UK Statutory Instrument 1998 United Kingdom

Working Time Regulations 1998

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At a glance

Enforced by

HMRC, HSE

What's here

53 compliance obligations, 7 practical guides across 2 topics · 6 journeys

Penalty landscape

6 of 53 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 2 carry different penalties and 45 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Employer 46
  • Director or Officer 2
  • Any Person 1

Plus 4 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Direct — cites this Act

6 guides

Supporting — topic alignment

1 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Employers also bound by 171 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Directors and Officers also bound by 224 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part I — GENERAL

Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part II — RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS CONCERNING WORKING TIME

s.006

Length of night work

  • Limit night worker hours to an average of 8 hours per day Employer
  • Limit night workers’ hours to 8 hrs per 24 hrs and control special‑hazard shifts Employer
  • Limit night workers’ hours to an average of 8 hours per 24 hours and monitor compliance Employer
s.007

Health assessment and transfer of night workers to day work

  • Provide free health assessments for night workers Employer
  • Provide free health assessments for night‑workers and transfer them if advised Employer
  • Provide free health assessments for night/young workers and transfer sick night workers Employer
s.008

Pattern of work

  • Provide adequate rest breaks for high-risk work patterns Employer
  • Provide adequate rest breaks when work pattern risks health Employer
  • Provide adequate rest breaks when work patterns risk health Employer
s.009

Records

Unlimited fine
  • Keep and retain records of staff working hours Employer
  • Keep and retain records of working‑time compliance Employer
  • Keep and retain working‑time records for two years Employer
s.010

Daily rest

  • Provide daily rest periods for workers and young workers Employer
  • Provide minimum daily rest for workers Employer
  • Provide minimum daily rest of 11 (or 12) hours for workers Employer
s.011

Weekly rest period

  • Provide minimum weekly rest periods for workers Employer
  • Provide weekly rest periods for workers Employer
  • Provide workers with a weekly or fortnightly rest period Employer
  • Provide workers with a weekly rest period Employer
s.012

Rest breaks

  • Provide mandatory rest breaks for workers Employer
  • Provide rest breaks for employees working over six hours Employer
  • Provide rest breaks for workers exceeding daily hours Employer
s.017

Entitlements under other provisions

  • Apply the most favorable leave or rest entitlement Employer
  • Apply the most favourable rest, break or leave entitlement Employer
  • Give workers the most favourable rest, break or holiday entitlement Employer
s.irregular hours workers and part-year workers: ann

Irregular hours workers and part-year workers: annual leave accrued while on sick or statutory leave

  • Calculate annual leave for irregular‑hours staff on sick or statutory leave Employer
  • Calculate holiday accrual for irregular or part-year workers on leave Employer
  • Calculate leave for irregular hours workers during sick or statutory leave Employer
  • Calculate annual leave for irregular‑hour workers on sick or statutory leave Employer
s.maximum working time for young workers

Maximum working time for young workers

  • Limit working hours for young workers Employer
  • Limit working hours for young workers to 8 hrs/day and 40 hrs/week Employer
  • Limit young workers’ hours to 8 hrs per day and 40 hrs per week Employer
s.night work by young workers

Night work by young workers

  • Prevent young workers from doing night work Employer
  • Prevent young workers from night work Employer
  • Prevent young workers from working during restricted night periods Employer
s.rolled-up holiday pay for irregular hours workers

Rolled-up holiday pay for irregular hours workers and part-year workers

  • Pay rolled‑up holiday uplift and show it on payslips Employer
  • Use rolled-up holiday pay for irregular or part-year workers Employer
Browse 12 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.entitlement to additional annual leave

Entitlement to additional annual leave

s.irregular hours workers and part-year workers: com

Irregular hours workers and part-year workers: compensation related to entitlement to leave

s.irregular hours workers and part-year workers: ent

Irregular hours workers and part-year workers: entitlement to annual leave

s.irregular hours workers and part-year workers: rig

Irregular hours workers and part-year workers: right to carry forward annual leave

s.leave during the first year of employment

Leave during the first year of employment

s.meaning of irregular hours workers and part-year w

Meaning of irregular hours workers and part-year workers

Part III — EXCEPTIONS

Browse 15 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.doctors in training

Doctors in training

s.entitlement to additional annual leave under a rel

Entitlement to additional annual leave under a relevant agreement

s.mobile workers

Mobile workers

s.other exceptions relating to young workers

Other exceptions relating to young workers

s.workers employed in offshore work

Workers employed in offshore work

Part IV — MISCELLANEOUS

s.028

Enforcement

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • HSE and other authorities must enforce working time requirements Statutory regulator
s.029

Offences

2 years imprisonment
  • Fail to comply with Working Time Regulations requirements Employer
  • Fail to comply with working time rules or obstruct inspector Employer
s.030

Remedies

  • Allow workers to take statutory leave and pay due entitlements Employer
  • Allow workers to take statutory rest/leave and pay any entitlements Employer
Other duties (2) — Crown / regulator
  • Tribunal must adjudicate on working time and holiday pay complaints Tribunal / Court
  • Tribunal must adjudicate on working time disputes and award remedies Tribunal / Court
s.miscellaneous

MISCELLANEOUS

Unlimited fine
  • Fail to comply with relevant requirements (e.g., annual leave) Employer
  • Fail to comply with working‑time requirements Employer
s.offences by bodies corporate

Offences by bodies corporate

Unlimited fine
  • Corporate offence also makes directors personally liable Director or Officer
s.offences due to fault of other person

Offences due to fault of other person

2 years imprisonment
  • Cause another person to commit a working time offence Any Person
Browse 10 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.extension of time limits because of mediation in c

Extension of time limits because of mediation in certain cross-border disputes

s.extension of time limit to facilitate conciliation

Extension of time limit to facilitate conciliation before institution of proceedings

s.power of court to order cause of offence to be rem

Power of court to order cause of offence to be remedied

s.prosecutions by inspectors

Prosecutions by inspectors

s.restriction on institution of proceedings in engla

Restriction on institution of proceedings in England and Wales

Part V — SPECIAL CLASSES OF PERSON

s.037

Crown employment

  • Apply working time protections to Crown and government employees Employer
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Crown employees are protected by Working Time Regulations Crown / Minister / Government department
s.041

Police service

Unlimited fine
  • Personal liability of police leaders for working time breaches Director or Officer
Browse 6 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Schedules

Browse 4 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
s.sch002a

Doctors in training

Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

HMRC

Primary

HM Revenue & Customs

Tax collection, customs duties, national insurance, tax credits, and enforcement of the National Minimum Wage. Regulates all UK businesses for tax compliance …

HSE

Health and Safety Executive

Workplace health, safety, and welfare regulation across all industries. Enforces the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and related regulations. Investigates …

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Browse legislation

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Regulators

Learn more about the bodies that enforce this legislation.