Reduction of working time (RTT) in the public service

Verified 28 April 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Working time reduction (WT) is a device that allows you to benefit from rest hours if your working time is actual work is longer than the legal working time. We present you this device.

Working time reduction (WT) is a device that allows you to grant hours of rest if your duration of actual work is longer than the legal term of work.

Overtime and periods on-call and permanence shall give rise to the payment of compensatory allowances or the award of compensatory rest. They are not taken into account when determining entitlements to RTT hours.

You can benefit from RTT days whether you are official (trainee or incumbent) or contractor.

You get RTT hours, i.e. rest hours, when you work more hours than the actual legal working time.

The legal duration of actual work is set at 1,607 hours per year or 35 hours on average per week.

She may be lower for certain jobs in order to take account of particular subjects (e.g. in case of night work, shift work, heavy or hazardous work).

There are different forms of working time organization:

  • Work cycles
  • Variable hours
  • Package-days regime.

The organization of work shall be determined, after consulting the Social Committee, by ministerial decree, in the civil service of the State, by deliberation, in the territorial civil service or by decision of the head of establishment, in the hospital civil service.

Work cycles

Working time can be organized according to reference periods called work cycles.

The duration of a work cycle can range from week to year.

The working time within a cycle should be 35 hours on average.

Example :

The working time can be organized in cycles of 2 weeks, including 1 week to 40 hours on 5 days to 8 hours and 1 week to 30 hours on 4 days to 7 hours 30.

If the weekly working time in a cycle is more than 35 hours all year round, you are entitled to RTT days.

The number of RTT days allocated annually is most often:

  • 3 working days per year for 35h30 weekly
  • 6 working days per year for 36 hours per week
  • 9 working days per year for 36:30 weekly
  • 12 working days per year for 37 hours per week
  • 15 working days per year for 37:30 weekly
  • 18 working days per year for 38 hours per week
  • 20 working days per year for actual work between 38:20 and 39 hours per week (particularly in the hospital civil service)
  • 23 working days per year for 39 hours per week.

Variable hours

Working time can be organized into variable hours.

This organization defines a reference period (in principle the fortnight or month in state and territorial public functions) during which you must perform 35 hours on average per week.

Depending on the tasks and requirements of the service, variable hours can be organized as follows:

  • Either they plan a minimum vacation of work per day (at least 4 hours in state and territorial public functions)
  • Either they provide for fixed ranges (at least 4 hours in state and territorial public functions) during which you must be present and mobile ranges during which you choose your arrival and departure times daily.

Example :

Fixed beaches from 9.30am to 11.30am and from 1.30pm to 4.30pm (during which you must be present) and mobile beaches from 7am to 9.30am and from 4.30pm to 7pm (during which you choose your arrival and departure times daily).

This organization allows you to choose your arrival and departure times to work within the framework that has been defined and according to service requirements.

Your working hours are counted by a pointing system.

A maximum number of hours can be charged or credited.

For a reference period of about fifteen, this ceiling may not be higher than 6 hours in State and territorial public functions. For a reference period of one month, it may not be greater than 12 hours.

If you finally complete more than 35 hours on average per week, this entitles you to RTT hours.

Package-days regime

Working time can be organized according to the package-days regime when assignments are not compatible with an hourly working time count.

This organization consists in accounting for the duration of work in number of days worked in the year (and not in hours) and to be allocated in return a fixed number of days of RTT (usually 18 days or even 20 days).

Obtaining RTT hours is linked to the effective realization working hours longer than the legal working hours.

The allocation of RTT hours is intended to avoid the completion of an annual working time longer than the legal duration.

Thus, days not worked for any reason are not considered to be actual working time and therefore do not generate RTT hours. This is particularly the case for leave granted for health reasons:

This is also the case during a maternity leave, a leave for pathological diapers or a paternity and childcare leave.

The number of hours of RTT lost in the event of absence depends on the conditions of organization of the working time:

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Variable hours

The days of absence do not give rise to any debit or any credit.

Weekly working hours exceeding 35 hours

In case of absence, a reduction quotient for the number of days of RTT shall be calculated from the following:

  • Number of days worked per year
  • Number of RTT days allocated annually
  • Number of days absent.

The number of days worked per year is at least equal to 365 - 104 days of weekly rest - 25 days of annual leave - 8 holidays on average per year, i.e. 228.

The reduction quotient for the number of days of RTT is equal to the number of days worked per year divided by the number of days of RTT.

If you reach, in the year, a single or cumulative number of days of absence equal to the reduction quotient, one day of RTT is deducted from your annual credit of days of RTT.

Example :

If you work 37 hours per week, the reduction quotient of the number of days of RTT is equal to 228 days worked per year / 12 days of RTT = 19 days.

If you are absent 19 days a year, one day of RTT is deducted from the capital of 12 days (2 days if you are absent 38 days, etc.).

RTT days are deducted at the end of the calendar year taking into account the total number of days of absence.

If the number of RTT days to be deducted exceeds the number of RTT days granted for the year, the deduction shall be made in year N+1.

If you exhaust your RTT days credit due to a long period of absence, returning to work allows you to generate rest time again.

In case of mobility, a balance of any account must be given to you.

Package-days regime

In case of absence, a reduction quotient for the number of days of RTT shall be calculated from the following:

  • Number of days worked per year
  • Number of RTT days allocated annually
  • Number of sick days in the year.

The number of days worked per year is at least equal to 365 - 104 days of weekly rest - 25 days of annual leave - 8 holidays on average per year, i.e. 228.

The reduction quotient for the number of days of RTT is equal to the number of days worked per year divided by the number of days of RTT.

If you reach, in the year, a single or cumulative number of days of absence equal to the reduction quotient, one day of RTT is deducted from your annual credit of days of RTT.

Example :

If you have 20 days of RTT, the reduction quotient of the number of days of RTT is equal to 228 days worked / 20 days of RTT = 11.4 days rounded to 11.

If you are absent 11 days a year, one day of RTT is deducted from the capital of 20 days (2 days if you are absent 22 days, etc.)

RTT days are deducted at the end of the calendar year taking into account the total number of days of absence.

If the number of RTT days to be deducted exceeds the number of RTT days granted for the year, the deduction shall be made in year N+1.

If you exhaust your RTT days credit due to a long period of absence, resuming work allows you to generate rest time again.

In case of mobility, a balance of any account must be given to you.

There are, however 2 exceptions :

  • Absence authorizations granted under the right to organize
  • And leave authorizations for which the text establishing them provides that they are treated as actual working time.

In these 2 cases, during these days of absence, you are considered to have completed the working time provided for in your work schedule.

RTT hours are granted by day or half-day under the same conditions as annual leave.

If you can not use your RTT days due to service requirements, you can keep them in a time savings account.

RTT days or half-days are paid in the usual conditions.