Working Hours in Portugal: Daily and Weekly Limits (2026)

The simple rule: 8 and 40

Art. 203 of the Labour Code fixes two numbers worth memorising:

• 8 hours per day of normal working time.
• 40 hours per week, spread over up to 6 days.

These are the default limits. They apply to anyone on a normal schedule, in any private sector, on any kind of contract (open-ended, fixed-term, part-time, pro rata).

There are three main exceptions:

1. Individual flexibility (Art. 205).
2. Collective flexibility through a collective agreement (Art. 204).
3. Compressed workweek (Art. 209).

We go through each below.

Individual flexibility, Art. 205

The employer proposes it and you accept, by signing or by silence: if the proposal is written and you do not object in writing within the following 14 days, you are presumed to have accepted (Art. 205 no. 4).

• Limits: up to 10 hours per day and up to 50 hours per week.
• Average: must stay at 40h per week over the reference period (4 months by default, Art. 207).
• Form: agreement, either written or born from a written employer proposal with no objection within 14 days.
• Where it appears: usually in the employment contract, in an addendum or in a proposal handed over by HR.

Two traps to watch:

• Silence locks you in. If you receive a written flexibility proposal and do not reply within 14 days, you are presumed to have accepted it (Art. 205 no. 4). Always read the "working time" section before signing, and object in writing to what you do not want.
• It is not free overtime. Even under flexibility, hours that push your average over the reference period above 40 count as overtime and must be paid with the legal surcharge (Art. 268). An employer using "endless flexibility" to avoid surcharges is acting unlawfully.

Collective flexibility, Art. 204

Here you do not decide. It applies to everyone covered by the sector's collective agreement.

• Limits: up to 12h per day and 60h per week, and the average of any 2 month period cannot exceed 50 hours (Art. 204 nos. 1 and 2).
• Reference period: the agreement defines it, up to 12 months (Art. 207).
• Where to find yours: search the DGERT portal for your business activity.

If the collective agreement has a flexibility clause, it applies directly. The employer does not need to ask you and you do not need to sign anything new. If you disagree, you can still file with ACT about any excess beyond what the agreement itself allows.

The full picture, including group adaptability, the 14 day rule and who can stay out, is in the working time adaptability guide.

Compressed workweek, Art. 209

The working week packed into fewer days with longer shifts.

• Limit per day: 12 hours (the normal 8 plus a maximum increase of 4).
• Limit per week: 4 days with extended hours.
• Form: by agreement between the parties or by collective agreement; the law does not require written form for the agreement, but always get it on paper, that is your proof.
• Upside: more consecutive days of rest (3 days instead of 2).

Typical models:

Important note: Art. 209 raises the daily cap (up to 12 hours), not the weekly one. Your weekly hours stay whatever your contract says, as a rule 40. A "4x12" with 48 hours every single week is not a concentrated schedule: whatever exceeds your normal period is overtime, with the surcharges of Art. 268. The full regime, who can refuse, pay, meal allowance and how to accept or undo it, is in the 4 day work week guide.

Rest between shifts: 11 hours (Art. 214)

This is probably the most ignored rule. Between the end of one workday and the start of the next you are entitled to 11 consecutive hours of rest.

Practical examples:

• You finish today at 20:00, you cannot start again before 7:00 tomorrow.
• You finish today at 23:00, you cannot start before 10:00 tomorrow.
• You finish today at 2:00 in the morning, you cannot start before 13:00 that same day.

Limited exceptions (Art. 214 no. 2):

• Continuous-work sectors (security, hospitals) under special regimes.
• Rotating shifts during a team handover.
• Force majeure (accident, disaster).

If your employer schedules a shift that breaks the 11 hours, you can refuse in writing citing Art. 214. This is not insubordination. It is enforcing a binding statutory right.

Break during the day, Art. 213

You cannot work more than 5 hours straight without a break. The break is 1 to 2 hours and does not count as working time (it is not paid, as a rule).

Details:

• In a continuous shift (no lunch break), the limit goes up to 6 hours straight, but only by written agreement or collective agreement (Art. 213 no. 2 b).
• The break can be split (for example 30 min + 30 min) if the collective agreement allows it.
• Short pauses (5 to 10 minutes for coffee or the bathroom) do not replace the legal break.

Weekly rest, Arts. 232 + 233

For every 7 days you are entitled to 1 full day of mandatory rest. As a rule that day is Sunday, but it can be another day in the cases listed in Art. 232 no. 2: businesses exempt from closing, continuous operations, security, cleaning, trade fairs (restaurants, retail open on Sundays, hospitals). Full guide: weekly rest and working on Sundays.

• Mandatory rest (Art. 232): 1 full day per week. Untouchable.
• Complementary rest (Art. 232 no. 3): can be a half day (Saturday afternoon) or an extra full day. It only exists through a collective agreement or your contract, but it is common.
• 35 consecutive hours (Art. 233 no. 1): the mandatory day off is joined to the 11 hours of daily rest.

The classic "Saturday and Sunday" weekend is, in law, mandatory weekly rest (Sunday) plus complementary rest (Saturday).

Working on your rest day is overtime and is only allowed under the conditions of Art. 227 (a temporary surge of work, force majeure or serious damage to the company). When it happens, each hour is paid with a 50% surcharge (Art. 268 no. 1 b) and, if it was your mandatory day off, you are also entitled to 1 full paid compensatory rest day within the next 3 working days (Art. 229 no. 4).

The 48-hour weekly average (Art. 211)

Art. 211 no. 1 does not set a 60-hour cap for a single week. It sets a maximum average of 48 hours per week, overtime included, calculated over a reference period that runs from 4 to 12 months. In other words, you can have weeks above 48h as long as the average for the period balances out.

The limits of 12 hours per day and 60 hours in a single week do exist, but they belong to the flexibility and hours-bank schemes (Arts. 204 to 208-B), not to a general cap applying to every worker. Outside those schemes, the rule stays 8h per day and 40h per week (Art. 203).

There are also exceptions for sectors like aviation crew, maritime work and others, governed by special legislation.

The summary table

5 common mistakes that cost you money

1. "Under flexibility there is no overtime." False. If the annual average goes above 40h, the extra hours are overtime with surcharge (Art. 268).
2. "I can work 6 and a half days if the company needs it." No. Art. 232 requires 1 full day of rest per 7 days, regardless of commercial demand.
3. "Lunch break is paid time." Generally, no. Art. 197 excludes the break from effective working time, unless a collective agreement says otherwise.
4. "The compressed week is the employer's call." No. Without a written agreement or collective agreement, you cannot be forced into a compressed schedule.
5. "I worked 14h in one day, but they were overtime so it is fine." No. Even under the schemes that allow more hours per day, flexibility and hours-bank (Arts. 204 to 208-B), the maximum is 12h per day. Outside those schemes the rule is 8h per day (Art. 203) plus the daily overtime cap. Working 14h in a single day goes past every one of these ceilings and is unlawful.

How it connects

If you are reading this now, you are probably in one of these situations:

• The employer wants you to do more hours and you are checking the rules. Look at the table above, identify your regime (normal, flexibility, compressed) and check the limits.
• You already crossed the limits and want to know what you are owed. The extra hours are overtime with surcharge. Use the overtime calculator to get the exact amount.
• The employer does not pay your overtime. Collect your timesheets, file with ACT, and if it persists for 60 days you can resign with just cause.
• You are negotiating a new contract or change of schedule. Check carefully whether you are signing a flexibility clause. Once signed, it remains in force for the agreed period.