Working Hours in the UK

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

Working week 48 hours Working day No limit Overtime pay Agreed Weekend days Sat–Sun Business hours 9am–5pm Annual leave 28 days

Working week in the UK

48 hours

The Working Time Regulations limit the average working week to 48 hours over 17 weeks, but adults can opt out in writing. There is no legal standard week; full-time is usually 35 to 40 hours.

Working day in the UK

No limit

There is no daily limit for adults, but you must get 11 hours’ rest in a row between working days and a 20-minute break if you work more than 6 hours. Workers aged 16 or 17 can work at most 8 hours a day and 40 a week.

Overtime pay in the UK

Agreed

There is no legal right to extra pay for overtime. Your contract sets the rate, often 1.5 times, but your average pay for all the hours you work must not fall below the National Minimum Wage.

Weekend days in the UK

Sat–Sun

Saturday and Sunday are the weekend for offices, banks and government. Shops and hospitality open seven days, though in England and Wales large shops can open for only 6 hours on a Sunday.

Business hours in the UK

9am–5pm

Office hours are usually 9am to 5pm or 9am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday, with an hour for lunch. Banks generally open 9am to 5pm, and some on Saturday mornings.

Annual leave in the UK

28 days

Full-time workers get 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, which is 28 days for a five-day week. Employers can count the 8 bank holidays as part of it.

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 the UK 2026

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

Minimum wage in the UK

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

UK bank holidays 2026

Every holiday with its date and long weekends.