Working hours and rest: what Israeli law requires
The Hours of Work and Rest Law sets how long an employee may be required to work, when overtime begins and what rest is compulsory. Breaches of this law surface in claims more often than any other — and almost always because no record of hours was kept.
The working week and day
The working week is 42 hours. On a five-day week the ordinary day is 8 hours 36 minutes; on a six-day week it is 8 hours, with one shorter day. Every hour beyond the daily quota is overtime, and «making it up another day» is not a substitute for paying it.
Overtime
The first two overtime hours in a day are paid at 125% of the ordinary rate, and from the third hour at 150%. Work on the weekly rest day is paid at an increased rate and requires separate consent. Overtime cannot simply be «included in the salary» without a specific lawful arrangement — otherwise the court treats it as never having been paid at all.
Breaks and rest
- A working day of six hours or more carries a break of at least 45 minutes, of which half an hour must be continuous.
- At least eight hours must separate one working day from the next.
- Weekly rest is at least 36 consecutive hours and includes the day of rest of the employee’s religion.
Night work
A shift falling substantially within night hours is shorter than an ordinary one, and additional restrictions apply to some employees. Regular night work without consent and without meeting those rules is a breach in itself.
Who falls outside the law
The law does not apply to a narrow group of roles — mainly those holding a managerial position whose working time cannot be supervised. A contract clause calling the job «managerial» decides nothing: the court examines actual authority, not the job title. This is where most attempts to avoid paying overtime fail.
Record-keeping: the central duty
The employer must keep a record of the hours actually worked. Where no record exists and the employee claims overtime, the burden of proof shifts to the employer within limits set by the law — and that usually decides the case. The practical rule for employees is simple: keep your own records, correspondence and any trace of the real working pattern.
What to do about breaches
- Check the payslips: is there an overtime line, and does it match the hours actually worked?
- Keep time-clock data, correspondence, rosters and shift schedules.
- Send a written demand with a calculation covering the whole period, not only the last month.
- If there is no response, file in the Labour Court.
This article is general information and does not replace legal advice.
