⏰ Kuwait Working Hours Guide: 8-Hour Rule, Break Time, Ramadan Hours & Weekly Rest

Working eight hours in Kuwait does not always mean that you should simply count the time between entering and leaving the workplace.

Kuwait's private-sector labour law sets rules for normal working hours, continuous work, rest breaks, Ramadan working hours, weekly rest and overtime.

This guide explains the main rules in Articles 64 to 67 of Kuwait Labour Law No. 6 of 2010 and its amendments.

This guide is primarily for employees working in Kuwait's private sector under Labour Law No. 6 of 2010 and its amendments.

Government employees, domestic workers and workers governed by special employment regimes may have different working-hour rules.

Article 64 provides that, subject to the provisions of Article 21, a worker generally may not be employed for more than:

or

except in cases provided for by the law.

These are statutory maximum normal working-hour limits, not a requirement that every employee must necessarily work exactly eight hours every day.

Not necessarily.

Article 65 states that the worker generally may not be made to work for more than five continuous hours per day without a break of at least one hour.

The law also states that break periods are not calculated within working hours.

This means that an employee's total presence at the workplace can, depending on the schedule and applicable rules, be longer than the number of actual working hours.

Under the general Article 65 rule, a worker should not be made to work more than five continuous hours per day without a following rest period of at least one hour.

For example, a normal schedule could divide working time into periods separated by the required break.

However, Article 65 itself contains exceptions, so the general rule should not be applied without considering the worker's sector and circumstances.

Under the general Article 65 rule, the break must be at least one hour.

The ordinary statutory break is not counted as part of working hours.

This distinction is important when comparing:

Do not automatically treat all three as the same thing.

Yes.

Article 65 specifically exempts the banking, financial and investment sectors from the general split-work arrangement and provides for eight continuous working hours.

Article 65 also provides circumstances in which workers may be employed without a break with ministerial approval for technical or emergency reasons or in office work, subject to the condition stated in the law concerning total daily working hours.

Because these are exceptions, workers should check the exact rule applicable to their workplace rather than relying only on a general internet summary.

Article 64 provides a special working-hours limit during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The statutory private-sector limit during Ramadan is:

This is different from the ordinary maximum of 48 hours per week.

Article 64 expresses the private-sector Ramadan limit as 36 hours per week.

If that total is spread equally across six working days, it corresponds mathematically to six hours per day.

However, actual scheduling can depend on the lawful work arrangement.

For that reason, the safest statement is that Article 64 establishes the 36-hour weekly private-sector limit during Ramadan rather than assuming every workplace must use an identical clock-in and clock-out schedule.

Yes.

Article 64 also allows working hours to be reduced for hard labour, work harmful to health, hazardous work or difficult conditions by a decision issued by the Minister.

This means the eight-hour/48-hour limits should not be interpreted as preventing a legally applicable shorter working-hour arrangement.

Work beyond the normal statutory working limits can raise overtime questions.

Article 66 regulates additional working hours and provides conditions for overtime.

It states that overtime may be required under a written order from the employer where necessary for circumstances described in the law, including preventing a dangerous accident, repairing resulting breakdowns, avoiding certain loss or dealing with work exceeding the normal daily amount.

Overtime has separate limits and compensation rules.

Article 66 places limits on additional working hours.

The English labour-law text published by the Public Authority for Manpower states that additional working hours shall not exceed:

It also states that additional work periods shall not exceed:

These limits should be read together with the other conditions contained in Article 66.

Article 66 provides that the worker is entitled to wage for overtime at a rate 25% higher than the ordinary wage for a similar period, subject to the wage-calculation provisions referenced by the law.

In simple terms, this is commonly represented as:

Normal overtime = ordinary comparable hourly wage × 1.25

But the actual wage basis and circumstances matter.

For an estimate, use the MalluKuwait Overtime Calculator and verify important payroll disputes using official records.

Article 67 provides a worker with a fully paid weekly rest period of:

after:

This is the statutory weekly-rest principle for workers covered by this provision.

Article 67 permits an employer, where necessary and required by work conditions, to have a worker work on the weekly rest day.

In that situation, the law provides additional compensation and another rest day.

The official English text states that the worker shall receive at least 50% of salary in addition to the original salary and shall also be compensated with another day for the weekly rest day.

Working on a weekly rest day therefore should not simply be treated as an ordinary working day.

Article 67 establishes the right to 24 continuous hours of paid weekly rest after every six working days.

The key statutory protection is the weekly-rest entitlement.

An employee should therefore check the actual lawful weekly-rest day applicable under the employment arrangement rather than assuming that every private-sector workplace must use exactly the same weekly schedule.

Article 67 also contains an important wage-calculation provision.

It states that, when calculating certain worker rights including daily wage and leave, salary is divided by the number of actual working days without counting weekly rest days, even though those weekly rest days are paid.

This is one reason MalluKuwait calculators ask for actual working days instead of silently assuming that every employee has an identical monthly work schedule.

Normal working hours, weekly rest and annual leave are related but separate concepts.

Annual leave has its own statutory rules, including the treatment of weekly rest days, official holidays and sick-leave days occurring during annual leave.

Sick leave is also a separate entitlement.

A worker who is medically unable to work should not simply treat the absence as a working-hours adjustment.

Article 69 establishes the private-sector sick-leave sequence and its different wage stages.

If you have a disagreement about working hours or overtime, useful records can include:

Keeping accurate records can make it much easier to compare actual working time with payroll calculations.

Avoid these common assumptions:

Before raising a working-hours or overtime question, check:

The principal provisions discussed in this guide are Articles 64, 65, 66 and 67 of Kuwait Labour Law No. 6 of 2010 concerning labour in the private sector and its amendments.

It is not:

Kuwait laws, amendments, ministerial decisions, regulations, working-hour arrangements, sector-specific rules and official interpretations may change.

Individual circumstances can materially affect the result, including employment regime, occupation, sector, contract, shift arrangement, actual working days, breaks, overtime instructions and weekly-rest arrangements.

Always verify an important employment, payroll or legal decision using current official Kuwait sources and, where appropriate, the relevant authority or a qualified professional.

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