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Overtime Calculator (French rules)

Calculate weekly overtime under French labour law (35 h, +25 % then +50 %) or with your own threshold and rates, the estimated pay and the running total against the annual quota.

  • France
  • Euro

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Premiums (French default: 8 h at +25 %, then +50 %)

Annual total and quota

Optional: add the overtime already worked this year. The French quota is 220 h without an agreement; replace it with your own figure.

Defaults follow the fallback rule of the French Labour Code (35 h, +25 % for the first 8 hours, then +50 %). A French company or industry agreement may set other rates, never below 10 %. Outside France, enter the rules of your own country or contract.

Overtime hours

5 h

Hours up to the threshold
First band
Next band

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How does this tool work?

This calculator applies French overtime rules. In France, overtime means hours worked at the employer’s request beyond the statutory 35 hours per calendar week. The tool isolates those hours, splits them between the +25 % and +50 % bands, estimates the pay and shows how far you are from the annual quota. The defaults are the fallback rules of the French Labour Code (Code du travail); every field can be changed, so you can also model a collective agreement or another country’s rules, but the explanations below describe French law only.

Overtime is counted per calendar week, Monday 00:00 to Sunday 24:00, unless an agreement spreads working time over a longer period. The tool subtracts the threshold (35 h by default) from the weekly total; what remains is overtime.

The hours are then split. Without an agreement, article L3121-36 sets +25 % for each of the first eight overtime hours (the 36th to the 43rd) and +50 % from the 44th. A company agreement, or failing that an industry agreement, may set another rate of at least 10 % (article L3121-33): change the band size and both percentages accordingly.

With an hourly rate, the tool shows pay at the normal rate, pay for the overtime hours (normal rate plus premium) and the premium part alone. The annual tracker adds this week to the hours already worked and compares the total with the quota: 220 hours per employee per year without an agreement (article D3121-24). Beyond it, each hour also gives a mandatory paid rest entitlement.

How to use this tool

  1. Enter the hours of the calendar week

    Add up actual working time from Monday to Sunday; breaks and the usual commute do not count.

  2. Check the threshold

    35 h for full-time work under French law; some sectors use a contractual equivalent duration instead.

  3. Enter the applicable rates

    Keep 8 h at +25 % then +50 % without an agreement, or copy the rates of your collective or company agreement.

  4. Add your hourly rate

    Optional: it is used to estimate base pay, premiums and the weekly total.

  5. Fill in the annual tracker

    Enter the overtime already worked since January and your quota to see what is left.

Formulas used

The same formulas work with the statutory rates or with those of an agreement.

Overtime hours

OT = max(0, H − T)

Split into bands

B1 = min(OT, 8) and B2 = OT − B1

Premium amount

P = rate × (B1 × 25 % + B2 × 50 %)

H
hours worked in the calendar week
T
threshold, 35 h under French statutory working time
B1, B2
hours in the first band and beyond
r
gross hourly reference rate

In France the reference rate normally includes bonuses directly linked to the work performed; some flat-rate bonuses are excluded.

Use cases

Check a French payslip

Compare the hours paid at +25 % and +50 % with the overtime lines of the month’s payslip.

Apply a collective agreement

Replace 25 % and 50 % with the agreed rates, for example 10 % or 20 %, and adjust the size of the first band.

Watch the annual quota

Track the year’s total: beyond 220 hours, or the agreed quota, the works council must be consulted and extra rest is due.

Model another country’s rule

Set a 40-hour or 48-hour threshold and your own premiums; just ignore the French quota and legal notes.

Compare pay with time off

Count the premium hours here, then convert them into replacement rest with the compensatory rest calculator.

Examples

A 46-hour week at €20 an hour

Pay at the normal rate: 46 × 20 = €920. Premiums: 20 × (8 × 0.25 + 3 × 0.5) = €70. The 11 overtime hours are paid €290 in total.

Input

46 h · threshold 35 h · 8 h at +25 % · +50 % beyond · €20/h

Result

11 overtime hours: 8 at +25 % and 3 at +50 % · premiums €70 · total pay €990

Industry agreement at +10 %

For a single 10 % rate, set the second premium to 10 % as well.

Input

42 h · threshold 35 h · first band 8 h at +10 % · €18/h

Result

7 overtime hours · premiums €12.60 · total pay €768.60

Tips and best practices

  • The threshold is weekly: a 30-hour week does not offset a 40-hour week unless an agreement averages working time over several weeks.
  • An hour at +25 % is paid 125 % of the normal rate; the “Of which premiums” line shows only the added 25 % or 50 %.
  • In France, public holidays off and paid leave do not count as working time towards the 35 hours unless an agreement says so.
  • French law caps working time at 48 hours in one week and 44 hours on average over 12 consecutive weeks; the calculator does not stop you going beyond.
  • Employees on an annual days package (forfait jours) and senior executives are outside this weekly count.
  • Part-time employees work “complementary hours” with other rates: use the dedicated calculator.

Sources and references

Frequently asked questions

When does overtime start in France?

From the 36th hour of actual work in the calendar week for a full-time employee, or beyond the equivalent duration used in some sectors. An agreement may count working time over a period longer than a week.

Are the 25 % and 50 % premiums compulsory?

Only when no agreement applies. A company or industry agreement may set a different rate, which cannot be lower than 10 %. The collective agreement gives the rate that actually applies.

What is the 220-hour annual quota?

It is the overtime an employee may work in a year without prior consultation of the works council when no agreement sets another figure. Hours beyond it are still paid with a premium and also give mandatory rest of 50 % (20 employees or fewer) or 100 % (more than 20).

Can overtime be taken as time off instead of pay?

Yes, if an agreement provides for it or, in a company without a union delegate, if the employer decides so and the works council does not object. The rest then replaces pay and premium: one hour at +25 % gives 1 h 15 of rest.

Is overtime taxed in France?

Overtime pay is exempt from income tax up to €7,500 net a year and benefits from a reduction of employee pension contributions of up to 11.31 %. The calculator shows gross amounts before these effects.

Can I use it for overtime in the UK or the US?

Only as a configurable calculator: set your own threshold and rates. Neither country has the French 35-hour rule or the 220-hour quota, so ignore those notes.

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