What Are Rest Breaks at Work?

Rest breaks are the minimum breaks from work that the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR) give workers. There are three kinds.

• A rest break during the day. A worker whose daily working time is more than six hours is entitled to an uninterrupted break of at least 20 minutes, and to spend it away from their workstation if they have one (regulation 12). The break does not have to be paid; that depends on the contract.
• Daily rest. At least 11 consecutive hours of rest in each 24-hour period (regulation 10).
• Weekly rest. At least 24 uninterrupted hours in each 7-day period, or, if the employer chooses, two 24-hour periods or one 48-hour period in each 14 days (regulation 11).

Young workers, those over school age but under 18, get more. Their rest break is at least 30 minutes once daily working time is more than four and a half hours, their daily rest is 12 consecutive hours, and their weekly rest is 48 hours.

These are statutory minimums, so they apply to an agency worker from day one of an assignment. They do not wait for the 12-week qualifying period under the Agency Workers Regulations. What AWR adds after 12 weeks is equal treatment with the hirer's own terms on rest periods and breaks, which may be more generous than the legal minimum.

Some work has modified or excluded rules, for example certain transport, security and continuous-process roles, where the worker must usually get compensatory rest instead. A contract can always give more than the minimum. Gov.uk's rest breaks at work guide explains the rules in plain English. They apply in England, Wales and Scotland.