Reasonable additional hours
Whether extra hours are reasonable is decided by weighing a list of factors in the Fair Work Act. The list, a way to use it before a long week is rostered, and what to keep a note of.
General information only, not legal advice. Rules differ between awards, agreements, contracts and states, and what applies depends on the employee. Check the official source, and ask a workplace relations professional when it matters.
The short answer
An employee can be asked to work more than their maximum weekly hours when the additional hours are reasonable, and can refuse them when they are not.
The Fair Work Act lists what is taken into account, and no single factor decides it. A note of the request, the answer and the reasons is what shows the factors were weighed.
| Factor in section 62 | A question to ask |
|---|---|
| Any risk to health and safety | Is this person tired, or already working long weeks? |
| Personal circumstances, including family responsibilities | Do they care for somebody, study, or have another job? |
| The needs of the workplace | What happens if the hours are not worked? |
| Whether they are paid for working additional hours | Does their pay include overtime, penalty rates, or a salary that allows for them? |
| Notice of the request, and of a refusal | How far ahead was it asked, and answered? |
| The usual patterns of work in the industry | Is this normal for the job and the trade? |
| The nature of the role and its responsibility | Is this a role where longer weeks are expected? |
| Whether the hours fit an averaging arrangement | Is there an averaging term that allows this week? |
| Any other relevant matter | Anything else that changes the picture |
Official sources
Check the rule against these, in their current versions, before relying on it.
| Source | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Fair Work Act 2009 | Section 62, including the factors in subsection (3) |
| Fair Work Ombudsman: hours of work | Maximum weekly hours, reasonable additional hours and averaging |
Worked examples
General examples of where to look. They are not advice about any particular employee.
| Situation | What to check |
|---|---|
| A salaried manager is asked to stay for a stocktake one night a quarter | The role, the salary and the notice all count toward the hours being reasonable |
| A casual who collects their child at 15:00 is asked to stay until 17:00 at an hour’s notice | Family responsibilities and the short notice both count toward a refusal being reasonable |
| A full-time cook is asked for a sixth shift every week | A pattern of long weeks weighs on health and safety, however each week is asked for |
Employer checklist
- Ask for extra hours, rather than rostering them and waiting for objections
- Give as much notice as you can
- Check the award for what those hours are paid
- Write down the request, the answer and the reasons
- Notice patterns, such as the same person asked every week
What Roster Flow records, and what it does not decide
- Weeks longer than the ordinary week you set, in the reports
- The published roster, and every change to it with who made it and when
- Open shifts offered to the people who could work them, with who said yes
- Whether a request, a refusal or a number of hours is reasonable
- What anybody is paid, including penalty rates, loadings and overtime
Review log
13 September 2026: written by Roster Flow from the structure of the National Employment Standards and modern awards.
18 September 2026: every statement on this page checked against the official sources it names, by Roster Flow. It is general information, not advice from a workplace relations professional.
What that check covers, and what to confirm for your own situation:
- The wording of each factor in section 62(3)
- Whether additional hours must be requested rather than rostered
- That every source link opens the current version of the source
Questions
What do the rules say about reasonable additional hours?
An employee can be asked to work more than their maximum weekly hours when the additional hours are reasonable, and can refuse them when they are not.
Is there more to reasonable additional hours than that?
The Fair Work Act lists what is taken into account, and no single factor decides it. A note of the request, the answer and the reasons is what shows the factors were weighed.
Does Roster Flow decide reasonable additional hours for me?
No. It does not interpret an award and it does not work out what anybody is paid. Whether a request, a refusal or a number of hours is reasonable stays with the business and its own advisers, and this page is general information rather than advice about your situation.
Where do the rules on reasonable additional hours come from?
Fair Work Act 2009, covering section 62, including the factors in subsection (3). Fair Work Ombudsman: hours of work, covering maximum weekly hours, reasonable additional hours and averaging. Read them in their current versions before you rely on anything here, because they change.