Guides · 2026-06-24

Your rest and overtime rights under Finland's Working Hours Act

You finish a late shift near midnight, and you're back on the floor early the next morning. It happens. But the law in Finland sets limits on how little rest you can get, how many hours you can work, and when overtime needs your say-so. Here's what those rules mean, in plain words.

The main law is the Working Hours Act, in Finnish the Työaikalaki, number 872 from 2019. It sets the floor for everyone. On top of it, your collective agreement (for many nurses that's KVTES or the SOTE wellbeing-sector agreement) can be stricter, and your own workplace can be stricter still. None of them can give you less than the law.

We've put the real figures below, with the source after each one so you can check it yourself. This is a plain-language guide, not legal advice.

Daily rest: the gap between two shifts

Daily rest is the unbroken break between the end of one shift and the start of the next. The rule is at least 11 hours of uninterrupted rest within the 24 hours that follow when a shift starts (Working Hours Act 872/2019). The idea is simple. You're meant to get a proper stretch off, not just a nap, before you're due back.

That 11 hours can be shortened in a few defined cases. In period-based work it can drop to 9 hours. With your own consent it can be shortened to 7 hours temporarily. And in specific situations, like a shift change or a seasonal peak, it can go down to 5 hours for up to 3 days in a row (Tyosuojelu.fi). When rest is cut short, the lost hours have to be made up with time off within the next 14 days.

Weekly rest: one longer break

On top of the daily gaps, you're owed a longer continuous rest once a week. It's at least 35 hours uninterrupted in every 7 days, and it should sit around Sunday where possible (Working Hours Act 872/2019). Think of it as your real day off, not bits and pieces between shifts.

This one can be averaged. Over a 14-day window the weekly rest can be evened out, as long as it's still at least 24 hours per 7-day period. In continuous round-the-clock shift work it can be averaged over up to 12 weeks, again never below 24 hours in any 7 days (Tyosuojelu.fi).

Maximum hours: how much you can work

There's a ceiling on working time so it can't creep up forever. Your total working time, overtime included, must not go over an average of 48 hours per week measured across a 4-month reference period (Working Hours Act 872/2019). A collective agreement can stretch that reference period out to 12 months, but the 48-hour average still holds. Averaging is why a heavy week can be legal, as long as a lighter one balances it out.

Worth knowing: the 2019 Act, in force since 2020, has no separate yearly overtime cap. Everything you work counts toward that one 48-hour-per-week-over-4-months maximum (Tyosuojelu.fi).

Overtime: it needs your consent

Overtime is work beyond your regular working time. Here's the part people forget: overtime always needs your separate consent (Working Hours Act 872/2019). It can't be agreed in advance in your employment contract, and your employer can't simply pile it on. You say yes each time.

And overtime is paid at a raised rate. Daily overtime is paid at plus 50 percent for the first 2 hours and plus 100 percent after that. Weekly overtime is paid at plus 50 percent. Sunday work is paid double, plus 100 percent (Working Hours Act 872/2019). Your collective agreement may set higher rates than these, so check yours.

Quick returns: too little rest between two shifts

A "quick return" is the name for that short turnaround we opened with. You finish late, you start early, and the gap between the two shifts is shorter than it should be. It's common in shift work, and it's the thing that wears people down fastest. Even when a single quick return is allowed under an exception, a run of them is worth catching early, before you're the one running on too little rest for a week.

How Sisu Shift keeps an eye on this for you

You shouldn't have to do this math at the end of a shift. So the app does it quietly in the background.

  • Rest between shifts. When the gap before your next shift drops below the set minimum, you get a gentle banner. If it's really tight, the warning gets stronger, and you can tap straight through to request a swap.
  • Weekly hours. The app adds up your week and flags it when you're pushing past the limit.
  • Long runs. It also watches for too many days in a row, and too many nights in a row.

One important thing. The limits in the app are configurable per team, so your workplace can set its own stricter numbers from its collective agreement. The defaults are sensible starting points, not legal advice, and the app's alerts are a heads-up, not a ruling. For the binding rules, the Working Hours Act and your collective agreement are what count.

Want the app watching your rest and hours so you don't have to? Download Sisu Shift.

Sources