How to calculate unpaid hours and overtime in Ireland (with euro examples)

Contracted hours versus hours worked

Start with two columns for each pay period: hours the contract (or rota) said you would work, and hours you actually worked. The gap is the unpaid-hours candidate. Then apply the rate the paperwork actually gives you: normal rate, a contractual overtime rate, or TOIL. There is still no general statutory overtime premium in Ireland. Background: unpaid overtime rights and unpaid overtime in Ireland.

Keep the calculation in gross euro first. Payroll rebuilds PAYE, PRSI and USC. One clear table beats a vague complaint that "May looked light". Payslip checklist: payslips under the Payment of Wages Act.

The National Minimum Wage average check

The National Minimum Wage Act 2000 and WRC guidance treat NMW as an hourly average test. You work out pay that counts for NMW, divide by hours that count for that period, and check the result against the legal rate for your age band.

From 1 January 2026, the National Minimum Wage for workers aged 20 and over is €14.15 an hour. Age 19 is €12.74; age 18 is €11.32; under 18 is €9.91. Board is €1.27 per hour worked; lodgings are €33.42 per week or €4.77 per day (S.I. 472/2025 / WRC). Always re-check the live table on WRC National Minimum Wage or Citizens Information. Age bands and board/lodgings detail: NMW age rates, board and lodgings.

Official underpayment framing: paid below National Minimum Wage.

Worked euro examples (examples only)

Example A: weekly NMW floor on 45 hours

You are 28. In one week you work 45 hours that all count for NMW. The legal floor for age 20+ at €14.15 is:

• 45 × €14.15 = €636.75 weekly NMW floor (illustrative)

If you were paid less than €636.75 for those 45 hours, the gap is an NMW shortfall candidate before looking at what else counts as NMW pay or hours.

Example B: contracted 35 hours paid, 42 hours worked

You are 30. Contract rate €14.15 an hour. Paid for 35 contracted hours, but you actually worked 42 hours (7 unpaid extras you were asked to do).

• Gross paid: 35 × €14.15 = €495.25
• Hours that should count if those extras are NMW working time: 42
• Average: €495.25 ÷ 42 ≈ €11.79 an hour
• That average is below €14.15. Legal pay for 42 hours: 42 × €14.15 = €594.30. Gross gap vs €495.25 paid ≈ €99.05 for that week (illustrative).

Even without a contractual "time and a half", unpaid extra hours can create an NMW underpayment.

Example C: contractual overtime rate (separate from NMW)

Same week as Example B, but the contract promised overtime at 1.5 × €14.15 = €21.225 for hours after 35. The contractual overtime slice would be 7 × €21.225 = €148.575 gross on top of basic pay. That is a contractual claim, not a statutory premium. Keep the two routes distinct when you write to HR. Sector ERO/SEO rates may also apply: Employment Regulation Orders.

Hours that usually count (and traps)

For many workers, time at the workplace working counts, and so can time when you must be available at work. Ordinary rest breaks are not necessarily paid under OTWA, and they often do not count as NMW working time in the same way as productive hours. Commuting between home and a fixed workplace usually does not. Training required by the employer often does. Borderline facts need personal advice.

• Unpaid training and trial shifts
• Travel time as working time
• On-call and standby
• Working-time records
• Tips and gratuities (tips do not shore up NMW)

Do not invent a fixed Sunday or night statutory premium percentage. Sunday under OTWA section 14 is "reasonable" compensation. Night pay uplifts are contractual or sector-based if they exist at all.

From the table to a claim

Attach the week-by-week table to a written raise, then follow how to claim unpaid wages. Watch WRC time limits. For NMW, ask your employer first for a written statement of your average hourly rate (employer has four weeks to provide it) before some adjudication routes.

Paye Mes Heures can help you estimate unpaid hours in euro and dates before you email payroll or open a WRC complaint. It is a preparation aid, not a substitute for WRC calculators, Citizens Information, legal advice, or a finished Ireland WRC simulator.

Frequently asked questions

Should I multiply unpaid hours by time and a half?

Only if the contract, collective agreement, or a live ERO/SEO says so. Otherwise start at your normal rate, then run the NMW average check. Irish law does not create a general statutory overtime multiplier.

Which rate do the examples use?

The National Minimum Wage for age 20 and over from 1 January 2026: €14.15 an hour, taken from WRC / S.I. 472/2025. Re-check that page if you are reading this after a later uprating.

Do rest breaks create an NMW claim?

Not automatically. OTWA requires breaks (15 minutes after more than 4.5 hours; 30 minutes after more than 6 hours, which may include the first). Payment for those breaks is not a statutory entitlement unless the contract says otherwise. See OTWA rights guide.

Net or gross?

Lead with hours and the gross rate. Let payroll apply PAYE, PRSI and USC. Bank statements prove what landed; they do not replace the gross rebuild.

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