Overtime and Break Laws in Malaysia (2026)
Employment Act 1955 (Act 265), as amended by Act A1651 (in force 1 January 2023) · Reviewed 2026-10 · Private-sector employees
Overtime
1.5x the hourly rate for hours past the normal hours of work (max 8 a day, 45 a week). Rest day overtime 2x, public holiday overtime 3x.
Breaks and lunch
No more than 5 consecutive hours without a break of at least 30 minutes.
Overtime in Malaysia
- 1.5x pay for hours past 8 in a day.
- 1.5x pay for hours past 45 in a week.
- Overtime is defined against the contract's normal hours per day, so a contract with fewer normal hours triggers overtime sooner. Work after the 10-hour spread-over is all overtime.
- Rest day: half or full day's wages for work up to normal hours, then 2x the hourly rate. Paid public holiday: 2 extra days' wages, overtime beyond normal hours 3x.
- Employees earning over RM4,000 a month are excluded from the overtime, rest day and holiday pay rules, unless they are manual workers, drivers, supervisors of manual workers and other First Schedule paragraph 2 roles.
- Sabah (Labour Ordinance Cap. 67) and Sarawak (Labour Ordinance Cap. 76) are separate statutes, but their 2025 amendments (in force 1 May 2025) cut the week to 45 hours and use the same RM4,000 overtime cut-off, to align with the Employment Act.
Averaging over a pay period: Not allowed generally; shift work may exceed daily limits if it averages no more than 45 hours a week over 3 weeks (s.60A proviso, not detailed here).
What two weeks of work come to
Worked out by the rule above (1.5x after 45h 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) | 90 | 18 |
| 50 hours, then 30 hours (80h) | 70 | 10 |
Breaks and lunch in Malaysia
- Meal break: 1 × 30 minutes, unpaid, for shifts of 5 hours or more.
| Shift | Rest breaks | Meal break |
|---|---|---|
| 4 hours | None | None |
| 6 hours | None | 1 × 30 min, unpaid |
| 8 hours | None | 1 × 30 min, unpaid |
| 10 hours | None | 1 × 30 min, unpaid |
| 12 hours | None | 1 × 30 min, unpaid |
- A break under 30 minutes does not reset the 5-hour count.
- Continuous-process workers may work 8 consecutive hours with at least 45 minutes of breaks for meals.
- One rest day a week.
Pay by Malaysia rules in Kloqk
Kloqk is a free time clock. In Settings, open Payroll, press Rules by country and pick Malaysia: 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the overtime rule in Malaysia?
1.5x the hourly rate for hours past the normal hours of work (max 8 a day, 45 a week). Rest day overtime 2x, public holiday overtime 3x.
Can overtime be averaged over two weeks or a pay period in Malaysia?
Not allowed generally; shift work may exceed daily limits if it averages no more than 45 hours a week over 3 weeks (s.60A proviso, not detailed here).
What breaks are required in Malaysia?
No more than 5 consecutive hours without a break of at least 30 minutes.