Working Time Standards
In Israel, for most private sector workers, the standard working week is 42 hours. However, overtime, overtime pay, and the calculation of working hours depend not only on the total number of hours per week, but also on your schedule: a five-day work week or a six-day work week. In the public sector, many workers already have a 40-hour week, so it is always important to check which sector and which agreement applies to your workplace.
That is why it is wrong to assume that in Israel everything after 8 hours of work is automatically overtime. In practice, you need to look at how many hours count as a normal working day for your specific schedule, whether the daily limit was exceeded, and whether you exceeded the weekly hour norm.
Five-Day Week
With a five-day week in the private sector, overtime usually starts counting after 8 hours a day on 4 days of the week and after 7 hours on the shorter day, as well as for everything beyond 42 hours per week.
Six-Day Week
With a six-day week, overtime is usually counted after 8 hours a day, as well as after exceeding 42 hours per week.
Why This Matters
If you do not understand how working hours are counted in Israel, it is easy to miss a payroll error — especially if you have a flexible schedule, shift work, night shifts, Shabbat work, weekend call-ins, or regular stay-overs after your shift.
To verify that your overtime was calculated correctly, you need to understand your working week structure, how many hours count as a normal working day, how many hours you actually worked, and what is listed in your pay slip (tlusch maskort).
Examples
If a person works 5 days of 9 hours each: 9 × 5 = 45 hours per week. This exceeds the standard norm of 42 hours per week, meaning some of those hours should count as overtime.
Another example: if a person works 6 days of 8 hours each: 8 × 6 = 48 hours per week. This also exceeds the weekly norm.
Summary
Overtime in Israel is not counted by feel — it follows specific rules. For most private sector workers the benchmark is still 42 hours per week, but for some public sector workers a 40-hour week already applies.