China uses an 8-hour day and 40-hour week. Everhour keeps task time ready for payroll review.
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A China work-hours total answers a practical payroll question: how many hours count as working time after unpaid meal or rest periods are removed. The result also shows whether the week stays within the standard working-time system of 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, or whether the record needs extended-hours, rest-day, or statutory-holiday treatment.
The calculation works best when each entry keeps start time, end time, break time, and workday type separate. China's national Labor Law and State Council hours regulation set working-hour caps, weekly rest, holidays, and overtime rules, but they do not specify one universal meal-break duration for ordinary adult employees. Employer policy, local practice, and the worker's approved schedule matter.
China records often use 24-hour time, so a clean entry reads 09:00 to 18:00 with a 1-hour unpaid meal period. An ILO working-time review of China describes meal and rest breaks as generally starting after 4 hours of work and lasting about 1 to 2 hours depending on the job, with at least 30 minutes not counted as working time.
Short work breaks need separate handling. The same ILO review notes that some enterprises provide 20-minute work breaks in the morning and afternoon after about 2 hours of work, and those work breaks count as working time. Treating every pause as unpaid understates working time, while treating a valid unpaid meal period as paid overstates the total.
Start with gross scheduled hours, subtract unpaid meal or rest time, then classify the remaining hours. Formula: gross scheduled hours minus unpaid break hours equals hours worked. If pay is also needed, multiply ordinary hours by the normal hourly wage and apply China's Labor Law overtime rates: at least 150% for extended working hours, 200% for rest-day work when compensatory leave is not arranged, and 300% for statutory-holiday work.
For example, an employee records 47 gross scheduled hours in one fixed workweek, takes 3 hours of unpaid meal or rest time, and earns ¥38 per hour. Hours worked equal 44. If 40 hours are ordinary time and 4 hours are weekday extended working hours, ordinary pay is ¥1,520 and extended-hours pay is ¥228, for a total of ¥1,748 before any separate rest-day or statutory-holiday item.
A one-off calculation is enough for checking one weekly total, correcting a simple spreadsheet, or estimating ordinary hours before payroll review. It is also enough when the worker has a standard schedule, break time is already confirmed, and no rest-day work, statutory-holiday work, or approved irregular or comprehensive working-hour system applies.
A managed workflow is the better fit when the same calculation repeats across a team. Everhour Time Tracking captures task and project hours through timers or manual entries, then feeds timesheets, reports, budgets, invoices, and payroll review. Admin controls such as approvals, reminders, locked periods, and timer behavior rules keep the record stable after review.
This content is for general information only, may not be fully up to date, and is provided without any warranty or liability.
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China's State Council regulation and official workforce guidance state that the standard system is 40 hours per week. The Labor Law text still refers to an average cap of 44 hours per week, so payroll records should follow the applicable standard working-time system and any approved exception for the worker's role.
Valid unpaid meal or rest time should be deducted from gross scheduled time. China's national rules do not set one ordinary-adult meal-break duration, but an ILO working-time review describes at least 30 minutes of meal or rest break time as excluded from working time. Short work breaks can count as working time.
China's Labor Law uses different premium categories. Extended working hours require at least 150% of normal wages. Rest-day work requires 200% when compensatory leave is not arranged. Statutory-holiday work requires 300%. A timesheet total should label the day type instead of placing every extra hour into one bucket.
Irregular or comprehensive working-hour systems require the relevant approval framework when the standard 8-hour-day and 40-hour-week system cannot be implemented because of the nature of work or production. A calculator can total hours, but the approved schedule controls how those hours are classified.
The common mistake is mixing unpaid meal periods with paid short work breaks. A 1-hour unpaid meal period reduces working time. A 20-minute work break provided during the morning or afternoon can count as working time under the ILO review's description of some enterprise practices in China.
Everhour Time Tracking lets employees record time with live timers or manual entries against tasks and projects. Admins can use approvals, locked periods, reminders, and timer rules so reviewed time stays consistent before payroll, billing, or reporting work begins.
Use Everhour Time Tracking to capture approved work hours, keep reviewed periods locked, and carry clean timesheet records into payroll review without rebuilding the week from raw entries.
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