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Working hours in the United States

Offices in the United States typically run 09:00–17:00 local time, Monday to Friday. That is about 40 hours a week across 5 working days.

The week in the United States

  1. Mon 09:00–17:00
  2. Tue 09:00–17:00
  3. Wed 09:00–17:00
  4. Thu 09:00–17:00
  5. Fri 09:00–17:00
  6. Sat off
  7. Sun off

When can you reach the United States?

We use the time zone your browser reports. Change it if that is not where you work — the hours below are yours, not UTC.

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Working with the United States: what the hours do not tell you

No federal working day, only an overtime line

Federal law does not set office hours or a maximum working day for adults. The Fair Labor Standards Act requires covered, non-exempt employees to be paid time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek, and that is the whole of the federal rule. Nine to five is a convention; salaried professionals are often exempt from overtime and keep longer days.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor — Overtime Pay

No legal right to vacation or holidays

The FLSA does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations or holidays; these are left to the employer. The eleven federal holidays bind federal offices, and most large employers observe some of them, but not all and not the same ones. Check whether your counterpart is off on Columbus Day or the day after Thanksgiving rather than assuming.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor — Vacation Leave; OPM — Federal Holidays

Four zones on the mainland, three hours coast to coast

The contiguous states span Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time, with Alaska and Hawaii beyond; the Department of Transportation draws the boundaries. This page uses New York. When San Francisco starts at 09:00 it is already noon in New York, so a nine-to-five day on each coast shares only five hours, and most of Arizona does not change its clocks in summer at all.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation — Uniform Time

Working with the United States

Hours you share with the United States, computed from each country's own working day rather than a blanket nine-to-five.

What this changes when you schedule

the United States keeps the Saturday and Sunday weekend, so the days line up with most of Europe and the Americas.

A national convention for offices. Individual employers, shift work and retail vary.

Sources and last check

Times, offsets and sun positions on this page are computed live from the IANA timezone database and the NOAA solar algorithm, so they do not depend on the review dates below.

Working hours and weekend days for 55 countries
Source: Published national labour conventions and government working-hours guidance. Last checked, reviewed every 12 months.
Not covered:A national convention, not any given employer. Countries not listed fall back to a nine-to-five, Monday to Friday default, and pages say so rather than implying we checked.

FAQ

What are normal working hours in the United States?

09:00–17:00 local time is the usual office day, about 8 hours.

What days is the working week in the United States?

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. The rest days are Saturday and Sunday.

Is Saturday a working day in the United States?

No. Saturday is a rest day in the United States.

Is Sunday a working day in the United States?

No. Sunday is a rest day in the United States.