The rules in the Wages Order
- Normal week: not more than 52 hours spread over six days (paragraph 5(1)). For night work the normal week is up to 60 hours (paragraph 5(2)).
- Overtime on normal days: time worked beyond the normal hours for the week is paid at one and one-half times the normal hourly rate (paragraph 6(1)(a)).
- Rest days and public holidays: paid at twice the normal hourly rate (paragraph 6(1)(b)).
- Hourly rate for monthly staff: where you are not paid by the hour, the basic hourly rate is taken to be not less than 1/225 of the basic monthly wage (paragraph 6(2)).
- Cap: normal hours plus overtime may not exceed 116 hours in any two consecutive weeks, or 144 hours for night workers (paragraph 6(3)).
These are minimums. A contract or CBA that pays more applies instead, and the Order does not cover the agricultural industry, which has its own Order.
Worked example: KES 45,000 basic, 10 hours plus a public holiday
- Hourly rate: KES 45,000 divided by 225 is KES 200.
- 10 hours beyond the normal week at 1.5x: 10 times KES 300 is KES 3,000.
- 8 hours on a public holiday at 2x: 8 times KES 400 is KES 3,200.
- Overtime for the month: KES 6,200 before tax.
- Added to the month's pay, it carries about KES 1,670 of PAYE and KES 635 of NSSF, SHIF and Housing Levy, so you keep about KES 3,895.
What we assumed
- Basic pay, not minimum wage: the Order says the hourly rate is not less than 1/225 of the basic minimum monthly wage. We apply 1/225 to your actual basic pay, which gives at least the legal minimum when you earn more than minimum wage. You can change the divisor to match your contract.
- You enter overtime hours: count only hours beyond your normal week (52, or 60 for night work, unless your contract sets fewer) in the first box, and rest-day or holiday hours in the second.
- Tax: KRA lists overtime as taxable cash pay. We add it to the month's gross and recompute PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and the Levy.
- Text checked: we read Kenya Law's consolidated version of 26 June 2026, which includes the 2024 and 2026 wage orders. Its notes show paragraphs 5 and 6 were last amended in 1987; the 2026 orders replaced only the wage schedule. If you are covered by a sector order or CBA, check it.
To check the overtime on an actual payslip, enter the month's full gross in the payslip checker.
Sources
- Kenya Law, Regulation of Wages (General) Order, Legal Notice 120 of 1982, paragraphs 5 and 6 (consolidated version of 26 Jun 2026). Read 25 Oct 2026.
- Kenya Law, Employment Act (Cap. 226), section 27 (at least one rest day in every seven days). Read 25 Oct 2026.
- KRA, PAYE (overtime is taxable cash pay). Read 25 Oct 2026.