Working hours in Brazil: complete guide (2026)

Working hours have limits: overtime paid with a premium of at least 50%, no more than 2 hours of overtime a day, a meal break, 11 hours of rest between shifts and paid weekly rest (Federal Constitution, art. 7; CLT, arts. 58 to 72). With Constitutional Amendment 141/2026, which ended the 6x1 schedule, the weekly limit is falling to 40 hours. This topic brings together Human Case's guides on working time and rest.

Quick summary

• Overtime: premium of at least 50%; a Sunday or holiday worked without time off is paid double.
• Rest: 11 hours between shifts and a 1-hour meal break for those working more than 6 hours.
• Vacation: 30 days a year, plus one third, paid at least 2 days before it starts.
• 18 guides in this topic, all free and with official sources.

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Hours and shifts

• CLT worker rights: complete 2026 guide — The rights of formally registered workers in Brazil: working hours, overtime, vacation, 13th salary, FGTS, pay supplements and leave, with the legal basis for each.
• End of the 6x1 schedule: what changes in working hours and when — Constitutional Amendment 141/2026 ended the 6x1 schedule: maximum hours fall to 42h in 60 days and to 40h later, with two rest days and no salary reduction.
• 40-hour week: how many hours a day, the divisor and how to calculate your hourly rate — With the end of 6x1, the working week drops to 42 and then 40 hours.
• 12x36 schedule: rules, holidays, days off and what changes with the end of 6x1 — How the 12x36 schedule works under the CLT: required agreement, breaks, holidays, night-work supplement, overtime and the open questions under Constitutional Amendment 141/2026.
• Relief workers (folguistas): what they do, how the schedule works and their rights — A folguista covers colleagues' days off in rotating schedules.
• Home office and remote work: rights, equipment and overtime — Remote work rules in the CLT (arts. 75-A to 75-F): by hours or by output, who pays for equipment, overtime, returning to the office and priority for parents and people with disabilities.
• Working on Christmas and New Year's: can retail open? Rules, double pay and time off — Since July 2026, Ministry of Labor Ordinance 1,316 requires a collective agreement for general retail to work on public holidays.

Time records and overtime

• Time records: how to check your hours, overtime and hour bank — The time record (espelho de ponto) shows the recorded start, end and break times.
• Overtime: how to calculate it, limits and how to claim unpaid hours — How to calculate overtime at 50% or 100%, effects on vacation, 13th salary and FGTS, the 2-hour daily limit, what changes with the end of 6x1 and how to claim unpaid hours.
• Hour bank: rules, compensation deadlines and what to do — How the hour bank works under the CLT: individual agreement (6 months), collective agreement (1 year), same-month compensation, the 10-hour daily limit and what happens on dismissal.
• On-call standby: does a company phone outside working hours give the right to pay? — Being at the employer's disposal outside working hours, with restricted freedom, is standby and must be paid at 1/3 of the normal hourly rate.
• Time at the employer's disposal: changing uniforms, minutes before clocking in and on-site travel — The minutes before and after your shift can become overtime.

Breaks and rest

• Lunch break: minimum time, skipped breaks and how to claim — Anyone working more than 6 hours is entitled to at least a 1-hour break.
• Rest between shifts: the 11 hours off between one working day and the next — Between the end of one shift and the start of the next, the CLT requires 11 hours of rest.
• Paid weekly rest (DSR): rules, calculation and when an absence costs you the day — Every employee is entitled to 24 hours of paid rest per week.

Vacations and absences

• Vacation under the CLT: rules, splitting, selling days and double pay — Everything about vacation under the CLT: accrual and granting periods, splitting into up to 3 periods, selling 10 days, payment deadline, absences and when the employer must pay double.
• Collective vacation: rules, notice and workers with less than 1 year — Rules for collective vacation (CLT, arts. 139 to 141): up to 2 periods a year of at least 10 days, 15 days' notice to the union and the Ministry of Labor, and the situation of workers with less than 12 months.
• Excused absences: when you can miss work without a pay deduction — The CLT lists situations where workers can miss work without losing pay: bereavement, marriage, birth of a child, blood donation, prenatal appointments, cancer screenings and more.

Other topics

• Pay and benefits
• Health, safety and leave at work
• Harassment, discrimination and privacy at work
• Types of employment contract
• Dismissal and termination
• Labor Courts, complaints and free legal help
• Full index of guides

Frequently asked questions

How much overtime can I work per day?

As a rule, up to 2 hours a day (CLT, art. 59), paid with a premium of at least 50%.

What happens to working hours with the end of the 6x1 schedule?

Constitutional Amendment 141/2026 reduces the weekly limit to 42 hours and then to 40, with two days of rest and no pay cut.

Can the employer deduct an absence covered by a medical certificate?

No. An absence justified by a valid medical certificate cannot be deducted, nor can the other cases listed in CLT art. 473.