Working Time Regulations UK: Breaks, Rest and the 48-Hour Week

Under the Working Time Regulations 1998, most workers in England, Wales and Scotland are entitled to a 20-minute break if they work more than 6 hours a day, 11 hours' rest between working days, at least 24 hours' rest a week, and an average working week capped at 48 hours; Northern Ireland has its own, separate regulations that set the same limits.

Rest breaks during the working day

A worker who works more than 6 hours in a day is entitled to one uninterrupted 20-minute rest break during that day. The break does not have to be paid; whether it is paid depends on the worker's employment contract, not on the regulations themselves (gov.uk: rest breaks at work; legislation.gov.uk: Working Time Regulations 1998, regulation 12).

Daily and weekly rest

Workers are entitled to at least 11 consecutive hours' rest between the end of one working day and the start of the next. On top of that, workers get at least 24 uninterrupted hours' rest in each 7-day period, or the employer can instead give 48 uninterrupted hours' rest every 2 weeks (gov.uk: rest breaks at work).

The 48-hour average working week and the opt-out

The maximum average working week is 48 hours, averaged over a 17-week reference period (gov.uk: maximum weekly working hours). A worker over 18 can agree to work more than this by opting out, but the opt-out has specific rules:

• It must be voluntary and in writing.
• It can apply for a set period, or indefinitely.
• A worker who wants to cancel an opt-out must give their employer at least 7 days' notice, though the agreement can require up to 3 months' notice instead.
• Some workers cannot opt out at all, including airline staff, workers on ships or boats, most road transport workers covered by drivers' hours rules, and security guards on vehicles carrying high-value goods.

Only workers over 18 can opt out; a worker under 18 cannot agree to work more than the maximum in any circumstances (source: gov.uk: opting out of the 48-hour week).

Occupations exempt from the 48-hour limit

Some roles are structurally exempt from the 48-hour weekly limit rather than relying on an opt-out. Gov.uk lists 24-hour staffing roles, the armed forces, emergency services and police, security and surveillance work, domestic servants in private households, seafarers and inland waterway workers, and managing executives with genuinely autonomous decision-making authority over their own hours (gov.uk: maximum weekly working hours).

Young workers

Workers under 18 have their own, stricter limits: a maximum of 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, with no ability to opt out of that cap (gov.uk: maximum weekly working hours). They are also entitled to a 30 minute break if they work more than 4.5 hours, 12 hours' rest between working days and 48 hours' rest a week, and they cannot work between midnight and 4am (and usually not between 10pm and 6am), with limited exceptions (gov.uk: rest breaks, young workers; gov.uk: night working hours).

Night workers

A night worker is someone who regularly works at least 3 hours during the "night period," which is 11pm to 6am by default, or another 7-hour window that includes midnight to 5am if the worker and employer agree one in writing. Night workers are limited to an average of 8 hours in every 24-hour period, normally averaged over 17 weeks (extendable up to 52 weeks by agreement), and cannot opt out of this specific limit even if they have opted out of the general 48-hour week (gov.uk: night working hours).

Employers must offer night workers a free health assessment before they start night work, and regularly after that; a worker does not have to accept the offer. If a doctor advises the employer that night work is causing the worker health problems, the employer must transfer the worker to suitable work that is not night work, where that is possible (gov.uk: night working hours, health assessments).

If breaks or rest are refused

A worker who is not getting their rest breaks, daily rest or weekly rest should first raise it informally with their manager, then use their employer's formal grievance process if that does not resolve it. Acas can give advice through its helpline, and if the problem is still not solved, a worker can bring a claim to an employment tribunal (gov.uk: rest breaks at work, disputes). Complaints that an employer is breaking the 48-hour limit go to the Health and Safety Executive rather than to a tribunal (gov.uk: pay and work rights). See employment tribunal and employment tribunal time limits for how that process and its time limits work.

Northern Ireland: its own regulations, not an extension of the 1998 Regulations

Northern Ireland is not covered by the Working Time Regulations 1998. It has its own, separate Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 (SR 2016 No. 49), which implement the same underlying EU working-time rules and have since been amended by the Working Time (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2023 and 2024, the later of which added express leave carry-forward provisions. The substantive limits, the 48-hour average week, 11-hour daily rest, 20-minute break and the 8-hour average for night work, mirror Great Britain. The practical difference is procedural: Northern Ireland claims go to an industrial tribunal, and a claimant must first notify the Labour Relations Agency, which offers early conciliation, rather than Acas (sources: legislation.gov.uk: Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016; nidirect: early conciliation).

Holiday entitlement is covered separately

Paid annual leave is also set by the Working Time Regulations, but it has enough detail, accrual rules and case law of its own to need its own page. See holiday entitlement for the 5.6 weeks' statutory minimum, accrual and rolled-up holiday pay.

For the wider UK employment law hub, see the full list of employer and employee topics. For related pay protections, see statutory sick pay and zero hours contracts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is a rest break at work in the UK?

A worker aged 18 or over who works more than 6 hours in a day is entitled to one uninterrupted 20-minute rest break. Workers under 18 are entitled to 30 minutes if they work more than 4.5 hours. The break does not have to be paid unless the employment contract says otherwise.

Can I work more than 48 hours a week?

Only if you are over 18, are not in a role that is barred from opting out (such as airline staff or most road transport workers), and have signed a voluntary, written opt-out agreement with your employer, or your role is one of the exempt occupations, such as the armed forces or emergency services. Otherwise the average working week is capped at 48 hours over a 17-week reference period.

Can I cancel a 48-hour opt-out agreement?

Yes. You must give your employer at least 7 days' notice to cancel it, though your specific agreement may require up to 3 months' notice instead.

What counts as a night worker?

Someone who regularly works at least 3 hours during the night period, which is 11pm to 6am by default. Night workers are capped at an average of 8 hours in every 24 hours and cannot opt out of that limit.

Do night workers get a health check?

Employers must offer a free health assessment before a worker starts night work, and regularly afterwards. The worker does not have to accept, but if a doctor advises the employer that night work is affecting their health, the employer must transfer them to suitable work that is not night work, where possible.

Are the working time rules different in Northern Ireland?

Northern Ireland has its own Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 rather than the 1998 Regulations that apply in England, Wales and Scotland, but the core limits are the same. The main difference is that a dispute in Northern Ireland goes to the Industrial Tribunal through the Labour Relations Agency, not to Acas and an employment tribunal.