Can I be forced to work overtime in Hungary?
Yes — but not without limits, and the 400-hour cap needs your signature. Employers may unilaterally order 250 hours of extraordinary working time (overtime) a year — collective agreements lift that to 300. The infamous 400-hour level is reachable only if you voluntarily undertake in writing the extra hours (150, or 100 alongside a collective agreement) — that agreement is cancellable for year-end, and refusing it may bring no disadvantage. Compensation: on workdays a 50 % wage premium (or time off by agreement), on weekly rest days and holidays 100 %. Limits overtime can't override: the 12-hour daily working-time cap and 11 hours' daily rest. Protected groups — pregnant workers, single parents of children under 3, minors — can't be ordered to work overtime. And the classic: 'be glad you have a job' is not a premium-payment title — unpaid overtime is claimable 3 years back.
📋 The key rules
- Orderable: 250 hours/year (collective agreement: 300)
- To 400 only by written voluntary undertaking — cancellable, refusal can't hurt you
- Premium: workdays +50 % (or time off), rest days/holidays +100 %
- Absolute limits: 12-hour days, 11 hours' rest
- Pregnant workers, single parents (child under 3), minors: can't be ordered
🔓 Exceptions
- Accidents and disasters: extraordinary work orderable beyond the frames
- Under working-time banking, overtime settles when the frame closes
- Pregnant workers, single parents of children under 3 and minors cannot be ordered to work overtime at all
⚠️ Penalties
Overtime beyond the frames, or without premiums, draws labour fines for the employer, who must also pay the missing premium afterwards. Workers can claim unpaid premiums retroactively within the 3-year limitation period — and a missing time record weighs against the employer, so the burden of proof is not on you. Breaching the 12-hour daily working-time and 11-hour daily rest limits is a separate violation, even where the premium was paid. What surprises many: refusing the voluntary 400-hour undertaking may bring no disadvantage whatsoever.
📎 Official sources
- Officina · Overtime and premiums: all the rules (HU) →
- Adó Online · Labour-law explainer on overtime (HU) →
- HR Portál · Ordering extraordinary work (HU) →
❓ Frequently asked questions
Can I refuse overtime?
Properly ordered overtime within the 250 hours (300 under a collective agreement) generally cannot be refused. The band up to 400 exists only through a voluntary undertaking, and refusing that may bring no disadvantage.
What premium does Saturday work pay?
If Saturday is your weekly rest day, the premium is 100 % (or another rest day plus 50 %). If it is a scheduled working day, ordinary rules apply — and public holidays likewise carry the 100 % premium.
Time off instead of money?
The parties may agree on time off in lieu of the premium, but it must at least match the overtime actually worked. It has to be granted by the next pay day — or by the end of the working-time frame.
My overtime wasn't paid. How far back can I claim?
Retroactively, within the 3-year limitation period — document your hours (messages, entry logs). Keeping records is the employer's duty, and their absence weighs against them, not against you.
Does overtime count towards the 12-hour daily limit?
Yes — ordinary and extraordinary working time together may not exceed 12 hours a day, and the 11 hours of daily rest cannot be taken away. Neither the 250- nor the 400-hour frame overrides these caps.
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