In Romania, working time is governed by the Labour Code and is designed to promote fair labor practices and protect employee well-being.
Standard Working Hours
The legal standard for full-time employment in Romania is:
These limits apply unless a different arrangement is explicitly agreed (e.g. part-time work), in which case the contract must reflect the modified schedule.
Overtime Regulations
Overtime is only permitted under exceptional circumstances, including:
Even in such cases, overtime must not exceed:
Romanian labor law prohibits routine or scheduled overtime outside of these specific justifications.
Compensation for Overtime
When overtime is worked, it must be compensated by the employer in one of the following ways:
Paid time off, equivalent to the hours worked, to be provided within 60 calendar days
Monetary compensation at the standard pay rate, if time off cannot be granted
Employees cannot forfeit their right to overtime compensation.
Important:
If monetary compensation is required, the employer must register the overtime as a non-recurring payment on the Horizons platform. This ensures that the payment is correctly processed and reported in compliance with Romanian labor and tax regulations.
