UK household-employer guide
Domestic staff hours & overtime
The 48-hour rule is not the whole answer for a nanny or housekeeper. Adult domestic workers in a private household have a specific exception, while rest, overtime, on-call time and pay still need to be handled correctly.
How many hours can a nanny or housekeeper work?
For most adult workers, the general rule is an average maximum of 48 hours a week, normally averaged over 17 weeks. GOV.UK lists a domestic servant in a private household as an exception to that general weekly limit. That means a household should not simply copy the ordinary 48-hour cap into every domestic-staff situation. This is general information only: employment status, age and the actual arrangement matter, so households should use current GOV.UK and Acas guidance for the individual case.
The exception is not permission to treat the role as unlimited availability. Acas confirms that adult domestic workers in a private household still have rights to rest: a 20-minute break when working more than six hours, 11 hours of daily rest, and 24 hours' rest in seven days or 48 hours in 14 days. Contracted hours, actual hours, on-call restrictions, overtime and applicable minimum-wage rules still need to be managed separately. These are general statutory summaries and specific exceptions can apply, so check the current official guidance for the individual arrangement.
The weekly-hours rule changes with the worker and the arrangement.
The first question is not "Is this a nanny?" It is whether the person is an adult domestic worker employed in a private household, a young worker, or someone in another legal arrangement.
The ordinary Working Time Regulations limit is 48 hours a week on average, usually measured over 17 weeks, unless an exception or valid opt-out applies. This is a general summary, so check current GOV.UK guidance for the worker's exact position.
GOV.UK lists domestic servants in private households among the jobs that may have to work more than the ordinary 48-hour average. The rest rights described below still apply to adult domestic workers according to Acas. This is general information and the exact employment arrangement should be checked.
Young workers have stricter limits and rest rights, including a 30-minute break when working more than 4.5 hours, 12 hours' daily rest and 48 hours' weekly rest. This page otherwise focuses on adult household staff; check current GOV.UK guidance before employing a young worker.
The labels above are a navigation aid, not a legal-status test. A household should not assume that every person doing work in a home falls within the domestic-servant exception.
Adult domestic workers still have statutory rest rights.
Acas specifically confirms the core rest entitlements for adult domestic workers in private households. A contract can give more generous rest, but it should not be used to disguise working time as a break.
Count what the employee actually has to do, not only the hours printed in the contract.
Working-time questions become difficult when a household has split days, family travel, late finishes, on-call periods or live-in accommodation.
Live-in does not mean 24-hour availability.
Acas says on-call time can count as working time when the worker is required to do work or when the employer has significant control over the worker's location, activities or time. It also says sleep-in time usually counts as working time where the worker is required to stay at the workplace. This is a working-time analysis, not a complete minimum-wage calculation, and the pay rules can use a different legal test. Exact facts matter, so unusual live-in arrangements should be checked against current official guidance.
Overtime should be defined before the household needs it.
There is no automatic legal right to an overtime premium. The written terms should therefore make the household's own arrangement clear.
State whether overtime begins after the normal daily hours, weekly hours or another agreed threshold. Acas says the written statement should state what hours are classed as overtime. This is general contract guidance rather than wording for a specific employment agreement.
Make clear whether overtime must be agreed in advance, who can authorise it and how short-notice extensions to the day are recorded. The exact contractual effect depends on the agreed terms.
Acas says there is no automatic legal right to overtime pay, but the written statement should state the overtime rate. The worker's pay must still satisfy the applicable minimum-wage rules for the hours that count for minimum-wage purposes. This is general information and the pay calculation depends on the individual arrangement.
If the household and employee agree time off instead of additional pay, record the rule clearly and make sure it does not become a substitute for statutory rest. The agreement should be checked where the working pattern is unusual.
Minimum-wage treatment of live-in, sleep-in and on-call periods is a separate compliance question. For the pay test, check minimum-wage rules for domestic staff. This page does not calculate the applicable minimum-wage hours or rate.
From our work
We separate normal hours, flexibility and true off-duty time at the briefing stage.
Filipino Domestic Services' current staffing enquiry asks a household for the role, working arrangement, normal days and hours, preferred start date and a description of the household brief. Those fields matter because a headline such as "8am to 6pm" does not tell us whether there is a genuine break, a school-day split, an evening extension, travel, overnight responsibility or a live-in on-call expectation.
When a role has potential flexibility, the useful conversation is specific. Which hours are normally worked? Which extra periods happen regularly enough to belong in the job rather than being treated as occasional overtime? During a gap in the day, is the employee free to leave responsibility behind, or are they still responsible for a child, deliveries, household access or another duty? For a live-in role, when does scheduled work end and private time begin?
That distinction also protects the household from briefing one job and operating another. Filipino Domestic Services introduces candidates; the household remains responsible for the direct employment arrangement and the terms that follow. We would not treat the domestic-servant exception to the general 48-hour limit as a promise of unlimited flexibility. A stronger brief records the normal pattern, recurring extras, on-call expectations and genuine rest before the contract is finalised.
Keep contractual hours and actual hours aligned.
The contract should state normal hours and days, how they may vary, and what counts as overtime. The practical record should then show whether the real arrangement is still the one both sides agreed.
Questions about nanny and housekeeper working hours.
Can a nanny work more than 48 hours a week?
For most adult workers, 48 hours is the general weekly average limit. GOV.UK lists a domestic servant in a private household as an exception to that general limit. Adult domestic workers still have rest rights, and the contract, actual duties, overtime and minimum-wage treatment still matter. This is general information, so check the worker's exact status and arrangement.
What rest breaks does an adult domestic worker get?
Acas says adult domestic workers in a private household have the right to a 20-minute break when working more than six hours, 11 hours' rest between working days, and 24 hours' rest in seven days or 48 hours in 14 days. A contract can provide more. Specific exceptions can apply, so check current guidance for unusual arrangements.
Does a nanny have to be paid extra for overtime?
There is no automatic legal right to an overtime premium. Acas says the written statement should explain what hours count as overtime and the overtime rate. Pay must still satisfy the applicable minimum-wage rules for the hours counted for minimum-wage purposes. This is general information rather than a pay calculation.
Does a live-in nanny work all the time they are in the house?
No. Living in the household does not by itself make every hour working time. On-call or sleep-in time can count as working time where the employee is required to work, remain at the workplace or is significantly restricted by the employer. The exact facts matter, and working-time and minimum-wage tests are not identical.
Is a lunch break paid for domestic staff?
The statutory 20-minute rest break does not have to be paid unless the employment contract says it is. GOV.UK says the break should be taken in one uninterrupted block during the working day and should be a genuine break from work. Specific exceptions can apply.
Do the normal night-work limits apply to live-in domestic staff?
GOV.UK says the usual night-work limits do not generally apply to domestic staff employed in a private house. Acas separately confirms daily and weekly rest rights for adult domestic workers. A household with regular overnight duties should document the arrangement and obtain specific advice if the rota is complex.
Sources and compliance boundary.
This guide summarises current UK working-time information for household employers. It is educational content, not personalised legal, payroll or minimum-wage advice. The domestic-worker exception, employment status, age, on-call restrictions and the actual contract can change the correct treatment.
Make the rota, contract and actual week tell the same story.
Define normal working hours before placement, record how extra time will be handled, and make genuine off-duty periods visible in the household routine.