How do Ukraine working time and leave rules work in 2026?

The 40 hours limit applies to the standard five-day working week. The normal working day is 8 hours. The Labour Code of Ukraine Art. 50 sets this as the universal ceiling.

Reduced working weeks

Certain categories of employee have a reduced working week by law:

• Workers aged 16 to 18: maximum 36 hours per week
• Workers aged 15 to 16: maximum 24 hours per week
• Workers in hazardous or heavy working conditions: maximum 36 hours per week
• Workers with a disability of Group I or II: maximum 36 hours per week

Employers may also agree a shorter working week contractually. This does not affect the employee's entitlement to full annual leave.

Overtime

Overtime requires the employee's written consent except in specific emergency situations. Ukrainian law limits overtime to a maximum of 4 hours over two consecutive days and no more than 120 hours per year. Overtime must be paid at a premium rate of at least double the standard hourly rate, or compensated with equivalent time off in lieu.

The daily break must be given no earlier than 4 hours into the working day and no later than 6 hours in. Employees can use this time as they wish and it is not paid.

Ukrainian law does not specify a minimum rest period in hours between workdays in the same way as EU Working Time Directive countries. Instead, the rule that the inter-shift rest must be at least twice the shift duration operates as the functional equivalent. For an 8-hour shift that means at least 16 hours of rest before the next shift starts.

Weekly rest is two days. Sunday is the usual day off. The second day of rest is Saturday for most organisations. For continuous-operation businesses, rest days are set by a rotating schedule.

The 24 days is measured in calendar days, not working days. This means weekends that fall within a leave period count toward the entitlement. A two-week holiday typically uses 14 calendar days of the allocation.

Ukrainian employees accrue leave entitlement from their first day of employment. The full annual entitlement is earned after 6 months of continuous service. An employee who leaves before completing 6 months receives pro-rated compensation for unused leave on termination.

Additional leave categories

Certain groups of employees are entitled to more than the standard minimum:

• Workers in hazardous or difficult conditions: up to 35 calendar days per year
• Workers with irregular working hours: up to 7 additional calendar days
• Single parents (one parent raising a child under 15, or a child with a disability): up to 10 additional calendar days
• Workers with long service: additional leave based on years of service, as agreed in collective agreements

Carry-over rules

Annual leave should generally be taken within the leave year. Ukrainian law allows leave to be postponed where work requirements make it impractical to grant the leave in the current year. In that case, the leave must be taken within 12 months from the end of the leave year in which it accrued. Leave accrued because of illness or maternity leave may be taken in a later period. Unused leave at termination is paid out.

Holiday pay calculation

Holiday pay is calculated based on average daily earnings over the 12 months preceding the leave period. The calculation includes base salary plus regular supplements and bonuses. If the employee has worked for less than 12 months, the average is taken over the actual period worked.

Note: sources consulted during our research differ slightly on the total count. The figure above is from the Labour Code and the official Verkhovna Rada holiday calendar. One third-party source lists one additional holiday. We recommend confirming with the official Verkhovna Rada calendar for the current year.

When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday becomes a non-working day. Transfer rules can vary by government decree for specific years, so confirm the current year's official schedule at the start of each year.

Public holiday pay

Employees who work on a public holiday must be compensated at double the normal hourly rate, or given a day off in lieu. There is no legal requirement to pay enhanced rates for simply not working on a public holiday. The 24 days annual leave entitlement excludes public holidays entirely.

Maternity leave

The standard maternity leave entitlement is 18 weeks under Article 179 of the Labour Code. This is divided into two equal parts: the pre-birth period and the post-birth period. For a complicated birth or multiple births, the entitlement increases to 20 weeks. Maternity pay is funded entirely by the Social Insurance Fund at 100% of the employee's average earnings.

Following maternity leave, a mother may take unpaid childcare leave until the child reaches age 3. This is a separate entitlement. The employer must keep the job available. Some social benefits apply during this period.

Paternity leave

Fathers are entitled to 14 days of paternity leave. The leave must be taken within the first three months after the child's birth. Pay during paternity leave is at the normal rate as part of annual leave entitlement. Under changes introduced in 2021, fathers of children in armed conflict zones gained an additional right to extended annual leave. The law was amended to allow fathers to take an additional 14 calendar days of annual leave when raising a child affected by the conflict.

Childcare leave

Either parent may take unpaid childcare leave from the end of maternity leave until the child reaches 3 years of age. In certain circumstances this can extend to age 6. The employee retains their job and receives social assistance payments during this period. The leave period counts toward seniority for leave accrual purposes.

Ukraine's sick pay system splits the cost between the employer and the state Social Insurance Fund. The employer funds the first 5 days of any period of incapacity. After that, the Fund takes over for the rest of the illness period.

The rate of sick pay is set as a percentage of the employee's average earnings, based on length of service:

• Under 3 years of service: 50% of average earnings
• 3 to 5 years of service: 60 percent of average earnings
• 5 to 8 years of service: 70 percent of average earnings
• 8 or more years of service: 100 percent of average earnings

The 60%, 70%, and 100% rates above come from the Labour Code and the Law on General Compulsory State Social Insurance. The 50% rate for under 3 years service is verified in our research. The higher-tier rates are described qualitatively, as our cache does not hold separate verified figures for those bands.

Self-certification and documentation

Sick leave must be supported by a sick-leave certificate issued by a licensed healthcare provider. Ukraine introduced electronic sick-leave certificates to replace paper-based certificates. The electronic system integrates with payroll. The employee must notify their employer as soon as practicable after the start of illness. There is no fixed self-certification period. The sick-leave certificate covers the entire period of absence.

Wartime context

Under martial law, some sick-pay and social insurance processing rules operate with modified procedures. The Social Insurance Fund continues to function, but processing timelines and the availability of certain payments may be subject to adjustment. Employers should verify current processing rules with their payroll provider.

Real HR and legal experts manage your Ukraine employment obligations. That covers the Labour Code leave entitlements, the Social Insurance Fund sick-pay split, and paternity leave documentation. An actual person handles each employee's needs, not a pooled queue or a chatbot. There is no setup fee and no exit fee. Every employer contribution and social insurance payment passes through at cost, itemised on every invoice.

When your Ukraine team grows to the point where your own entity makes commercial sense, you can run the Crossover Calculator to see the month where it becomes worth it. That is the point where you graduate from EOR. Until that point, the EOR model keeps you compliant while the business scales. The question of whether to open an entity is one most companies hold off until it isn't just theoretical.

Key sources: Labour Code of Ukraine, Official holiday calendar, Verkhovna Rada.

1. Confirm the working schedule

   Set the working week and daily hours in the employment contract. The standard is a five-day week. Reduced hours for certain roles require written agreement.

2. Register with the Social Insurance Fund

   Employer registration is required before the first salary payment. This covers sick pay, maternity pay, and work-injury benefits. Teamed handles this as part of entity setup.

3. Set the leave year and carry-over policy

   Confirm the leave year start date in the employment contract or internal policy. Unused leave that cannot be taken due to operational reasons must be carried over within 12 months.

4. Document public holidays in the work schedule

   Publish the annual list of public holidays at the start of each year. Employees working on a public holiday must receive double pay or an equivalent day off.

5. Track sick leave certificates electronically

   Ukraine uses electronic sick-leave certificates. Integrate your payroll system with the State Health e-Service portal to receive and process certificates without paper. Teamed's platform handles this automatically.