Overtime and Break Laws in Argentina (2026)
Ley de Contrato de Trabajo 20.744 (as amended by Ley 27.802 de Modernización Laboral, B.O. 6/3/2026); Ley 11.544 de Jornada de Trabajo · Reviewed 2026-10 · Private-sector employees
Overtime
1.5x for overtime past 8 hours a day or 48 a week on ordinary days, 2x on Saturdays after 13:00, Sundays and holidays.
Breaks and lunch
No statutory meal or rest break during the workday. Collective agreements usually set them.
Overtime in Argentina
- 1.5x pay for hours past 8 in a day.
- 1.5x pay for hours past 48 in a week.
- Overtime on Saturday after 13:00, Sunday and holidays is paid at 100% extra (LCT art. 201).
- Caps without administrative approval: 30 overtime hours a month and 200 a year (Decreto 484/2000).
- Night work (21:00 to 06:00) max 7 hours; each night hour in a mixed shift is reduced by 8 minutes or paid as overtime. Unhealthy work max 6 hours a day, 36 a week.
- Ley 27.802 (2026) allows written voluntary overtime compensation schemes (banco de horas, compensatory days off) and averaging by collective agreement, as long as the 12-hour rest between shifts and 35-hour weekly rest are kept.
- Excluded: management and supervisory staff (empleos de dirección o de vigilancia). Agricultural and domestic work fall outside Ley 11.544.
Averaging over a pay period: Allowed by collective agreement or written compensation scheme (banco de horas), within the weekly legal maximum
What two weeks of work come to
Worked out by the rule above (1.5x after 48h in a week, 1.5x after 8h in a day). Hours.
| Two weeks of | Regular | Overtime (1.5x) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 days of 8 hours, two weeks (80h) | 80 | 0 |
| 5 days of 10 hours, two weeks (100h) | 80 | 20 |
| 6 days of 9 hours, two weeks (108h) | 96 | 12 |
| 50 hours, then 30 hours (80h) | 70 | 10 |
Breaks and lunch in Argentina
The law does not set a break of a fixed length for adult employees here.
- At least 12 hours between the end of one shift and the start of the next (LCT art. 197).
- Weekly rest from Saturday 13:00 to Sunday 24:00 (35 hours), or equivalent compensatory rest.
- Ley 27.802 repealed LCT art. 174, the former 2-hour midday break for women.
Pay by Argentina rules in Kloqk
Kloqk is a free time clock. In Settings, open Payroll, press Rules by country and pick Argentina: the overtime and break rules above fill in, and every timesheet, report and payroll export follows them. Change any number to match your own contract.
Start freeOfficial sources
Frequently asked questions
What is the overtime rule in Argentina?
1.5x for overtime past 8 hours a day or 48 a week on ordinary days, 2x on Saturdays after 13:00, Sundays and holidays.
Can overtime be averaged over two weeks or a pay period in Argentina?
Allowed by collective agreement or written compensation scheme (banco de horas), within the weekly legal maximum
What breaks are required in Argentina?
No statutory meal or rest break during the workday. Collective agreements usually set them.