Today the 40-hour week is not in force: 42 hours are. The law's name is misleading, and that error has a cost, because the weekly limit in force since 26 April 2026 is 42 hours and the 40 hours only arrive on 26 April 2028. The second error, just as costly: believing that the four-day workweek is already a right. It is not yet.
En breve
Lo que casi ninguna empresa ajustó al bajar la jornada es el divisor con que se calculan las horas extraordinarias: quien no lo tocó las está pagando mal, y la diferencia se acumula mes a mes. Además, cuatro colectivos siguen en 44 horas y no bajaron a 42: transporte, agrícolas permanentes, sistemas excepcionales de distribución de jornada y jornada bisemanal.
En este artículo
- 42 hours are in force today, not 40
- The reduction applies automatically; the distribution must be agreed
- How the two hours are split when there is no agreement
- Neither a pay cut, nor at the expense of the meal break
- The value of the overtime hour goes up
- El 4×3 todavía no es un derecho general
- Working hours in cycles: averaging over up to four weeks
- Overtime offset with holiday days
- Time band for mothers, fathers and carers
- Who did not drop to 42 hours
- Part-time work, minimum wage and exemption from working-hours limits
- Attendance record: what changed and what did not
- What the inspection figures show
- Sources
Law 21,561 was published on 26 April 2023 in the Official Gazette. It did not cut working hours all at once: it set a five-year phase-in that is still running, and at each stage things change that most companies fail to adjust —the value of the overtime hour, for example—.
The pattern we see among clients is consistent: working hours were adjusted on paper, but no one reviewed the divisor used to calculate overtime, nor the attendance record, nor whether the worker listed as "excluded from working-hours limits" really is.
Esto es lo que rige al 02-09-2026.
42 hours are in force today, not 40
The first transitory article of the law provides that working hours "shall be reduced to forty-four hours in the first year; forty-two hours in the third year and forty hours in the fifth year, counted from the publication of this law in the Official Gazette".
| Colectivo | Jornada semanal vigente al 02-09-2026 | Cuándo baja a 40 horas |
|---|---|---|
| Régimen general | 42 horas, desde el 26-04-2026 | 26-04-2028 |
| Transporte interurbano de pasajeros, de carga, ferroviario, locomoción colectiva urbana y transporte rural | Sigue en 44 horas | 26-04-2028 |
| Trabajadores agrícolas permanentes | Sigue en 44 horas | 26-04-2028 |
| Sistemas excepcionales de distribución de jornada y descansos autorizados por resolución | Sigue en 44 horas | 26-04-2028 |
| Jornada bisemanal, esquema 10×5 | 84 horas desde 2026 (eran 88 desde 2024) | 80 horas en 2028 |
Si tu empresa aún tiene contratos del régimen general operando sobre 44 horas, está infringiendo la ley desde abril pasado.
The reduction applies automatically; the distribution must be agreed
Here it is worth distinguishing two things that are constantly confused.
The reduction of the weekly limit applies by operation of law. The second transitory article is explicit: the amendments relating to the reduction of working hours "shall be deemed incorporated into individual contracts, collective bargaining instruments and internal regulations by the sole operation of the law, without any need to amend them". Nothing needs to be signed for the cap to drop.
The distribution of those hours, on the other hand, does require agreement. The third transitory article provides that the adjustment of the daily working hours "must be carried out by mutual agreement between the parties or through the trade unions representing their members", and only in the absence of agreement does the employer carry it out by reducing the end of the workday proportionally across the various working days.
And a point where we frequently see mistakes: the employer cannot impose a contract addendum. The Labour Directorate ruled on this in January 2026 in direct terms: the employer is not empowered to unilaterally modify the contract or to require the worker to sign addenda without their consent.
How the two hours are split when there is no agreement
For the current bracket —from 44 to 42— the Labour Directorate set the default rule in April 2026, reconsidering its earlier doctrine on the basis of an interpretive provision contained in Law 21,755:
| Si la jornada está distribuida en | Cómo se rebajan las dos horas | Quién elige los días |
|---|---|---|
| 5 días | Una hora al end de la jornada, en dos días distintos de la semana | El empleador |
| 6 días | Cincuenta minutos al término de la jornada en dos días distintos, más la fracción de twenty minutes on a third day: 120 minutos en total | El empleador |
The days are determined by the employer. The reduction is applied at the end of the workday, not at the start.
Neither a pay cut, nor at the expense of the meal break
The final paragraph of the first transitory article admits no alternative reading: "The application of this law may under no circumstances represent a reduction in the remuneration of the benefited workers."
You work less and earn the same. Where there is variable remuneration —commissions, piece rates, volume targets—, the employer must adjust the parameters so that the reduction in working hours does not translate into a loss of income.
And an escape route that the Labour Directorate expressly closed in November 2025: the reduction in working hours cannot be charged against the meal-break time. Deducting half an hour of the meal break to "offset" the reduction is not a valid adjustment.
The value of the overtime hour goes up
This is the effect most often overlooked, and it is the one that shows up in inspections.
The value of the ordinary hour is obtained by dividing the monthly salary by 30, multiplying by 28 and dividing the result by the divisor corresponding to the working hours. With 42 hours per week the divisor is 168. The overtime hour is that ordinary hour multiplied by 1.5 —the 50% surcharge under article 32 did not change—.
| Jornada semanal | Divisor | Hora ordinaria con sueldo de $800.000 | Hora extraordinaria (× 1,5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 horas (régimen anterior) | 180 | $4.148 | $6.222 |
| 42 horas (vigente) | 168 | $4.444,4 | $6.666,6 |
| 40 horas (desde el 26-04-2028) | 160 | $4.666,7 | $7.000 |
The example published by the Labour Directorate itself: a salary of $800.000 gives an ordinary hour of $4.444,4 and an overtime hour of $6.666,6.
The other overtime rules remain in force: a maximum of two per day, agreed in writing with a term no longer than three months, renewable, and all hours worked over the agreed working hours are considered overtime even where there is no prior agreement.
The "4x3" is not yet a general right
Here we must be categorical, because the headline circulated much faster than the fine print.
The law did indeed replace, in article 28 of the Labour Code, the expression "five days" with "four days", so that working hours may be distributed over no fewer than four and no more than six days. But that provision was placed in the group that only takes effect in the fifth year, that is, from 26 April 2028, together with the 40 hours. Today the legal minimum is still five days.
With one relevant nuance: in February 2026 the Labour Directorate accepted that the parties agree in advance the reduction to 40 hours and its distribution over four days, even with a set term —as a trial run—, respecting the maximum of 10 hours per day. That is: today the 4x3 is possible by agreement, not enforceable as a right.
Working hours in cycles: averaging over up to four weeks
The new article 22 bis allows the parties to agree different alternatives for distributing working hours within a cycle, averaging them over up to four weeks. Rules:
- No individual week may exceed 45 ordinary hours, and it may not be kept at that limit for more than two consecutive weeks in the cycle.
- The parties must set by mutual agreement a schedule with the daily distribution.
- The employer must communicate the alternative that will apply in the next cycle with at least one week's notice.
- If the worker is unionised, it also requires the prior agreement of the trade union.
- Only through collective bargaining or a direct agreement with unions, and with respect to their members, can that weekly cap be raised to 52 hours.
It is the most useful tool for companies with marked seasonality, and the least used, because it requires prior planning that almost no one does.
Overtime offset with holiday days
The law added to article 32 the possibility of agreeing in writing que las horas extraordinarias se compensen con días adicionales de feriado, en lugar de pagarse.
| Regla | Detalle |
|---|---|
| Tope anual | Up to five business days de descanso adicional |
| Equivalencia | Por cada hora extraordinaria, una hora y media de feriado |
| Plazo de uso | Dentro de los seis meses siguientes al ciclo en que se originaron las horas |
| Aviso del trabajador | 48 horas de anticipación |
| Si no los solicita a tiempo | Corresponde su pago dentro de la remuneración del período respectivo |
| Qué se entiende por «año» | La anualidad de cada contrato contada desde el inicio de la relación laboral, no el año calendario |
| Fraccionamiento | In días completos: no en medios días ni en horas |
| Compensación mixta | Se admite —parte en dinero, parte en días— siempre in writing |
Time band for mothers, fathers and carers
Article 27 gave workers who are mothers or fathers of children up to twelve years old, and those who have their personal care, the right to a band of two hours in total, within which they may bring forward or push back by up to one hour the start of their work, which also determines the finishing time. If both parents work, either may use it at the mother's choice.
It is evidenced by providing the birth certificate or the ruling granting personal care.
What is worth knowing from the employer's side: it cannot be refused at will. It may only do so when the company operates on a schedule that does not allow bringing forward or postponing working hours, or by the nature of the services —serving the public, shifts, guard duties or similar, insofar as they require presence at a specific time—. In the event of a dispute, it is resolved by the Labour Inspector.
Who did not drop to 42 hours
Este es el error más probable en una revisión de contratos hecha a la ligera. No todos bajaron el 26 de abril de 2026: los colectivos de la tabla del comienzo quedaron para el quinto año, el 26 de abril de 2028.
The fortnightly working-hours arrangement does have its own phase-in: for the 10x5 scheme, the Labour Directorate set 88 hours from 2024, 84 hours from 2026 and 80 hours in 2028.
The workers in private households also entered the gradual reduction and, moreover, live-in workers have had, since April 2024, the right to two additional paid days per month for free disposal.
Part-time work, minimum wage and exemption from working-hours limits
Three consequences arising from the reform that are worth reviewing contract by contract.
Part-time work was redefined: today it is 30 hours per week or less, and no longer the equivalent of two-thirds of the ordinary working hours.
The minimum wage is not pro-rated when hours drop from 45 to 42. The Labour Directorate clarified this in December 2025: for working hours over 30 hours per week, the monthly minimum wage applies in full, without proportional calculations. Only part-time work —30 hours or less— allows proportionality.
The exemption from working-hours limits was narrowed. Article 22, second paragraph, is interpreted restrictively and with primacy of reality: the reform removed the grounds based on geographical criteria or on the use of technological means to provide services outside the establishment. In April 2026 the Labour Directorate added two criteria that apply to any internal review: the mere availability of technological tools is not decisive —what matters is whether they are actually used as an instrument of direct oversight—, and periodic reporting of results does not constitute immediate superior oversight.
Put another way: the "position of trust" label in the contract is worthless if in practice there is direct control over the manner and timing of the work.
Attendance record: what changed and what did not
It is worth dispelling a myth: there is no mandatory electronic record imposed by the Labour Directorate. Article 33 of the Labour Code maintains three alternative systems —a paper attendance book, a time clock with cards, and an electronic system— and the employer must keep only one.
What did change: the Exempt Resolution No. 38, of 26 April 2024, published in the Official Gazette on 9 May 2024, established mandatory requirements and an authorisation procedure for electronic systems. It does not require migrating to electronic; it requires that, if that route is chosen, the platform be authorised by the Labour Directorate. The authorisation is granted to the provider —the employer does not have to request it again— and is valid for two years.
Beware of this last point: the system's authorisation does not exempt the employer from being inspected and penalised for how it uses it.
What the inspection figures show
It is not a decorative law. According to the report published by the Labour Directorate in February 2026, since it began enforcing compliance with Law 21,561 on 26 April 2024 it received 2,823 complaints, carried out 21,268 inspections and applied 1,251 penalties, for a total exceeding MM$3.318 in fines.
The most frequent complaint, with 1,125 cases — 39,8% of the total—, was exceeding the ordinary weekly working hours. And among the most penalised matters in the 2022-2025 period, appearing with significant volume, are failing to keep the attendance and working-hours record correctly, and outright failing to keep it.
The three things that get inspected go together: working hours, record-keeping and misapplied exemptions.
How we help at C&C
We review your contracts and your working-hours distribution against the bracket in force, we put the adjustment agreement in writing —or correctly apply the default rule if there is none—, we recalculate the value of the ordinary and overtime hour with the corresponding divisor, we assess whether a cycle-based working-hours pact or an overtime-for-holiday offset suits you, we review the article 22 exemptions case by case, and we get your attendance record in order before the inspection arrives. It is part of our payroll & HR service
Keep reading: the Ley Karin and workplace harassment. Y si necesitas calcular un término de contrato, usa nuestra calculadora de finiquito.
Sources
Ley y Código del Trabajo. Contenido revisado el 02-09-2026.
- Ley N° 21.561, publicada en el Diario Oficial el 26-04-2023 — artículos primero, segundo y tercero transitorios: gradualidad, incorporación de pleno derecho y adecuación de la jornada diaria.
- Ley N° 21.755 — norma interpretativa a partir de la cual la Dirección del Trabajo reconsideró su regla supletoria de distribución.
- Código del Trabajo, art. 22 inciso segundo — exclusión de limitación de jornada, de interpretación restrictiva.
- Código del Trabajo, art. 22 bis — jornada en ciclos de hasta cuatro semanas, con tope de 45 horas por semana y de 52 solo por negociación colectiva.
- Código del Trabajo, art. 27 — banda horaria de dos horas para madres, padres y cuidadores de niños de hasta doce años.
- Código del Trabajo, art. 28 — distribución en no menos de cuatro días, vigente recién desde el 26-04-2028.
- Código del Trabajo, art. 32 — recargo de 50% de la hora extraordinaria y compensación con días de feriado.
- Código del Trabajo, art. 33 — los tres sistemas alternativos de registro de asistencia.
Doctrina y fiscalización de la Dirección del Trabajo.
- Resolución Exenta DT N° 38 de 26-04-2024, publicada en el Diario Oficial el 09-05-2024 — requisitos y autorización de los sistemas electrónicos de registro de asistencia, con vigencia de dos años y otorgada al proveedor.
- Dictamen de marzo de 2024 y de febrero de 2025 — la anualidad del contrato como «año», fraccionamiento en días completos y compensación mixta.
- Dictamen de noviembre de 2025 — la reducción de jornada no puede imputarse al tiempo de colación.
- Dictamen de diciembre de 2025 — el ingreso mínimo mensual se paga íntegro en jornadas superiores a 30 horas semanales.
- Dictamen de enero de 2026 — el empleador no puede modificar unilateralmente el contrato ni exigir la firma de anexos.
- Dictamen de febrero de 2026 — admite pactar anticipadamente las 40 horas distribuidas en cuatro días, respetando el máximo de 10 horas diarias.
- Dictamen de abril de 2026 — regla supletoria de distribución para el tramo de 44 a 42 horas, y criterios sobre la exclusión del art. 22.
- Balance de fiscalización de la Dirección del Trabajo, febrero de 2026 — 2.823 denuncias, 21.268 fiscalizaciones, 1.251 sanciones y más de MM$3.318 en multas desde el 26-04-2024.
Shall we get your company ready for the 42-hour week? Talk to us and we review your contracts and your attendance record. You can also write to us via WhatsApp.
Este artículo tiene fines informativos y refleja la normativa vigente al 02-09-2026. No sustituye una asesoría particular: cada caso depende de los antecedentes específicos y las obligaciones pueden variar según la situación de cada empresa.
Claudio Cortés is a founding partner of C&C Contadores Auditores, a Chilean accounting, audit and tax advisory firm. Chartered Accountant-Auditor and holder of a Master's in Taxation from the University of Chile. About us · LinkedIn