As in other Member States, the general work time arrangements apply to most employees in Hungary, but of course there are also special working arrangements, e.g. uninterrupted work schedule, shift work or seasonal work.

A main rule applicable to all working arrangements is that the total work time is 8 hours and 40 hours per day and per week, respectively. Based on an agreement between the parties, the daily working time in full-time jobs may be increased to not more than twelve hours daily for employees working in stand-by jobs or who are relatives of the employer or the owner (extended daily working time).

The rules relating to work schedules are the following:

The scheduled daily working time of an employee may not be less than four hours, with the exception of part-time work.

According to the work schedule the daily working time of employees shall not exceed twelve hours, or twenty-four

hours in the case of stand-by jobs the weekly working time of employees shall not exceed forty-eight hours, or twenty-two hours in the case of stand-by jobs, if so agreed by the parties.

In order to allow flexible manpower management, the law entitles the employer to determine the work schedule. However, it also provides for a number of safeguards to make sure employees receive the different types of rest-time they need, i.e breaks during work, rest-time during the day and the week.

As a main rule, an employee is entitled to 2 days off a week. Another important guarantee is that allowing an employee one day off after 6 days of work is obligatory.(Except: uninterrupted work schedule, shift work or seasonal work)

Extraordinary work, i.e. overtime is limited in more than one ways by the law. Thus the extent of extraordinary work is limited in time (at 250 hours per annum), as well as by not allowing certain groups of employees (from the time the employee’s pregnancy is diagnosed until her child reaches three years of age; until the child reaches three years of age, if a single parent; for any employee who works under conditions which may be harmful to his health as defined by the relevant employment regulations) to be ordered to do overtime.

Establishing an employment relationship will create an obligation for the employer to pay wages, while the employee is entitled to a wage in return for his or her work. (Therefore an agreed personal basic wage as a compulsory substantive element is inseparable from an employment contract.)

The wage payable to an employee can be a time rate or a piece rate, or a combination of both. However, the basic wage is to be always determined as a time rate.

As a main rule, the level of wage is a matter of free agreement between the employer and the employee. However, every year a Government decree determines a compulsory minimum pay level, which is the amount of the minimum wage.

In addition to the basic wage, wage supplements are to be paid to employees in specific cases. Wage supplements typically include night supplement, shift supplement, supplement for working unsocial hours (on the weekly day off and on Sunday), as well as stand-by or on-call supplements.

As a general rule, wages are calculated and paid once and subsequently on a monthly basis, normally by the 10th day of the next month.

The employer must make sure that wages are verifiable and therefore must account for them on a statement (elszámolást ad). The pay slip must include the basic wage as well as the number of days and hours worked, holidays used, wage supplements, reductions, and finally the gross and net wage.