Estonian working hours calendar
The working-hour norm of each month for a full-time employee in Estonia, with the public holidays and the shortened days before them.
Law as of 30 Sept 2026. General information, not advice for your situation.
The calendar shows, for each month, the number of working days, the public holidays, and the working-hour norm (normtunnid) of a full-time employee. Employers use the norm for hourly pay, for part-time pay, for overtime and for the working time account of each employee. It covers the years from 2025 to the next year.
How the norm is counted
- Full time is 40 hours over seven days, unless the parties agree on less (Employment Contracts Act § 43 (1)). The calendar counts 8 hours for each working day, Monday to Friday (§ 43 (2)).
- Public holidays are not working days. The calendar uses the holidays of the Public Holidays Act (§ 1 and § 2): New Year's Day (01.01), Independence Day (24.02), Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Spring Day (01.05), Whit Sunday, Victory Day (23.06), Midsummer Day (24.06), Day of Restoration of Independence (20.08), Christmas Eve (24.12), Christmas Day (25.12) and Boxing Day (26.12). Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Whit Sunday move with Easter.
- Four days are shortened by 3 hours. The employer shortens the working day before New Year's Day, Independence Day, Victory Day and Christmas Eve by three hours (Employment Contracts Act § 53). The calendar counts 5 hours for that day.
So the norm of a month = 8 hours x the working days - 3 hours x the shortened days in that month.
Worked example: 2026
| Month | Working days | Shortened days | Norm (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 0 | 168 |
| February | 19 | 1 (23.02) | 149 |
| March | 22 | 0 | 176 |
| April | 21 | 0 | 168 |
| May | 20 | 0 | 160 |
| June | 20 | 1 (22.06) | 157 |
| July | 23 | 0 | 184 |
| August | 20 | 0 | 160 |
| September | 22 | 0 | 176 |
| October | 22 | 0 | 176 |
| November | 21 | 0 | 168 |
| December | 21 | 2 (23.12 and 31.12) | 162 |
| Year | 252 | 4 | 2 004 |
December 2026, step by step: 23 weekdays, minus Christmas Eve (Thursday 24.12) and Christmas Day (Friday 25.12), is 21 working days. Wednesday 23.12 comes before Christmas Eve and Thursday 31.12 comes before New Year's Day 2027, so both are shortened: 21 x 8 - 2 x 3 = 162 hours.
Pay for work on a public holiday
When the working time falls on a public holiday, the employer pays twice the wage for that work, unless the parties agree on extra time off instead (Employment Contracts Act § 45 (2), (3)).
What it does not cover
- Years before 2025.
- A part-time employee: the norm is pro rata to the agreed hours.
- Summarised working time and shift schedules, where the hours are counted over a longer period.
- The working time limits of minors, and the rules on overtime and rest time.
The guide on termination, leave and working time covers overtime, night work and holidays, and the holiday pay calculator uses the same public holidays.
General information, not advice for your situation. The law as in force on 30.09.2026.
Sources
Related pages
- Holiday, sick pay, working time and ending employment in Estonia
The rules an Estonian employer meets once staff are on the payroll: annual holiday and holiday pay, sick pay, working time and overtime, and the end of a contract by redundancy, for a reason linked to the employee or by agreement, with notice, compensation, the final pay and the employment register.
- Hiring employees in Estonia: contracts, registration and foreign staff
What an Estonian OÜ must do before its first employee starts: the written contract, fixed terms and probation, the employment register, the minimum wage and the employer cost, family members, board members, non-EU staff and interns.
- Estonian holiday pay calculator
Work out an employee's holiday pay (puhkusetasu) in Estonia from the average calendar-day pay of the last six months, and the latest day to pay it.
- Estonian salary calculator
Work out the net pay and the employer's total cost of an Estonian salary or board member fee, with income tax, the basic exemption, social tax, unemployment insurance and the funded pension.
Reviewed on 10 Oct 2026. Law as of 30 Sept 2026. General information, not advice for your situation.