Overtime Request Form
List the days, start, end and break; the extra hours are worked out and set against the limit that applies to you, with an approval line for the manager.
Free. Fill in, print, save as PDF or download as Word without an account. Saving to your account needs a free account.
Country versions
- International
- United States *
- Korea *
- Japan *
- Germany *
* check with local advice
A template, not advice.
Read more
What it is
An overtime request asks the person who manages your time to approve extra hours before you work them, or to record them afterwards. It names the days, the start, end and break, the reason, and how the extra work will be compensated, so that the manager, payroll and the employee all have the same facts. In many countries extra hours are only allowed or paid under rules such as a manager's approval, a legal limit or a collective agreement, and a written record is the easiest way to show those rules were followed.
The form works out the hours of each line from start, end and break (an end after midnight is understood), adds them up, and sets the total against a limit that you type. It does not know the limit. The limit is different for a week, a month and a year, and it depends on your country, your contract and any agreement at work, so that box is yours to fill and the form shows the hours left under it. A choice at the top turns the same sheet into a request before the work or a report afterwards. The country versions point to the rules to check: Korea (Labor Standards Act), Japan (the 36 agreement), Germany (Working Time Act and the works council) and the United States (exempt and non-exempt employees). They are pointers, not legal advice, and the form decides nothing about pay.
When to use it
- Your manager has to approve extra hours before they are worked.
- You worked extra hours at short notice and need to report them.
- Payroll needs the hours per day, with start, end and break, to pay overtime or give time off.
- You want to watch a weekly, monthly or yearly limit.
- Your company has no overtime form and needs a simple one.
How to fill it in
- Check your name and department, which come from your saved details, and the name of the manager who approves.
- Choose whether this is a request before the work or a report afterwards, name the project and give the reason.
- Add one line per day with the kind of work, the start, the end and the break in minutes; the hours appear by themselves.
- Type the overtime you already worked in the period and the limit that applies to you, and read the hours left.
- Choose how the extra work is compensated, as your contract or policy says.
- Print or send the form for approval, and start only after it is approved if your workplace requires that.
Common mistakes
- Starting the work before approval where your workplace requires approval first.
- Forgetting the break, so the hours come out too long.
- Typing a limit from memory instead of from your contract, agreement or the law.
- Mixing periods, for example comparing a monthly limit with hours already counted per week.
- Writing a vague reason such as "work", which gives the manager nothing to decide on.
- Treating the form as proof that the overtime is allowed or paid; it only records the request.
Steps at a glance
- Fill in
- Check the preview
- Save as PDF, Word or Excel
Country versions
Pick the country you need. Each version uses the wording and layout commonly found there; a version marked “check with local advice” should be read by someone who knows the local rules before it is used.
- International (XX): Written in English, Korean, Japanese, German
- United States (US): Written in English – check with local advice
- Korea (KR): Written in Korean, English – check with local advice
- Japan (JP): Written in Japanese, English – check with local advice
- Germany (DE): Written in German, English – check with local advice
Designs
The same form in several designs. The fields and the wording stay the same; only the look changes.
- Boxed form
- Ledger
- Compact
- Banner
- Warm
- Plain (black and white)
- Modern
- Formal
- Side band
- Classic
- Minimal
- Executive
Your details fill it in
Fields that ask for your name, address or company details are filled from My details, so you do not type them again; you can still change any field for one form. Signed in, your details stay in your account; otherwise they stay in this browser only. A passport, identity or social security number is never saved.
Questions
- Does the form tell me whether the overtime is legal or paid?
- No. Limits, premium rates and exemptions come from the law of your country, your contract and any agreement at work. The form adds up hours and subtracts them from the limit you type; the notes under each country name the main statute to check, and this is not legal advice.
- Can I fill it in after the work?
- Yes. Choose "a report of hours already worked" at the top. Some employers insist on approval in advance, so ask. In some countries work that the employer knows about counts as working time even without approval.
- What if the work goes past midnight?
- Enter the end time as it is, for example 01:00. The hours are counted across midnight. Put the line on the date the work started.
- Does the form calculate overtime pay?
- No. It counts hours only. Premium rates are set by law, contract or agreement, and payroll works out the amount.
- Is this form legal, tax or accounting advice?
- No. It is a template: it gives you the usual structure and wording, not advice. Rules differ by country and case, so have someone qualified read anything that matters before you sign, send or file it.
- Which countries and designs does it come in?
- It comes in 5 country versions: International, United States, Korea, Japan, and Germany. 12 designs.
A form is a template, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Rules differ by country and case.