FRENCH HR ESSENTIALS · WORKING TIME
Can employees work 39 or 40 hours in France?
Yes. Thirty-five hours is the legal reference, not an absolute weekly ceiling. The additional hours and safeguards must be organised correctly.
THREE DISTINCT MODELS
Do not merge overtime, additional rest days and annual days.
Recurring paid overtime
A weekly or monthly hours package may include predictable overtime in written terms. Premiums, records, rest and maximum working time still apply.
Work and rest organised by agreement
A collective agreement can provide days or half-days of rest, commonly called RTT days in France. The number comes from the agreement and actual schedule, not a universal “one or two days a month”.
Autonomous eligible roles
An annual working-days arrangement, known locally as forfait jours, counts working days rather than hours and requires a valid collective basis, individual written agreement and workload safeguards.
GROSS-PAY ILLUSTRATIONS
Make recurring hours visible.
| Pattern | Monthly hours | Illustrative gross pay at €12.31/hour |
|---|---|---|
| 35 hours | 151.67 base hours | €1,867.02 |
| 39 hours | 151.67 base + 17.33 overtime | ≈ €2,133.69 |
| 40 hours | 151.67 base + 21.67 overtime | ≈ €2,200.47 |
Illustration at the minimum wage in force from 1 June 2026, applying the statutory fallback premium of +25% to the first eight weekly overtime hours. A collective agreement may set a different rate, subject to its legal minimum. Figures are gross pay only, rounded, and are not total employer cost.
SAFEGUARDS
The schedule has to work beyond the contract.
Common-law limits include 48 hours in a single week and an average of 44 hours over 12 consecutive weeks, subject to the legal exceptions and authorisations. Daily and weekly rest and reliable time records also matter.
A well-designed arrangement aligns the contract, collective agreement, payroll configuration, work calendar, time recording and manager practice. monRH@moi coordinates those layers so a lawful option does not fail in execution.
OFFICIAL SOURCES
Legal reference and maximum durations.
Official page in French · browser translation may helpFRENCH GOVERNMENTOvertimePremiums and compensatory rest.
Official page in French · browser translation may helpFRENCH GOVERNMENTAdditional rest days under working-time arrangementsCollective arrangements and rest days commonly called RTT.
Official page in French · browser translation may helpGeneral information only. The actual arrangement depends on the employee, collective agreement, contract, calendar and business constraints.