How much overtime may I work?
General overtime is at most 200 hours per calendar year, regular hours at most 40 per week, and average weekly working time may not exceed 48 hours including overtime.
Source status
- Source reference registered, source text not re-verified
Read date
- Source reference registered, source text not re-verified
Read date
What the source says
- Section 5: at most 40 hours per week as regular working time.
- Section 8: at most 200 hours of general overtime per calendar year.
- Article 6 of the Working Time Directive: at most 48 hours on average per seven-day period, overtime included.
Source rows
- Working Hours Act (SFS 1982:673)SFS 1982:673 · Swedish Work Environment Authority · Read 2026-08-20 · Content hash 3acf2b854117c7c0Official source
- Directive 2003/88/EC concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working timeCELEX 32003L0088 · European Commission, implemented nationally · Read 2026-08-20 · Content hash efebfd36c36c3c33Official source
For the employer · How the employer puts the question
Working time must be measurable per worker, which follows from C-55/18 and is what makes the ceilings demonstrable.
For the employee · How the employee puts the question
Overtime beyond the ceiling needs support in a collective agreement or an exemption, and pay follows the agreement, not the statute.
Leading rulings
- C-55/18 CCOOCourt of Justice of the European Union · 2019-05-14
Member States must require a system enabling the duration of each worker's daily working time to be measured.
Official source - C-55/18 CCOOCourt of Justice of the European Union · 2019-05-14
Member States must require a system enabling the duration of each worker's daily working time to be measured.
Official source - C-684/16 Max-PlanckCourt of Justice of the European Union · 2018-11-06
The right is not lost automatically where the employer has not enabled the worker to take the leave.
Official source
Next step
Set the working time limits against the agreement's levels in the tool.
Open the tool: Leave and overtime, what applies?The rows reproduce what the source says. They are not legal advice, and applying them to a specific case is the reader's or their counsel's decision.
/arbetsratt/fragor/hur-mycket-overtid-far-jag-arbeta
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