Overtime calculation step by step: the hourly rate, the minimum 75% premium, compensation with time off within 90 days, combining with the night premium and public holidays.
Translated from Romanian. This article covers Romanian labour and tax law; the Romanian version is canonical and is updated first.
“How much do I get for my overtime?” is one of the most frequent questions put to the HR department — and one of the easiest to get wrong in the calculation. The rule has two levels: first compensation with time off, and only then payment with a premium. Here is the full calculation, with worked examples.
The Labour Code (Codul Muncii) sets an order, not a free choice for the employer:
In practice: you cannot decide from the outset that “we pay for them” as a default policy, but in reality many companies end up paying because the schedule does not allow recovery.
For work performed on public holidays that is not compensated with days off, the premium is at least 100% (art. 142).
Everything starts here. The usual formula:
hourly rate = gross monthly base salary ÷ the number of working hours in the month
Example. A base salary of 6,000 lei gross, in a month with 168 working hours (21 days × 8h): 6,000 ÷ 168 = 35.71 lei/hour.
Note: the number of working hours differs from one month to the next (160, 168, 176). If you use a fixed divisor for every month, you get a slightly wrong rate — which is then multiplied by the number of overtime hours.
pay for one overtime hour = hourly rate × (1 + the premium percentage)
Example, with the legal minimum premium of 75%: 35.71 × 1.75 = 62.49 lei for each overtime hour.
For 10 overtime hours: 10 × 62.49 = 624.90 lei gross, of which the premium component itself is 10 × 35.71 × 0.75 = 267.83 lei.
Premiums can be combined where the situations overlap. The most frequent case: an overtime hour worked at night (the 22:00–06:00 window).
Exactly how they combine is set through the collective or individual employment contract; what matters is that it is applied consistently and that it shows up in the time records.
The weekend premium is not fixed by law — it is negotiated through the contract. If your company grants one, it must be expressly provided for.
Overtime must appear in the record of working time (art. 119). In an ITM (labour inspectorate) inspection, the discrepancy between the actual schedule and the recorded one is exactly what is checked — and the absence of records and records that do not support the payment are two distinct problems.
How much is the overtime premium? At least 75% of the base salary, applied to the hours actually worked, where compensation with time off is not possible. For public holidays not compensated with days off, at least 100%.
How many overtime hours are allowed per week? There is no fixed cap for a week taken in isolation: the limit is 48 hours a week on average, including overtime, calculated over the reference period (in principle 4 months).
Can overtime be compensated with time off? Yes — and this is the main rule. Compensation is granted as paid hours off, within 90 calendar days of the work being performed. Payment with a premium comes into play when recovery is not possible.
How do you calculate overtime pay from the base salary? You divide the gross base salary by the working hours of the month to obtain the hourly rate, then multiply by (1 + the premium). Example: 6,000 lei / 168 h = 35.71 lei/h; with a 75% premium → 62.49 lei per overtime hour.
Is overtime compulsory for an employee? As a rule, no: it is performed at the employer’s request and with the employee’s consent. The exceptions concern force majeure and urgent work.
For the full legal framework — caps, prohibitions and penalties — see the pillar article on overtime in 2026.
Errors on overtime almost always appear in the same place: someone counts the hours by hand from a spreadsheet, uses a fixed divisor for the hourly rate, or forgets to combine them with the night premium. The time tracking module in Workly automatically flags the hours that go beyond the normal schedule, separates night, weekend and public holiday hours, and warns you as you approach the 48h/week limit over the reference period.
The hours separated in this way flow into the payroll module without manual re-entry, and the records stay auditable, ready to present in an ITM inspection. The night premium is calculated automatically from the contract; the overtime premium is for now handled as an adjustment on the payslip — automating it is in progress. Until then, you can check any figure with the 2026 overtime calculator, which applies the rules in this article in full.
You can quickly test a scenario with the overtime calculator at the end of the article.
Informational article, accurate at the date of publication. Not legal advice. The rules on overtime depend on the specific situation and on the applicable collective agreement — always check the framework in force (the Labour Code) or consult a specialist.
Night work guide: the 22:00–06:00 window, the 3-hour test, the choice between a schedule shortened by one hour and the 25% premium, medical examinations and protected categories.
Shift planning guide: the 12-hour daily rest and the 48-hour weekly one, night shifts, uneven schedules, the 4-month reference period and the rules on communicating the roster.
A practical guide to digitalising time tracking: why Excel becomes a risk, which check-in methods exist (rotating QR, NFC, GPS), how to make the transition and what you gain.
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