Organisation of Working Time Act 1997
aka OWT, OWTA, Working Time Act, Working Time Regulations
Primary Irish statute governing maximum weekly working hours, daily and weekly rest periods, breaks, Sunday premiums, public holidays and annual leave for most employees.
Last reviewed May 2026
Definition
The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 transposes the EU Working Time Directive into Irish law and sets the baseline rules on hours of work and rest for most employees. Headline limits include a maximum average working week of 48 hours over a four-month reference period (six months for some sectors, twelve where a collective agreement is approved), 11 consecutive hours of daily rest, one period of 24 hours of weekly rest preceded by daily rest, a 15 minute break after 4.5 hours and a 30 minute break after 6 hours. Annual leave is the greater of 4 working weeks, 1/3 of a working week per month worked at least 117 hours, or 8% of hours worked capped at 4 weeks. Public holidays attract one of paid time off on the day, an additional day's pay, an alternative paid day off within a month, or an additional day's annual leave. Employees who normally work Sundays are entitled to a Sunday premium where it is not already factored into pay. Employers must keep records under the Organisation of Working Time (Records) (Prescribed Form and Exemptions) Regulations 2001, commonly using Form OWT1, retained for three years. WRC inspectors check OWT records first when investigating most complaints.
Why it matters for software choice
OWT recordkeeping is the single biggest paper risk in an Irish workplace. Time and attendance software that captures clock-in or shift data, calculates rolling 48 hour averages, flags missed breaks, computes Sunday premiums and produces an OWT1-equivalent report on demand turns a multi-day audit into a one-click export. Spreadsheets routinely fail this test.
Authority sources
- Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (www.irishstatutebook.ie)
- WRC: Working Hours and Breaks (www.workplacerelations.ie)
- OWT (Records) Regulations 2001 (www.irishstatutebook.ie)
Software categories this affects
Vendors covered by this term
Bizimply
Workforce management for hospitality, retail, and multi-location Irish businesses
HRLocker
Irish-built HR software for the full employee lifecycle
Alkimii
People management platform built for Irish hospitality
BrightPay
Award-winning Irish payroll with full PAYE Modernisation and Revenue integration
Sage HR
Lightweight HR platform from Sage, formerly CakeHR, with leave and performance management
BambooHR
Intuitive HR platform for Irish SMEs who need hiring, onboarding, and people management
HiBob
Modern HR platform designed for mid-size companies with strong culture and engagement tools
Employment Hero
All-in-one HR, payroll, and benefits platform expanding across Europe
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