Overtime in Bulgaria — pay, limits and bans (2026)

What overtime is

Overtime is work performed outside the established working hours at the employer's instruction or with the employer's knowledge and without objection (Art. 143(1) LC). This is broader than it looks — it covers:

• Hours after the end of the work day;
• Work on rest and holiday days;
• Call-out work (extra shifts) when the worker was not scheduled;
• Hours over the norm under aggregate accounting (e.g. a quarterly schedule).

What is not overtime: commitments the worker takes voluntarily without the employer's knowledge; commute time; break time.

Premiums under Art. 262 LC

This is the central rule — it guarantees minimum percentages the employer must add to the basic pay for the relevant hours:

These are minimums — an individual or collective contract may set a higher rate. Reductions are not possible — any agreement below the statutory minimum is void.

Double premium with night work

If overtime falls in the night period (22:00–06:00), an additional night-work premium under Art. 261 LC applies on top — usually BGN 0.15 per hour, but not less than 0.9% of the minimum wage per hour.

Worked example: 8 hours on Sunday

Limits under Art. 146 LC

To protect workers from excessive workload, the LC imposes several caps:

• Annual cap: 150 hours per calendar year (up to 300 by CLA);
• Monthly cap: up to 30 hours daytime or 20 hours at night;
• Weekly cap: up to 6 hours daytime or 4 at night;
• Daily cap: no more than 3 hours over normal daytime work or 2 at night;
• Consecutive days: no more than 2 consecutive working days of overtime.

These caps do not apply in emergencies under Art. 144 LC — natural disasters, accidents, protection of life and property.

When overtime is forbidden

Art. 147 LC lists categories of workers to whom the employer cannot assign overtime:

• Workers and employees under 18;
• Pregnant employees;
• Employees in an advanced stage of IVF treatment;
• Mothers of children under 6 or of a child with disabilities, except with their consent;
• Workers temporarily incapacitated due to general illness;
• Workers on reduced-capacity status;
• Workers in regular education during study time.

Assigning overtime in breach of this ban is sanctioned by ИА ГИТ with a fine of BGN 1,500–15,000 on the employer.

Right to refuse

As a rule, the employee has the right to refuse overtime. The exception is the cases under Art. 144 LC:

1. Work related to national defense;
2. Prevention, mitigation or elimination of consequences of natural disasters or industrial accidents;
3. Urgent socially necessary work to restore water, electricity, heating, sewerage, transport and communications;
4. Provision of medical assistance;
5. Intensive seasonal work.

In all other cases an employee's refusal to do overtime is lawful and cannot be a ground for disciplinary sanction.

What to do if you are not paid

1. Document. Preserve work assignment orders, emails, schedules, screenshots of work systems. ИА ГИТ works with written evidence.
2. Request a written explanation. A short email asking for a breakdown of your overtime hours.
3. File a report with ИА ГИТ. Free, online, anonymous. Inspectors can demand documentation and impose fines.
4. Sue in the district court. Limitation period 3 years. If the claim succeeds, the court awards the amounts with interest and costs.
5. Additional report to the NRA. Unpaid social insurance on overtime is a separate violation.

Frequently asked questions