Pay & working terms · 5 min read
Working hours and overtime pay in Uganda: the limits and how to check your pay
The 48 hour week, the 10 hour daily limit, breaks, weekly rest, overtime at one and a half times the hourly rate and double on public holidays, with a worked example.
Long shifts are common in security, hospitality, construction and retail, and many workers are unsure what the law allows. The Employment Act sets a maximum working week, an upper limit on daily hours, rest breaks and minimum overtime rates. This guide explains each rule and shows how to check overtime pay with a simple calculation.
The normal week: 48 hours
The Act sets the maximum working hours at 48 a week. Unless you have agreed otherwise, your wages are assumed to cover a 48 hour week, and without a written agreement to the contrary, hours worked beyond 48 in a week count as overtime.
You and your employer can agree that normal hours will be more than 48 a week, but hours of work must not exceed 10 a day or 56 a week. For shift work, those limits can be passed on some days, as long as the average over three weeks stays within 10 hours a day and 56 hours a week.
Breaks and weekly rest
Where working hours are at least eight a day, employees must be given a 30 minute break each day.
You cannot be required to work for more than six consecutive days without a day of rest. The rest day is the customary one or one agreed between you and your employer. If your wages are calculated by the week or a longer period, your employer may not deduct pay because you did not work on the weekly rest day.
Overtime rates
Hours worked beyond eight a day or 48 a week must, unless there is a written agreement to the contrary, be paid at a minimum of one and a half times the normal hourly rate on normal working days, and at twice the hourly rate on gazetted public holidays.
Your written particulars must state the overtime rate that applies to you. Note the words "unless there is a written agreement to the contrary": read the overtime clause in your contract before you sign, and keep a copy.
Check your overtime with a simple calculation
The example below uses a weekly wage, because the Act assumes wages cover a 48 hour week. If you are paid monthly, ask payroll how your employer converts your salary into an hourly rate.
Weekly wage for 48 hours: UGX 96,000 Hourly rate: 96,000 / 48 = UGX 2,000 6 overtime hours on normal working days: 6 x 2,000 x 1.5 = UGX 18,000 4 overtime hours on a gazetted public holiday: 4 x 2,000 x 2 = UGX 16,000 Total overtime for the week: UGX 34,000
These figures illustrate the calculation and are not a wage rate. URA describes PAYE as a tax on the total monthly income of an employee, salary and other payments, so overtime counts towards the income that PAYE is worked out on.
Public holidays
On every public holiday you are entitled to a day off with full pay. If you work on a public holiday, you are entitled to another paid day off instead, unless you are paid at least double the normal rate for that day.
Night work and young workers
The Act defines a child as a person below 18. A child may not be employed between 7pm and 7am. A child under 12 may not be employed at all, and a child under 14 may only do light work under the supervision of an adult that does not affect the child's education. No child may be employed in work that is dangerous, hazardous or harmful to health.
Keep your own record
- Write down your start time, end time and breaks every day, in a notebook or on your phone.
- Photograph rosters and keep messages asking you to stay late or come in on a rest day.
- Compare your payslip with your record each month. The Act entitles you to an itemised pay statement with each payment of wages, and you can complain to a labour officer if it is missing or inaccurate.
- Raise any underpayment with your employer in writing first, then take it to a labour officer if it is not corrected.
Sources and further reading
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Frequently asked questions
How many hours a week can I be made to work in Uganda?
The Act sets a maximum of 48 hours a week. With your agreement, normal hours can be longer, but hours of work must not exceed 10 a day or 56 a week, except that shift work can be averaged over three weeks.
What is the overtime rate in Uganda?
Unless a written agreement says otherwise, at least one and a half times your normal hourly rate on normal working days and twice the hourly rate on gazetted public holidays.
Am I entitled to a break during the day?
Where working hours are at least eight a day, the Act requires a 30 minute break each day.
My employer makes me work seven days in a row. Is that legal?
You cannot be required to work more than six consecutive days without a day of rest. The rest day is the customary one or one you agree with your employer.
I work 12 hour shifts as a guard. Is that allowed?
For shift work, a day can go beyond 10 hours only if the average over three weeks stays within 10 hours a day and 56 hours a week. Hours beyond eight a day or 48 a week are overtime unless a written agreement says otherwise.