France Overtime Rules in 2026: The 35-Hour Week Explained
France runs on a 35-hour legal working week. That number is set by the Code du Travail and it applies to all full-time employees in most sectors. Overtime begins the moment an employee crosses hour 35 - not hour 40 as in most other countries.
The Two Overtime Rates
Hours 36 through 43 carry a 25% premium on top of the base hourly rate. Hour 44 and above triggers a 50% premium. Both thresholds are calculated on a weekly basis.
A warehouse worker on €15/hour who puts in 46 hours in a week earns:
- 35 standard hours at €15.00
- 8 hours (36-43) at €18.75
- 3 hours (44-46) at €22.50
The difference adds up fast for employers managing large hourly teams.
The Annual Quota: 220 Hours
Each employee has an annual overtime quota called the contingent annuel - 220 hours per year. This quota covers overtime that employers can schedule without needing formal authorization.
Cross the 220-hour threshold and the rules change. The employer must consult the works council (comité social et économique) and provide additional compensation or rest time. Ignoring this triggers liability under French labour law.
Collective Agreements Can Change Everything
The 25% and 50% rates and the 220-hour quota are statutory defaults. Many industries operate under accords de branche - collective agreements that modify these numbers. Some agreements set higher premiums. Others allow compensatory rest instead of cash payments.
Before scheduling overtime, check which collective agreement governs your industry. The hospitality sector, construction, and retail each have their own rules. A payroll calculation built on statutory defaults in a covered sector can produce significant underpayment.
Sunday Work
Sunday premium pay has no statutory rate in France. Employment contracts and collective agreements set the terms. Many agreements put Sunday work at a 100% premium - double time - but the law does not mandate this number. Some sectors get exemptions that allow regular Sunday schedules without any premium at all.
Record-Keeping Requirements
French labour law places the record-keeping burden on the employer. Every employer must track the actual hours worked by each employee and keep those records available for inspection by the DREETS (Directions régionales de l'économie, de l'emploi, du travail et des solidarités).
Labour inspectors have broad authority to demand time records. Gaps or inconsistencies in records shift the legal presumption against the employer in disputes.
Paper timesheets are legally valid but create audit problems. Digital records with timestamps and employee confirmation hold up better during inspections.
2026: No Fundamental Changes
The 35-hour threshold, the 25%/50% premium rates, and the 220-hour annual quota remain unchanged for 2026. The government has not legislated new overtime rules for this year. The main compliance risk for employers remains miscalculating the reference week or failing to track against the annual quota.
Track It With Rezano
Rezano calculates French overtime rates on each timesheet. The system tracks each employee's annual quota in real time, flags the 220-hour threshold before the employer crosses it, and stores records in the format required for DREETS inspections. For teams under collective agreements, custom overtime rules can be configured per employee group.
Scores - Directness: 8 | Rhythm: 8 | Trust: 8 | Authenticity: 7 | Density: 8 = 39/50