Workers' rights · 5 min read
Overtime pay in Rwanda 2026: 40 hours, time off first, then pay
Overtime in Rwanda starts after 40 hours a week. You're owed equal time off within 30 days. If you don't get it, the hours are paid next month at your normal hourly rate.
That's different from what you may have heard. There's no time and a half or double time in Ministerial Order 01/MIFOTRA/23: it says hours at night, at the weekend or on an official holiday are paid equally with day hours. A contract can promise more, and public servants can't take cash at all. Here's how it works, with the sum on a real salary.
When an hour counts as overtime
Article 15 says overtime is any hour after 40 a week. If your contract or your employer's internal rules set fewer hours, it's any hour after that lower number. So if your contract says 35 hours, your 36th hour is overtime.
Your employer can ask you to work overtime when the work is urgent, exceptional, seasonal or of a special nature, or to keep up or raise productivity. That's Article 14.
Time off first, money second
Under Article 17, you're first entitled to time off equal to your extra hours, within 30 days of working them. If you work 6 extra hours this week, you're owed 6 hours off by the end of the 30 days.
Only if that rest isn't given are the hours paid, in the next month, and they must appear on your payslip. So ask for your time off in writing, and note the date. If the 30 days pass, you can point to the rule.
How to calculate overtime pay
Article 18 works from your gross salary and your working hours. The order doesn't name a monthly number of hours, so our method is 40 hours x 52 weeks / 12 months, which is 173.33 hours. If your employer uses another divisor, or your contract sets its own rate for an extra hour, that's what counts.
Monthly hours: 40 x 52 / 12 = 173.33 One hour: 400,000 / 173.33 = 2,307.69 10 extra hours: 2,307.69 x 10 = 23,077 Paid the next month, before tax
On gross 200,000, one hour is 1,153.85, and 10 hours come to 11,538. If your contract sets fewer than 40 hours, the sum uses your agreed hours, so each hour is worth more. Overtime adds to that month's pay and is taxed at your highest band.
Nights, weekends and public holidays
Article 13 says hours worked during the day, at night, on an official holiday or at the weekend are the same and are paid equally. So there's no legal premium for a night shift or a Sunday. That's why you shouldn't copy a rate from another country's calculator or from a payroll blog.
A public holiday has its own rule. Article 53 of Law 66/2018 gives you full pay for the day, and if you work it, a rest of the same length within 30 days. You also get a weekly rest of at least 24 hours, under Article 12 of the order.
What your employer must record
Article 15 says your employer records the hours and days of overtime in a register or electronically, and you confirm them with your signature, your fingerprint or another electronic means. Sign only what's correct. It's also worth keeping your own dated note of the hours, because that's what you'd rely on in a dispute.
When work stops: power cuts and shortages
If work stops because of an accident, a power cut, bad weather, a disaster or a shortage of materials, Article 16 says your salary isn't cut. Your employer can ask you to make up those hours within 30 days. Those make-up hours aren't extra pay. Your employer can't ask you to make up time if it didn't authorise you to leave the workplace during the stoppage.
Public servants
If you work in the public service, the order gives you time off within 30 days. It doesn't give you money. Article 9 says monetary compensation for overtime work is prohibited in the public service. Your normal week is 40 hours, Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm with a one hour break.
If you aren't being paid or given time off
Start by asking in writing, with your dates and hours. If that fails, your employees' representatives try to settle it, then the labour inspector for your area, then the court. A claim lapses 2 years after the dispute begins, so don't let it sit.
Sources and further reading
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Frequently asked questions
Is overtime paid at 1.5 times in Rwanda?
Not by law. The order sets no multiplier and says all hours are paid equally. It applies 1 x your hourly pay unless your contract sets its own rate for an extra hour.
Is there a limit on overtime hours in Rwanda?
The order lists when overtime can be asked for, and we found no number of hours as a limit in those articles. You do keep the daily break of one hour and the weekly rest of at least 24 hours.
Can I refuse overtime?
The order says an employee may work overtime on the employer's request in the listed cases. It doesn't spell out refusal, so check your contract and your internal rules, and raise it in writing if it's becoming a problem.
Does the 45 hour week still apply?
No. The 45 hours came from the 2020 order, which the 2023 order repealed. The week has been 40 hours since 1 January 2023.