply within 24 hours, guaranteed.