Working Hours in Australia

The legal working week and day in Australia, how overtime is paid, which days are the weekend, normal office hours and the paid leave you are owed.

Working week 38 hours Working day 7.6 hours Overtime pay 1.5–2× Weekend days Sat–Sun Business hours 9am–5pm Annual leave 20 days

Working week in Australia

38 hours

The National Employment Standards set a maximum of 38 hours a week for full-time employees, plus reasonable additional hours. Awards and agreements may average hours over a longer period.

Working day in Australia

7.6 hours

A 38-hour week is usually worked as five days of 7.6 hours. Awards set how long a day can be, often up to 10 or 12 hours, and a meal break after about 5 hours.

Overtime pay in Australia

1.5–2×

Awards set overtime, usually time and a half for the first 2 or 3 hours and double time after that, with higher penalty rates on Sundays and public holidays.

Weekend days in Australia

Sat–Sun

Saturday and Sunday are the weekend for offices, banks and government. Shops and hospitality open seven days, and many award workers are paid penalty rates on weekends.

Business hours in Australia

9am–5pm

Office hours are usually 9am to 5pm or 8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Banks generally open 9:30am to 4pm on weekdays.

Annual leave in Australia

20 days

Full-time employees get 4 weeks (20 days) of paid annual leave a year, and some shift workers 5 weeks. Many awards add a 17.5% leave loading.

Checked 24 October 2026 against national labour laws and government sites. Laws change and this is a summary, not legal advice; check with the authority that applies to you.

Working days in Australia 2026

Business days and working hours by month, after weekends and holidays.

Minimum wage in Australia

The hourly and monthly minimum, in local money and US dollars.

Australian public holidays 2026

Every holiday with its date and long weekends.