Kuwait Overtime Calculator
Calculate your overtime pay on the basic wage — instantly, per Kuwait Private Sector Labour Law No. 6 of 2010, Articles 55, 64, 66, 67 & 68
Overtime calculator
Based on Kuwait Private Sector Labour Law No. 6 of 2010, Articles 55, 64, 66, 67 & 68
Quick answer
In Kuwait, overtime on an ordinary working day is paid at 125% (Art. 66), work on your weekly rest day at 150% plus a substitute day off (Art. 67), and work on an official public holiday at 200% (double pay) plus a substitute day off (Art. 68). The hourly rate is your wage ÷ 26 ÷ your daily working hours: Article 67 divides the wage by your actual working days, excluding the weekly off days, and Article 55 counts allowances received periodically as part of that wage. Overtime is capped at 2 hours a day, 180 hours a year, 3 days a week and 90 days a year, and needs a written order. Kuwait has no separate night-shift overtime premium.
At a glance
- Working-day overtime
- 125% (×1.25)
- Weekly rest day
- 150% + day off
- Public holiday
- 200% + day off
- Wage base
- Basic + periodic allowances (Art. 55)
- Law
- Law 6/2010, Art. 55, 64, 66, 67 & 68
How Kuwait overtime works
Kuwait’s Private Sector Labour Law caps normal hours at 8 a day and 48 a week, falling to 36 hours a week during Ramadan (Article 64). Article 66 entitles a worker to their ordinary rate plus at least 25% for overtime on an ordinary day, a rate of 125% of the hourly wage. It also requires the overtime to be worked under a written order from the employer, and obliges the employer to keep a special record of the dates, the hours and the wages paid for it.
Work on the weekly off day is paid at 150%, the wage plus at least 50%, and the worker also receives a compensating day (Article 67). Work on an official public holiday is a double wage, 200%, plus a compensating day (Article 68). Unlike the UAE, Kuwait sets no separate night-shift overtime premium anywhere in Articles 64 to 68; the “night rate” some tools show is really the rest-day rate attached to the wrong category.
Overtime limits under Article 66
Kuwait puts four separate ceilings on overtime, and most published guides quote only the first. Article 66 allows overtime where it is needed to prevent a dangerous accident, repair a breakdown, avoid a certain loss, or meet work beyond the daily requirement, and it must be ordered in writing.
| Limit | Maximum |
|---|---|
| Overtime hours in a day | 2 hours |
| Overtime hours in a year | 180 hours |
| Days with overtime in a week | 3 days |
| Days with overtime in a year | 90 days |
Article 66. The employer must also keep a special record showing the dates, the number of overtime hours and the wages paid for them, and a worker may prove overtime by any method of evidence.
Kuwait overtime rates
| When you worked | Rate | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary working day | 125% of the hourly rate | ×1.25 |
| Weekly rest day | 150% + a substitute day off | ×1.50 |
| Official public holiday | 200% + a substitute day off | ×2.00 |
| Night hours | No separate night premium in Kuwaiti law | — |
Kuwait Private Sector Labour Law No. 6 of 2010: Art. 66 (ordinary day), Art. 67 (weekly rest day), Art. 68 (official holiday). Hourly rate = wage ÷ 26 ÷ your normal daily working hours. Art. 67 divides by actual working days, excluding the weekly off day; Art. 55 puts periodic allowances inside the wage.
Public holiday overtime in Kuwait
Kuwait is one of only two GCC states that pays more for an official holiday than for the weekly rest day, and the gap comes from two separate articles rather than one sliding scale. Article 67 covers the weekly off day and gives you at least 50% on top of your wage. Article 68 covers official holidays and gives you a double wage. Both also carry a substitute day off, which is an entitlement in its own right and not an alternative the employer can offer instead of the money.
That distinction is worth pressing on, because a settlement that lumps rest days and holidays together at 150% is under-paying every holiday hour by a quarter of the total. If your roster shows Eid or National Day hours, check which article your employer applied.
The wage that feeds the calculation is the Article 55 wage, basic plus the allowances you receive periodically, and the daily wage divides by 26 rather than 30. Article 67 is explicit that dues are calculated by dividing the salary by the actual working days, excluding the weekly off days even though they are paid. Those two choices together lift a Kuwaiti holiday hour well above what a naive basic ÷ 30 calculation produces.
Overtime also has to be ordered in writing and recorded by the employer in a special overtime register, and you may prove overtime by any method. Holiday hours are no exception, so an instruction to come in over Eid should be traceable on paper.
| Day worked | What the law grants | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Official public holiday | A double wage (×2.00), plus a substitute day off | Art. 68 |
| Weekly rest day | Wage + at least 50% (×1.50), plus a substitute day off | Art. 67 |
| Ordinary working day | Wage + 25% (×1.25), written order required | Art. 66 |
Kuwait Private Sector Labour Law No. 6 of 2010. Hourly rate = the Article 55 wage ÷ 26 ÷ your normal daily working hours. Kuwait sets no night-overtime premium anywhere in Articles 64 to 68.
How to compute overtime pay in Kuwait
Add your basic salary and any allowances you receive periodically, divide by 26 to get the daily wage, then by your normal daily hours (usually eight) to get the hourly rate. Multiply that rate by the multiplier for the type of day the hours fell on, then by the number of hours, and add the categories together for the month.
Two things trip people up. The base is the wage as Article 55 defines it, so allowances you receive periodically do raise the hourly rate, and a payslip that prices overtime on basic alone is short. And Kuwait has no night-shift overtime premium at all: several widely used calculators show a 150% “night rate” for Kuwait, but that figure is the Article 67 rest-day rate applied to the wrong category. Overtime in Kuwait is priced by the type of day, not the time of night.
How overtime pay is calculated
- 1
Find your hourly rate
Wage ÷ 26 ÷ normal daily hours (usually 8). The wage is basic plus allowances received periodically (Art. 55), and the 26 is your actual working days: Art. 67 excludes the weekly off day from the divisor.
- 2
Pick the right multiplier
1.25 on a working day, 1.50 on your weekly rest day, 2.00 on a public holiday.
- 3
Multiply and add
Hourly rate × multiplier × hours, summed across the categories.
Worked examples
KWD 600 wage, 2 ordinary working-day hours
- Hourly: 600 ÷ 26 ÷ 8 = KWD 2.8846
- 2.8846 × 1.25 × 2 = KWD 7.21
KWD 600 wage, 8 public-holiday hours
- Hourly: 600 ÷ 26 ÷ 8 = KWD 2.8846
- 2.8846 × 2.00 × 8 = KWD 46.15 (plus a substitute day off)
Frequently asked questions
What is the overtime rate in Kuwait?
Overtime on an ordinary working day is 125% of the hourly rate. Work on your weekly rest day is 150% plus a substitute day off, and work on an official public holiday is 200% (double) plus a substitute day off.
Does Kuwait pay a night-shift overtime premium?
No. Kuwait’s law sets no separate night (e.g. 7 pm–6 am) overtime rate — a “night” premium some calculators show is really the rest-day rate. Overtime is priced by the day type: ordinary working day, weekly rest day, or public holiday.
What is the public holiday overtime rate in Kuwait?
A double wage, 200% of your hourly rate, plus a substitute day off (Article 68). That is higher than the weekly rest day, which pays 150% under Article 67. Kuwait and Oman are the only GCC states where an official holiday is priced above the rest day rather than at the same rate.
How much do I get paid for working on a public holiday in Kuwait?
On a KWD 600 wage and an 8-hour day, the hourly rate is 600 ÷ 26 ÷ 8 = KWD 2.885, so eight public-holiday hours pay 2.885 × 2.00 × 8 = KWD 46.15, and you are still owed a substitute day off. Note the divisor: Article 67 requires dividing by actual working days, so it is 26, not 30, and using 30 understates every Kuwaiti overtime figure by about 13%.
Is the public holiday rate different from the rest day rate in Kuwait?
Yes, and this is the most common error on Kuwaiti payslips. The weekly rest day is 150% under Article 67; an official public holiday is a double wage, 200%, under Article 68. They are separate articles with separate rates, and both add a substitute day off. A settlement that pays holiday hours at 150% is short by 50 percentage points.
Do I get a day off for working a rest day or holiday?
Yes. Work on your weekly rest day (150%) or an official public holiday (200%) also entitles you to a substitute rest day.
How is the hourly rate calculated?
Add your basic salary to any allowances you receive periodically, divide by 26, then by your normal daily working hours (usually 8). Article 67 computes your dues on the number of actual working days, leaving out the paid weekly off day, so the divisor is 26 rather than 30, and Article 55 counts periodic allowances within the wage.
How do you compute overtime pay in Kuwait?
Hourly rate = wage ÷ 26 ÷ daily hours, where the wage is basic plus periodic allowances. Multiply that rate by 1.25 for hours on an ordinary working day, 1.50 for hours on your weekly rest day, or 2.00 for hours on an official public holiday, then by the number of hours in each category and add them together.
Is there a limit on daily overtime in Kuwait?
Overtime should not exceed two hours a day. Work on a weekly rest day or an official public holiday is treated as its own category and also carries a substitute rest day.
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