Overtime in the Building: The Rules You Need to Know

Construction managers know how fundamental overtime management is. Between changing regulations and the need to make no mistakes, the task is complex. This article details the rules in 2024 and offers a solution to simplify the process.

What is an extra hour in construction?

In the construction industry, an additional hour corresponds to Any hour worked in excess of 35 hours per week, for a full-time employee.

The remuneration for these hours is made per week and per employee. They must appear on the pay slip, along with the number of hours and the rate of increase applied.

Two rules to know:

• Unlike other sectors, the construction industry does not allow overtime to be replaced by a bonus.
• Any overtime requires the agreement of the company. An employee cannot choose to do so without this agreement.

The overtime pay rate is evolving

In the construction industry, the wage increase for overtime is as follows:

• 25% from the 36th to the 43rd hour,
• 50% starting at the 44th hour.

Collective agreements allow for replace this increase with compensatory rest. This allows an employee to be given rest instead of additional remuneration (with a similar increase).

Example: for 10 hours of overtime at 25%, you can choose to give the employee 12 hours and 30 minutes of rest. There is then no need to pay for these hours.

The annual quota for overtime in the construction and public works sector

The annual quota determines the maximum amount of overtime that employees can work. Here are some details.

Overtime quota: explanations

The annual quota in construction sets the limit of possible overtime. In 2024, it is 265 hours for an annualized working time And of 300 hours for non-annualized working time.

Some overtime hours do not count in calculating this quota (Article 5 of the decree of 17 November 1936). This is the case:

• Hours replaced by compensatory rest,
• Hours for urgent work,
• Hours under permanent exemption.

Is it possible to exceed the annual quota?

Exceeding the overtime quota involves taking the opinion of the works council or staff representatives.

This can be seen as an advantage for employees, who increase their income, and for the company, which can respond to a specific situation among these cases:

• There is a exceptional need for safety or urgent work.
• Of difficult weather conditions justify it.
• Of Unexpected require rapid adaptation.

Any excess of the quota grants additional rights to employees. Beyond the increased salary, each overtime hour entitles you to an equivalent amount of rest, i.e. 100% of the time worked.

Example: If an employee works 10 hours longer than the quota, he receives not only increased pay but also 10 hours of rest. This is valid unless the employee already has compensatory rest for overtime.

Employees can take this rest as they wish, during the day or half a day, within two months following the start of the right (as soon as the employee accumulates 7 hours of compensation while on rest). The right to this rest must be indicated On the pay slip (or an attached document).

Other rules you need to know about overtime

Reduction in social security contributions

Since 2019, overtime has been taxed less, with a reduction in social security contributions of 11.31%. They are not subject to withholding tax and thus increase the income of construction workers.

For employers, each additional hour entitles you to a reduction of €1.50 on URSSAF contributions, excluding compensatory rest.

Rules concerning the status of employees

All construction employees, including workers, managers, and ETAM, follow the same rules for overtime. The difference is in the compensation for managers in case of annual overruns.

Normally, hours in excess of the quota are compensated by 100% rest. For executives in companies with more than 20 employees in accordance with the collective agreement, this compensation is 50%.

Making it easy to process overtime with Alobees

The Alobees site monitoring software facilitates the management of overtime with its digital timesheets (Learn more). Employees can enter and sign their hours with the mobile, which relieves the work of accounting staff.

The software also automates the calculation of hours per intervention. He Generate a file with all the payroll variables such as transport and holidays (Learn more). The hours can be analyzed for more precise control, and sent to the ERP (if necessary).

In standard or custom versions, Alobees therefore offers an effective tool to track overtime and simplify payroll. But its features don't end there. Here are a few examples:

• Centralization of documents: all your documents are grouped by site, from production plans to meeting minutes (Learn more).
• Intervention management: access the live team agenda and create activity reports (Learn more).
• Scheduling: plan the use of resources, both human and material, according to the requirements of the project (Learn more).
• Off-road access: stay connected whether you're on the job site, in the office, or on the go.
• Organization of tasks: accurately monitor the progress of work in progress on site (Learn more).

Alobees simplifies the administrative management of construction companies. It allows each member of the team to focus on their expertise. Enjoy a 30-Day Free Trial To find out how it can transform your daily life.