{"id":32214,"date":"2026-09-10T09:56:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T13:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infotetquebec.com\/working-hours-and-overtime-what-do-i-need-to-know\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T10:12:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T14:12:36","slug":"working-hours-and-overtime-what-do-i-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infotetquebec.com\/en\/working-hours-and-overtime-what-do-i-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Working Hours and Overtime: What Do I Need to Know?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Understanding your work schedule, the hours you work, and the rules regarding overtime is important for better understanding your employment conditions in Qu\u00e9bec.<\/span><\/p>\n

For temporary foreign workers, it is also important to keep your own record of the hours you work and to review your pay stubs to make sure the information matches the hours you actually worked.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What counts as working time?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Working time generally refers to the period during which you are working or are available to your employer and performing duties related to your job.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your schedule may vary depending on the type of work, the industry, and the conditions established for your employment.<\/span><\/p>\n

For this reason, it is a good practice to know your schedule and keep a record of the hours you actually work, especially if your schedule changes frequently.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How many hours make up a normal workweek?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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For most workers in Qu\u00e9bec, the normal workweek is <\/span>40 hours<\/b> for the purpose of calculating overtime. This generally means that hours worked beyond the first 40 hours in the same week may be considered overtime.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is important to understand that a normal 40-hour workweek <\/span>does not necessarily mean that you cannot work more than 40 hours<\/b>. There are situations in which additional hours may be worked, as well as rules allowing certain workers to refuse certain overtime hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are also exceptions for certain categories of workers, including agricultural workers.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What is overtime?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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For most workers, overtime hours worked beyond 40 hours in the same week must be paid at <\/span>one and a half times the regular wage<\/b>, meaning a 50% increase.<\/span><\/p>\n

Example : <\/b>If your regular wage is $20 per hour and you work 5 overtime hours that must be paid at time and a half:<\/span><\/h3>\n

$20 \u00d7 1.5 = <\/span>$30 per hour. <\/b>The 5 overtime hours would therefore be paid at $30 per hour.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, this rule <\/span>does not apply in the same way to every category of worker<\/b>. It is particularly important to understand the applicable rules if you work in agriculture.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What about overtime for agricultural workers?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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This is an important exception to know about.<\/span><\/p>\n

Agricultural workers are subject to specific rules regarding overtime pay. <\/span>Agricultural work is paid at the regular rate even after 40 hours of work in a week.<\/b> Agricultural hours worked after the 40th hour are therefore not automatically paid at time and a half.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, if an agricultural worker performs 50 hours of agricultural work during a week, hours 41 through 50 are paid at the regular wage rate, rather than at one and a half times the regular wage.<\/span><\/p>\n

What if an agricultural worker performs non-agricultural tasks?<\/b><\/h3>\n

There is an important distinction here.<\/span><\/p>\n

If an agricultural worker performs <\/span>non-agricultural tasks<\/b>, the corresponding hours may be subject to overtime pay starting with the 41st hour worked during the week.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, the <\/span>CNESST<\/b><\/a> identifies tasks such as <\/span>maintaining machinery<\/b> or <\/span>selling products at a market<\/b> as non-agricultural tasks. These hours may be paid at time and a half when the applicable conditions are met.<\/span><\/p>\n

An example : <\/b>Imagine that Manuel works 49 hours during a week:<\/span><\/h3>\n

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