As a general rule: Overtime must be paid. Overtime are the hours that are worked in excess of the normal daily working hours. Overtime in the legal sense exists if your employer has ordered it or if the employer knew that you were working overtime and did nothing about it.

In certain cases, your employment contract may contain other provisions on payment for overtime. For instance, sometimes overtime is not paid, but instead you get free time to compensate for the hours worked.

It is therefore important that you keep regular records of your working hours and then compare them with the hours on your pay slip. You can note your working hours in a working hours calendar. You can find a template in different languages at www.servicestelle-gegen-zwangsarbeit.de/praxismaterialien. There are also apps that you can use to record working hours. If you are not being paid for overtime, contact a Fair Integration advice centre.