Country Guides

Hours of Work in Serbia

Working hours & overtime laws in Serbia

Standard hours

Full-time work is 40 hours per week, normally spread over five days. An employer’s general act may set a shorter full-time week, but not below 36 hours, with the employee keeping all full-time rights.

Night work

  • Night work is work performed between 22:00 and 06:00. Where it is not already reflected in base salary, it carries a 26% pay uplift.
  • Night workers are also subject to increased-risk health monitoring requirements under occupational safety law.

Redistribution of working hours

Working time may be redistributed where required by the nature of the work, such as seasonal peaks or project cycles. Employees may work more hours in one period and fewer in another, provided the average does not exceed full-time hours over the redistribution period.

During redistribution:

  • Working time may not exceed 60 hours per week
  • Daily rest may be reduced to 11 consecutive hours

Time tracking obligations

Employers must keep working-time records, including a daily record of overtime.

  • Record-keeping breaches can result in fines of RSD 150,000-300,000 for a company and RSD 10,000-20,000 for the responsible person.
  • More serious Labour Law breaches carry higher penalties, up to RSD 800,000-2,000,000, including for employing someone without a contract.

Overtime in Serbia

Overtime may only be required in cases of force majeure, a sudden increase in workload, or other unplanned work that must be completed within a deadline.

Two limits apply:

  • Maximum 8 hours of overtime per week
  • Maximum 12 working hours per day, including overtime

Overtime and other pay uplifts

Ground: Work on a public holiday that is a non-working day

Minimum uplift: 110% of the base rate

Ground: Overtime work

Minimum uplift: 26% of the base rate

Ground: Night work (22:00-06:00), if not already reflected in base pay

Minimum uplift: 26% of the base rate

Ground: Seniority (minuli rad), per completed year with the employer

Minimum uplift: 0.4% of the base rate

Weekend work carries no uplift by itself; Saturday or Sunday hours are paid extra only if they qualify as overtime or night work.

Breaks and rest periods in Serbia

Rest type: Break during the working day

Minimum: 15 minutes

Condition: Working more than 4 and less than 6 hours

Rest type: Break during the working day

Minimum: 30 minutes

Condition: Working at least 6 hours

Rest type: Break during the working day

Minimum: 45 minutes

Condition: Working more than 10 hours

The in-day break counts as working time and cannot be placed at the start or end of the day.

Global employment made gloriously uneventful

Talk to us and discover Boundless possibilities

Book a personalised discovery and get your questions answered by our experts.