Overtime in Uruguay: how much extra you're paid (100% and 150%)

Working extra must be paid extra. Uruguayan law sets clear surcharges for overtime, and it's worth knowing them to check your payslip. Here we explain how much is due, how it's computed, and a detail many forget: overtime also affects your leave.

What an overtime hour is

It's time worked beyond the limit of your legal or contractual workday. Past that limit, each hour is paid with a surcharge over your normal hourly value. The surcharge depends on when you work.

On working days: +100%

If you work overtime on an ordinary working day, each hour is worth double your simple hour (your normal hour plus a 100% surcharge):

Per the MTSS:

«Las horas extras se pagarán con el 100 % (cien por ciento) de recargo sobre el valor de la hora simple, cuando se realicen en días hábiles.»

In English: Overtime will be paid with a 100% (one hundred percent) surcharge over the value of the simple hour, when worked on working days.

On holidays or weekly rest: +150%

If the extension falls on a day that — being a holiday or weekly rest — is normally not worked, the surcharge rises to 150%:

And for holidays or rest:

«Si la prolongación de la jornada de trabajo se realiza en día en que, de acuerdo a la ley, convención o costumbre, por ser feriado o gozarse del descanso semanal, no se trabaje, el recargo será de 150 % (ciento cincuenta por ciento) sobre el valor hora de los días laborales.»

In English: If the workday is extended on a day that, by law, agreement or custom, is not worked because it is a holiday or weekly rest, the surcharge will be 150% (one hundred and fifty percent) over the working-day hourly value.

How the hour is computed

First you get your simple hourly value (for example, from the monthly salary and the month's hours). The surcharge applies to that value: ×2 on working days (100%) and ×2.5 on holidays or rest (150%). The framework is Law 15,996.

Note: overtime adds to your leave

Overtime worked during the year is counted to determine the leave wages and the salario vacacional, using the period's average. So you don't just earn it in the month: it also increases what you receive when you take your holidays.

At a glance

In short: overtime is paid at double on working days and at 2.5× on holidays or rest, and it also boosts your leave. Check your payslip and, if in doubt, consult the MTSS.