BULGARIA Law and Practice Contributed by: Diana Milkova and Victoria Penkova, Penkova & Partners Law Firm
Flexible Working Time Employers may set flexible working hours with variable limits, determining when employees must be at work and how attendance is recorded. Outside of manda - tory hours, employees can choose when to start their workday. Any unworked hours may be made up on subsequent days within the same working week. The method for tracking working hours is outlined in the employer’s internal labour regulations. Shift Work Where the nature of the production process requires it, work is organised into two or more shifts. The rotation schedule for shifts is determined by the employer’s internal regulations. Allocation of Working Time Working time is typically calculated on a daily basis, but the employer may opt for a summarised calcula - tion of working hours. This requires the employer to specify a reporting period, ranging from one to four months, during which the total working time is calcu - lated. A collective agreement may extend this period to a maximum of 12 months. Daily and Weekly Rest Employees are entitled to an uninterrupted daily rest period of at least 12 hours. In a five-day working week, employees must receive two consecutive days off, one of which should, in principle, be Sunday. This ensures a weekly rest period of no less than 48 con - secutive hours. In cases of summarised working time, the weekly rest period must be at least 36 consecutive hours. Part-Time The parties to an employment contract may agree on part-time work, where the employee works a reduced portion of the statutory working time. The contract should specify the duration and scheduling of these reduced hours. Overtime Overtime refers to work performed beyond the agreed-upon working hours, either at the employer’s request or with their knowledge and consent. Over - time is generally prohibited, with exceptions allowed for tasks that cannot be completed within regular
working hours. Employees may refuse overtime if the conditions set out in the Labour Code, collec - tive agreements, or other relevant regulations are not adhered to. The maximum amount of overtime work allowed in a calendar year is 150 hours, or 300 hours in cases covered by a collective agreement. Specific limits on overtime include: • 30 hours of day work or 20 hours of night work in one calendar month; • six hours of day work or four hours of night work in one calendar week; and • three hours of day work or two hours of night work across two successive working days. Overtime pay is agreed upon by the parties but must meet the following minimum requirements: • 1.5 times the normal wage for overtime on regular working days or under summarised working time; • 1.75 times the normal wage for work on weekends; and • double the normal wage for work on public holi - days. Work performed on public holidays, whether overtime or not, must be compensated at no less than double the employee’s regular wage. 1.4 Compensation Minimum Wage The minimum wage in Bulgaria is determined annu - ally by the Council of Ministers, along with the types and minimum amounts of additional labour remunera- tion and benefits that are not already specified by the Labour Code. For 2025, the minimum monthly wage is set at BGN1,077. The minimum wage for the following calendar year is calculated using a formula defined in the Labour Code and cannot be lower than the minimum wage set for the previous year. Monthly Gross Labour Remuneration The monthly gross labour remuneration of the employ - ees shall include:
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