Overtime and the 13-hour day in Greece

On a 40-hour contract, the 41st to 45th hours of the week are extra hours (υπερεργασία), paid at +20%. Anything above 45 is overtime (υπερωρία), paid at +40%, up to 4 hours a day and 150 hours a year. On a six-day week the line between the two is 48 hours. Within those limits, since Law 5239/2025 a day with the same employer can reach 13 hours.

At a glance

Extra hours: the 41st to 45th hour of the week (41st to 48th on a six-day week), at +20%.
Overtime: above 45 hours (48 on a six-day week), at +40%, up to 4 hours a day and 150 a year.
Illegal overtime: without the legal procedure, at +120%.
The 13-hour day: 8 regular hours, 1 extra hour and up to 4 hours of overtime, with the same employer.
An employee can refuse overtime, and refusing is not grounds for dismissal.

Extra hours

In a business with contract hours of up to 40 a week, the employer may ask for up to 5 extra hours a week, the 41st to the 45th. On a six-day week, up to 8, the 41st to the 48th. Each extra hour is paid at the hourly wage plus 20%, and doesn’t count toward the overtime limits.

Overtime

Anything above 45 hours a week (48 on a six-day week) is overtime. It is paid at the hourly wage plus 40%, for up to 4 hours a day and up to 150 hours a year. Law 5239/2025 raised the daily limit from 3 to 4 hours; the annual limit stayed at 150.

An employee has the right to refuse overtime, and refusing is not grounds for terminating their contract. Overtime is recorded in ERGANI II before it is worked, or afterwards if a business on the digital work card has chosen the retrospective system (how).

Illegal overtime

Overtime worked without the legal procedure is illegal, and paid at the hourly wage plus 120%. By exception, for urgent work that can’t be postponed, the Ministry of Labour may approve overtime beyond the annual limits, at +60%.

The 13-hour day

Before Law 5239/2025, 13 hours of work a day were only possible with two or more employers. Today they are possible with the same one: 8 regular hours, 1 extra hour and up to 4 hours of overtime. The 13th hour is paid as overtime, at +40%.

The 13-hour day can’t become the norm, because every other limit still applies:

11 hours’ rest in the 24-hour period (11 hours’ rest in the schedule);
150 overtime hours a year, which at 4 hours a day run out in about 37 days;
an average of at most 48 hours a week, including extra hours and overtime, over a 4-month reference period.

A 13-hour day also changes the next day. If the shift ends at 19:30, the same person’s next shift can’t start before 06:30. A 13-hour Tuesday can push back Wednesday’s morning shift.

Other premiums that touch the schedule

Sundays and public holidays: +75% on the legal daily or hourly wage.
Night work, 22:00–06:00: +25%. In businesses that open early, such as bakeries, the hours before 06:00 are night hours.
A sixth day on a five-day week, where allowed: +40% on the day’s wage (when it is allowed).

The sector’s collective agreement may set higher rates.

In the shift schedule

Plan within the contract. Overtime is a declared exception, not a way to close gaps every week.
Count per employee, not per store. With the same employer, hours at a second store count together with the first.
Keep a running total of the 150 hours. A hard summer can use them up before the year ends.

In Postorunner the week stays within each employee’s contract hours and shifts, with one shift a day across all stores together. When you look for someone at another store, the list shows only those who still fit within their contract. Payroll calculates the premiums; Postorunner gives it the hours, in the ΩΡΟΜΕΤΡΗΣΗ timesheet.

Frequently asked questions

Does an employee have to accept overtime?

No. An employee has the right to refuse overtime, and refusing is not grounds for terminating their contract.

How is overtime paid?

At the hourly wage plus 40%, for up to 4 hours a day and 150 a year. Illegal overtime, without the legal procedure, is paid at +120%.

Can someone work 13 hours every day?

No. At 4 hours of overtime a day, the annual limit of 150 hours runs out in about 37 days, and the 48-hour weekly average and the 11-hour rest always apply.

Sources

This article describes the general rules as they stand on 2 November 2026; it is not legal advice. Collective agreements and special provisions allow exceptions, so for your own case, talk to your accountant or legal adviser.