Egyptian Labor Law: working hours and overtime, explained (2026)
By Sayed Zakrea · 25 June 2026
If you employ staff in Egypt, the Labor Law sets limits on working hours, requires weekly rest, and entitles employees to extra pay for overtime. Here is a plain-language overview — and, just as importantly, how to keep records that stand up when payroll, an employee, or an inspector asks questions.
What counts as normal working hours?
The Egyptian Labor Law caps ordinary working hours and guarantees employees at least one rest day each week, with paid breaks during the working day. The exact daily and weekly caps, and how breaks are counted, are defined by the statute and can vary by sector and contract — so the practical takeaway is to agree the working pattern in writing and then record actual hours accurately against it.
How is overtime treated?
When an employee works beyond the agreed normal hours, the law generally entitles them to overtime pay at a premium above the normal hourly rate, with higher premiums for night work and for work on weekly rest days and public holidays. Because the precise percentages are set by the Labor Law and updated over time, confirm the current rates before you calculate — but plan on the principle that extra hours, night work, and rest-day work each carry a higher rate.
Why accurate records matter
Overtime disputes almost always come down to evidence. If you cannot show exactly when an employee started and finished, you cannot prove the hours worked — and you cannot defend a payroll calculation. A reliable, timestamped record of every clock-in and clock-out protects both the business and the employee, and makes month-end payroll a calculation rather than an argument.
How to track hours and overtime reliably
Paper logs and Excel sheets break down quickly: they are easy to backfill, easy to lose, and impossible to audit. A check-in app records the exact in and out time of every shift, flags lateness, totals overtime automatically, and exports a payroll-ready report at month end. Dawmly does this with GPS + selfie on every punch, queues punches offline when the connection drops, and exports to CSV or Excel — so the hours behind every overtime payment are documented and defensible.
Keep it simple
Agree the working pattern in writing, confirm the current overtime rates in the Labor Law, and record actual hours with a tool that timestamps every punch. Get those three right and working-hours compliance stops being a worry. Dawmly is free for up to 10 employees if you want to start recording hours properly today.