Working Hours, Rest Days, and Overtime in Pakistan
Reviewed by the Commoner Law editorial team. Sources: pakistancode.gov.pk, Punjab/Sindh/KP/Balochistan provincial codes, Supreme Court of Pakistan, FBR, EOBI, SBP, NEPRA, OGRA, PMDC, FIA, and provincial Healthcare Commissions. Provincial variations cite Punjab/Sindh/KP/Balochistan Acts and ICT-specific ordinances. Written in plain English with everyday Urdu legal terms (FIR, qabza, khula, NTN, CNIC) for a general audience — this is educational content, not legal advice. Our editorial standards
What is this right?
Nine hours a day. Forty-eight hours a week. Double pay for anything past that. Those numbers come from the Factories Act 1934 and they remain the headline rules ninety years on. Section 34 caps adult working time at 9 hours a day and 48 hours a week in factories employing ten or more workers with power, or twenty or more without. Section 36 requires one full day of rest each week (almost always Sunday or Friday), and the worker cannot be made to work two consecutive Sundays unless given a substituted off within the next three days.
Shops, restaurants, banks, and offices fall under the Shops and Establishments Ordinance 1969 (now replaced in Punjab by the Punjab Shops and Establishments Act 2014, in Sindh by the Sindh Terms of Employment Act 2015, in KP by the KP Shops and Establishments Act 2015, and in Balochistan by the Balochistan Shops and Establishments Act 2021). Hours there are also 9 a day and 48 a week, but with provincial variations on closing time and weekly closure day.
Anything over 9 hours in a day or 48 in a week is overtime, and section 47 of the Factories Act fixes the rate at twice the ordinary rate of wages. The ordinary rate means basic plus dearness, not allowances like house rent. The overtime cap is 12 hours a day and 56 hours a week (Factories Act § 38). Employers who want to run longer shifts need approval from the Chief Inspector of Factories.
- Spread-over. The total stretch from clock-in to clock-out, including rest breaks, cannot exceed 12 hours. So a 9-hour shift with a 3-hour split rest is legal; a 9-hour shift dragged across 14 hours is not.
- Night shift. Women in factories can now work night shifts post the 2018 amendments to the Factories Act, but only with safe transport and on a voluntary basis. The old blanket bar in section 45 has been narrowed.
- White-collar carve-out. Managers and supervisors in "positions of confidential nature" are excluded from the hours and overtime cap (Factories Act § 5(1)(b)). The exclusion is misused. Being called a "manager" on the offer letter does not make you one if your real job is data entry. Tribunals look at duties, not the title.
When does it apply?
- You work in a factory (10+ workers with power, 20+ without), shop, commercial establishment, or industrial establishment governed by the Factories Act 1934 or your province's Shops and Establishments Act.
- You're hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly paid — the rule applies regardless of pay frequency.
- You're not in a genuinely supervisory or confidential role.
What to do if your overtime is unpaid
- Keep your own attendance log. Photograph the biometric screen at clock-in/out, save WhatsApp shift confirmations, or write daily start/finish times in a notebook. Employer-side attendance is easy to clean up before a dispute.
- Calculate the gap honestly. Hourly rate = monthly basic ÷ 26 ÷ 9. Overtime owed = 2 × hourly rate × overtime hours.
- Send a written demand for the overtime arrears, then file under the Payment of Wages Act 1936 § 15 — "wages" in section 2 includes overtime.
- Report repeated violations to the Provincial Directorate of Labour Welfare or Chief Inspector of Factories. They can prosecute the occupier under section 92 of the Factories Act.
What should you NOT do?
- Don't accept compensatory off in lieu of overtime pay for hours worked beyond 48 in a week — section 47 entitles you to wages, not time-off, unless you genuinely chose comp-off in advance.
- Don't ignore the spread-over rule. "9 hours of work" spread across 14 hours of attendance is a Factories Act offence even if total work is technically 9 hours.
- Don't trust a verbal "you're a manager." Get the duties pinned down in writing if the offer claims you're outside the hours cap.
Frequently asked questions
Is overtime pay double the basic wage?
Yes. Section 47 of the Factories Act 1934 fixes overtime at twice the ordinary rate. Ordinary rate means basic plus dearness allowance — not all allowances. Most provincial Shops and Establishments Acts mirror this.
Can my employer ask me to work seven days a week?
No. Section 36 of the Factories Act and the parallel provincial Shops and Establishments Acts entitle every worker to one full day of rest each week. Employers can change which day, but not abolish it. Two consecutive working Sundays without a substituted off is itself a violation.
I'm called a 'manager' but do junior work — am I excluded from overtime?
Probably not. Tribunals look at actual duties, not the job title. If you don't supervise others, hire and fire, or hold genuinely confidential information, the "manager" exclusion in section 5(1)(b) doesn't apply to you.
When does working hours, rest days, and overtime apply?
You work in a factory (10+ workers with power, 20+ without), shop, commercial establishment, or industrial establishment governed by the Factories Act 1934 or your province's Shops and Establishments Act.You're hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly paid — the rule applies regardless of pay frequency.You're not in a genuinely supervisory or confidential role.
I work 12-hour shifts but get no overtime — what can I do in Pakistan?
Keep your own attendance log. Photograph the biometric screen at clock-in/out, save WhatsApp shift confirmations, or write daily start/finish times in a notebook. Employer-side attendance is easy to clean up before a dispute.Calculate the gap honestly. Hourly rate = monthly basic ÷ 26 ÷ 9. Overtime owed = 2 × hourly rate × overtime hours.Send a written demand for the overtime arrears, then file under the Payment of Wages Act 1936 § 15 — "wages" in section 2 includes overtime.Report repeated violations to the Provincial Directorate of Labour Welfare or Chief Inspector of Factories. Th...
What mistakes should I avoid with working hours, rest days, and overtime?
Don't accept compensatory off in lieu of overtime pay for hours worked beyond 48 in a week — section 47 entitles you to wages, not time-off, unless you genuinely chose comp-off in advance.Don't ignore the spread-over rule. "9 hours of work" spread across 14 hours of attendance is a Factories Act offence even if total work is technically 9 hours.Don't trust a verbal "you're a manager." Get the duties pinned down in writing if the offer claims you're outside the hours cap.