{"id":18165,"date":"2026-07-27T19:23:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T00:23:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nexo.legal\/jornada-42-horas-empresas-colombia-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T13:36:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T18:36:02","slug":"jornada-42-horas-empresas-colombia-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nexo.legal\/es\/jornada-42-horas-empresas-colombia-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Jornada Laboral Colombia 2026: Qu\u00e9 Cambia en tu N\u00f3mina con las 42 Horas Semanales"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last updated: July 2026 | Nexo Legal Labor Team<\/strong><\/p>\n

As of July 15, 2026, the standard work week in Colombia dropped from 44 to 42 hours, the final step of Law 2101 of 2021. The monthly divisor used to calculate the ordinary hourly rate went from 220 to 210 hours, and this change cannot translate into a reduction of the worker’s salary. If your company is still settling overtime, surcharges, or benefits with the old divisor, there is a real risk of a Ministry of Labor penalty and labor lawsuits.<\/p>\n

This article explains, based on the official regulation, exactly what must change in your payroll this week \u2014 not on some future date, it is already mandatory.<\/p>\n

Table of Contents<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. What Law 2101 of 2021 says about working hours in Colombia<\/li>\n
  2. The real change: divisor from 220 to 210 hours<\/li>\n
  3. How overtime pay works as of July 15, 2026<\/li>\n
  4. Night and Sunday surcharges: the other change that intersects with working hours<\/li>\n
  5. What other payroll items are affected<\/li>\n
  6. Risks if your company doesn’t adjust in time<\/li>\n
  7. Checklist: what to review in your payroll this week<\/li>\n
  8. Frequently asked questions<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What Law 2101 of 2021 Says About Working Hours in Colombia<\/h2>\n

    Law 2101 of 2021, issued by the Colombian Congress, gradually reduced the maximum legal work week: from 48 hours per week to 47 in July 2023, to 46 in July 2024, to 44 in July 2025, and finally to 42 hours per week as of July 15, 2026<\/strong>. Official source: Secretar\u00eda del Senado \u2014 Ley 2101 de 2021<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    The 42-hour week can be distributed over 5 or 6 days, with at least one mandatory rest day, and a maximum of 9 hours per day without the additional hours within that limit generating an overtime surcharge. The law is clear on a point many companies overlook: the reduction in hours cannot result in a reduction of the worker’s salary.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Workers classified as management, trust, or high-responsibility positions (roles with real autonomy over their own time) fall outside this general limit and are subject to a different regime. That classification depends on the actual duties of the role, not just the job title \u2014 confirm it with your labor advisor before assuming an employee is exempt.<\/p>\n

    The Real Change: Divisor from 220 to 210 Hours<\/h2>\n

    The adjustment that most affects payroll isn’t the work week itself \u2014 it’s the divisor used to calculate the value of the ordinary hour. Previously, with a 44-hour week, the monthly divisor was 220 hours. With a 42-hour week, the new divisor is 210 hours.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
    Item<\/th>Before (44h\/week)<\/th>Now (42h\/week, as of July 15, 2026)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n
    Monthly divisor<\/td>220 hours<\/td>210 hours<\/td><\/tr>\n
    Ordinary hour formula<\/td>Monthly salary \u00f7 220<\/td>Monthly salary \u00f7 210<\/td><\/tr>\n
    Effect<\/td>\u2014<\/td>The value of each ordinary hour goes up, even though the monthly salary stays the same<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table>\n

    Since the monthly salary doesn’t change but is now divided by fewer hours, the value of the ordinary hour increases.<\/strong> This isn’t optional or gradual: if your payroll system still uses 220 as the divisor, every overtime, surcharge, and benefits calculation since July 15 is wrong.<\/p>\n

    How Overtime Pay Works as of July 15, 2026<\/h2>\n

    The 2 hours that used to be considered part of the ordinary work week (between 42 and 44 hours weekly) are now paid as overtime:<\/p>\n

    This means any worker still following a schedule designed for a 44-hour week is, in practice, generating overtime from hour 43 onward \u2014 and those hours have to be settled in payroll as such, not as ordinary work time.<\/p>\n