Working Time

Wage supplements in Luxembourg: night work, Sundays and public holidays

Sunday and public holiday supplement rules are set directly by the Labour Code: +70% on Sundays, +100% on public holidays, with cumulation authorised when both coincide. Night work, by contrast, carries no universal statutory supplement — applicable rates derive exclusively from sectoral collective agreements. This distinction between statutory and contractual sources is the most frequently mishandled point in payroll.

Topic: Working Time Sources: Art. L. 211-27 · L. 231-7 · L. 232-2 · L. 232-7 · Luxembourg Labour Code · Sectoral CBAs Updated: 10 June 2026

Axis 1 — Sunday work: +70% and compensatory rest

Each hour worked on a Sunday entitles the employee to a wage supplement of 70% on top of the normal hourly rate, i.e. 170% of the usual rate (Art. L. 231-7, §2).

Mandatory compensatory rest

Alongside the financial supplement, compensatory rest is due (Art. L. 231-7, §1):

Work of more than 4 hours on Sunday → one full day of compensatory rest
Work of 4 hours or less on Sunday → half a day of compensatory rest

Special case — paid rest during the week. If Sunday work is fully offset by paid rest granted during the week, only the 70% supplement remains due — the compensatory rest under §1 is no longer additionally required (Art. L. 231-7, §2).

Senior managers. The ITM considers that the 70% Sunday supplement does not apply to senior managers within the meaning of Art. L. 211-27, §5 (salary significantly above average, effective management authority, broad autonomy over working hours). This exclusion is conditional on the employee actually meeting the criteria — job title alone is not sufficient.

Axis 2 — Public holidays: +100% and cumulation rules

Public holidays are listed in Art. L. 232-2. Any employee working on one of these days receives a 100% supplement, calculated differently depending on their pay structure (Art. L. 232-7):

Pay structure	Remuneration due for the public holiday worked
Hourly-paid employee	Pay for hours worked + 100% supplement on those hours
Monthly-paid employee	Normal monthly salary maintained + average hourly rate × hours worked × 100%

Cumulation: Sunday + public holiday

When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the employee is entitled to both supplements simultaneously: the 70% Sunday supplement and the 100% public holiday supplement are added together (Art. L. 232-7, §3). There is no rule selecting only the more favourable rate.

Double public holiday on the same day

If two public holidays coincide (e.g. Christmas Day and a substitute day), the employee is entitled, in addition to the usual supplements, to one day of compensatory leave to be taken within three months (Art. L. 232-7, §3 bis).

The compensatory leave for a double public holiday is frequently overlooked in payroll. It is additional to the financial supplement and cannot be replaced by an extra payment — it is a right to rest.

Axis 3 — Night work: no universal statutory supplement

Unlike Sundays and public holidays, Luxembourg common law provides no universal wage supplement for night work. Any applicable premium derives exclusively from sectoral collective agreements or contractual clauses.

Example: Hotels and restaurants (Horeca)

The Horeca sector collective agreement defines night work as hours between 23:00 and 06:00 and provides a supplement of 25% for hours worked between 01:00 and 06:00. This is a sector-specific contractual provision, not a statutory rule applicable to all employers.

Outside sectors covered by a CBA that explicitly provides night work supplements, no statutory supplement is due for nocturnal hours alone. Always verify whether a collective agreement applies to your sector before concluding that no supplement is owed.

The Labour Code does impose specific obligations for night workers (occupational health service affiliation, medical monitoring, duration limits) without establishing a universal pay supplement. These are health-protection obligations, independent of remuneration.

Axis 4 — Hourly rate calculation and summary table

Calculation base for monthly-paid employees

For monthly-paid employees, the average hourly rate used as the basis for supplement calculations is obtained by dividing the gross monthly pay by 173 hours — the standard divisor corresponding to 40h × 52 weeks / 12 months (Art. L. 211-27, §3 and Art. L. 232-7, §2). A collective agreement or sector-specific calculation method may establish a different divisor.

Summary table

Situation	Statutory supplement	Compensatory rest	Legal basis
Sunday (work > 4h)	+70%	1 full day	Art. L. 231-7
Sunday (work ≤ 4h)	+70%	½ day	Art. L. 231-7
Public holiday	+100%	—	Art. L. 232-7
Sunday + public holiday (cumulated)	+70% + 100%	1 full day	Art. L. 232-7, §3
Double public holiday	+100%	+ 1 compensatory day (within 3 months)	Art. L. 232-7, §3 bis
Night work (common law)	No statutory supplement	—	No general provision
Night work (Horeca, 01:00–06:00)	+25% (Horeca CBA)	—	Horeca collective agreement

These statutory rates are a floor. A collective agreement or employment contract may provide more favourable conditions for the employee — never less favourable.

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The information in this guide is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It may contain inaccuracies or may not reflect the latest legislative or case-law developments. For any specific situation, please consult a qualified legal professional.