What are the overtime rates in Kuwait?
| When you work | Pay for each hour | You also get | Law |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra hours on a working day | Hourly wage + 25% (125%) | Nothing more | Art. 66 |
| Your weekly rest day | At least 50% extra (150%) | Another rest day | Art. 67 |
| A public holiday | Double wage (200%) | A substitute day off | Art. 68 |
Some pages say holiday work is paid at 150%. Article 68 says double wage, plus a substitute day.
How is the hourly wage worked out?
- 1Monthly wage (basic + regular allowances)
- 2÷ 26 working days (Article 67)
- 3÷ 8 hours (Article 64)
- 4× 125%, 150% or 200%
Article 67 divides the salary by the actual working days without the weekly rest days, which is about 26 a month, and Article 64 sets a normal day of 8 hours. So the hourly wage is the monthly wage ÷ 208. Article 66 pays the "ordinary wage", and Article 55 counts regular allowances as wage, so they belong in the figure.
| Monthly wage | Hourly wage | Working day | Rest day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KWD 150 | KWD 0.721 | KWD 0.901 | KWD 1.082 | KWD 1.442 |
| KWD 250 | KWD 1.202 | KWD 1.502 | KWD 1.803 | KWD 2.404 |
| KWD 400 | KWD 1.923 | KWD 2.404 | KWD 2.885 | KWD 3.846 |
| KWD 600 | KWD 2.885 | KWD 3.606 | KWD 4.327 | KWD 5.769 |
Worked examples
Working days: wage KWD 520, 10 overtime hours this month. 520 ÷ 208 = KWD 2.500 an hour, × 1.25 = KWD 3.125, × 10 = KWD 31.250.
A Friday and National Day: wage KWD 390, so KWD 1.875 an hour.
- 8 hours on the weekly rest day: 8 × 1.875 × 1.5 = KWD 22.500, plus another rest day.
- 8 hours on National Day: 8 × 1.875 × 2 = KWD 30.000, plus a substitute day.
- Total: KWD 52.500.
Divided by 30 days instead of 26, the first example would pay only KWD 27.083.
How much overtime is allowed in Kuwait?
| Limit | Figure | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Normal hours | 8 a day or 48 a week | Art. 64 |
| Ramadan | 36 hours a week | Art. 64 |
| Overtime a day | 2 hours | Art. 66 |
| Overtime a year | 180 hours | Art. 66 |
| Days with overtime | 3 a week, 90 a year | Art. 66 |
| Order | In writing, kept in an overtime register | Art. 66 |
Hours above these limits break the law, but they must still be paid. Keep your own note of the dates and hours.
Kuwait overtime on public holidays
Article 68 gives 13 days a year on full pay: Hijri New Year (1), Isra and Miraj (1), Eid al-Fitr (3), Arafat Day (1), Eid al-Adha (3), the Prophet's Birthday (1), National Day on 25 February (1), Liberation Day on 26 February (1) and New Year's Day (1). Work on any of them is paid double, with a substitute day.
Work out your own overtime pay →
Unpaid overtime is part of your Kuwait final settlement when you leave.
This is an estimate under the published law, not legal advice. The Public Authority for Manpower or a court gives the final figure.
Questions people ask about overtime in Kuwait
What is the overtime rate in Kuwait? The hourly wage plus 25% (Article 66).
Is Friday overtime double in Kuwait? No. Work on the weekly rest day is at least 50% extra, plus another rest day (Article 67). Double pay is for public holidays (Article 68).
What is the maximum overtime in Kuwait? 2 hours a day and 180 hours a year (Article 66).
Can my employer give me time off instead of overtime pay? The law pays overtime in money. Time off in return is given on top of the pay for rest days and holidays, not instead of it.
Sources
- Kuwait Labour Law No. 6 of 2010, Arabic text (PAM print, June 2017) (Articles 55, 64, 66, 67, 68)
- Arab Times: overtime calculation (Articles 66 to 68)
- Arab Times: overtime and compensatory leave (2025)
This guide is general information, checked in November 2026. Rules can change, so confirm with the Public Authority for Manpower.