Every foreign employer must know Turkish labor laws before hiring employees in Türkiye. Understanding these laws is not easy because they are divided into subsectors such as pre-hiring rules, insurance, contracts, taxes, payroll, and working hours and overtime.
Hiring in Türkiye can be a lucrative way to scale a company, but not knowing these rules can lead to serious problems, such as penalties, fines, and future restrictions.
In this post, we’re going to cover all the important laws that are related to employees’ working hours and overtime in Türkiye.
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Every foreign employer must know Turkish labor laws before hiring employees in Türkiye. Understanding these laws is not easy because they are divided into subsectors such as pre-hiring rules, insurance, contracts, taxes, payroll, and working hours and overtime.
Hiring in Türkiye can be a lucrative way to scale a company, but not knowing these rules can lead to serious problems, such as penalties, fines, and future restrictions.
In this post, we’re going to cover all the important laws that are related to employees’ working hours and overtime in Türkiye.
Author
Co-author
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Alp Atasoy
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Working hours in Türkiye follow Labor Law No. 4857. This law sets the legal framework for maximum working time, overtime rules, rest periods, and employee rights. The law protects employees and maintains fair and structured working conditions across all industries and sectors.
The rules that fall under Labor Law No. 4857, apply to any employee working in Türkiye. These remain the same regardless of the employer’s country of origin. Any foreign company that is hiring in Türkiye, either by registering its own entity or through an EOR, must follow these rules.
Employment contracts define the practical working arrangement. They cover weekly hours, schedules, and overtime terms. However, these contracts can’t override the rules set by Turkish labor law. Collective bargaining agreements favor employees, so employers must be careful and still comply with the minimum legal standards.
Under Turkish Labor Law No. 4857, the standard working time is 45 hours per week. This is the legal maximum for normal employment. This limit applies across all sectors. Any work beyond this limit is considered overtime, no matter what the contract terms cover.
The weekly limit is the main rule. However, daily working time is also strict. In practice, working hours must not exceed 11 hours per day. This limit is strict and can’t be waived by any mutual agreement.
You can distribute the 45 hours in different ways. It usually depends on the employment agreement:
Commonly: 6 days × 7.5 hours or 5 days × 9 hours
Employers may distribute hours unevenly across the week, as long as:
If there is no arrangement specified, then authorities assume the working hours are divided equally across working days.
Turkish laws allow flexible working models as long as they remain within legal limits:
However, even in flexible systems, the 45-hour weekly average must not be exceeded, and the 11-hour daily maximum still applies strictly.
Under Turkish Labor Law No. 4857, any work that exceeds the standard 45-hour weekly limit is considered overtime. In another scenario, if the contract is for less than 45 hours per week, then any work that goes above the fixed threshold is also overtime. This depends on the employment contract.
The validity of overtime depends on legal justification and agreement, and it must comply with strict limits. One common limit that any employer must consider is the annual cap of 270 overtime hours per employee. In addition, total daily working time, including overtime, must not exceed 11 hours.
The Turkish government entitles employees to mandatory compensation for overtime work:
Overtime work: paid at 1.5× (150%) of the hourly wage
Extra hours (within 45-hour weekly limit but beyond contract): paid at 1.25× (125%)
Instead of payment, employees have the right to take compensatory time off. In such cases, employer approval is not required, and the time off must be provided within the legally required timeframe.
Night work is legally defined as work performed between 8:00 PM and 6:00 AM, with the total “night period” not exceeding 11 hours.
If a significant portion of the job falls within this time frame, then it is considered night work.
Although the time slot above suggests that employees can work up to 10 hours per night, this often leads to confusion for foreign employers as well. However, night work must not exceed 7.5 hours per day. This is a strict rule under Turkish labor law.
In sectors like tourism, private security, and healthcare, employees may work longer night shifts only with written consent.
Here are stricter rules for certain categories of employees:
The employer must entitle employees to minimum rest breaks during the workday. These breaks depend on daily working hours:
15 minutes → if work is up to 4 hours
30 minutes → if work is between 4 and 7.5 hours
60 minutes → if work exceeds 7.5 hours
These breaks must be taken during the workday (typically mid-shift) and can’t be counted as working time. The employer can split them if agreed and operationally required.
Employees must receive at least 24 consecutive hours of rest within each 7-day period.
This is typically one full day off per week. Employers have to pay full pay for this rest day. Delayed rest is allowed for limited sectors like tourism.
Employees have the right to paid leave on official public holidays. If an employee works on a public holiday, the employer has to pay an additional two day’s wage on top of regular pay. In addition, employers can’t deduct public holidays and weekly rest days from annual leave.
Certain senior executives may be excluded from overtime pay. This typically includes employer representatives and employees in high-level managerial positions who have authority over company operations, hiring and dismissal decisions, or who manage the entire workplace or a significant department.
This exclusion is generally applicable when their salary is structured to cover extended working hours. However, this must be clearly defined in the employment contract
The Turkish government legally recognizes remote work. This must be defined in a written contract, including scope, hours, equipment, and payment. The same rules apply to remote employees and on-site staff. Employers must still track working hours and ensure compliance with working time limits.
They are considered employees under local labor laws in Türkiye. Such workers work significantly less than full-time hours (typically less than or equal to two-thirds of 45 hours). Employees must receive proportional pay and benefits. Employers can’t treat them less favorably than full-time employees. They are not generally required to perform overtime.
It is mandatory for employers to track each employee’s working time in Türkiye. This rule applies to both regular and overtime hours. Tracking systems should be reliable and accessible (e.g., timesheets, biometric systems). This is essential because accurate records help employers comply with working hour limits and wage calculations.
Employers must document all overtime work. This includes hours performed and compensation provided. They should keep overtime records (and employee consent) in personnel files. The last thing to be careful of is that payroll must clearly reflect overtime payments and rates.
Labor inspections can occur occasionally and without any serious trigger. Therefore, employers must maintain key employment records. These records should include:
It is also very important to obtain the employee’s wet signature (physical signature) on these documents to ensure their legal validity.
Proper documentation is necessary to defend against employee claims and pass labor inspections. Additionally, in disputes, written records outweigh employee claims, making documentation essential.
Navigating working hours, overtime limits, employee consent, payroll, and record-keeping in Türkiye can quickly become complex for foreign employers.
Turkish labor laws impose strict rules and documentation requirements, and non-compliance can result in financial and legal risk.
This is where FMC Group’s Employer of Record (EOR) solution becomes critical. By acting as the legal employer on your behalf, FMC Group ensures that every aspect covered in this guide is handled correctly and in line with local regulations. With FMC Group:
Bottom line
Instead of managing complex labor laws yourself, FMC Group enables you to operate compliantly, reduce risk, and scale faster in Türkiye.
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