This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Minimum wage, overtime, and working-hours figures change periodically in every country covered here, often annually or more frequently, and can vary further by region, sector, or occupational category. Consult a qualified local employment attorney or payroll provider for current, role-specific figures before setting compensation or schedules. Last updated September 2026.
Working-hours limits and overtime rules are some of the most operationally relevant compliance details in LatAm hiring, they directly affect how a role can be scheduled and what it costs to run outside standard hours. Minimum wage figures change often enough that we've deliberately avoided stating specific current currency amounts here and flagged where to verify them instead; the legal structure and standard workweek, by contrast, are more stable and worth understanding country by country. For the employment-structure side of this question, see our guide to choosing an Employer of Record, and our public holidays and paid time off guide for the other scheduling variable that affects these same roles.
Mexico
Under the Ley Federal del Trabajo, the standard workday is capped at 8 hours for day shifts (Article 61), with a standard 48-hour workweek. Overtime is regulated under Article 66-68: hours worked beyond the standard schedule are paid at double the regular rate for the first 9 hours per week, and triple the regular rate beyond that, a notably strict overtime multiplier compared to many other jurisdictions. The general minimum wage is set annually by CONASAMI (Comisión Nacional de los Salarios Mínimos) and differs between the general zone and the Zona Libre de la Frontera Norte.
Colombia
Colombia's Código Sustantivo del Trabajo sets a standard workweek that has been progressively reduced in recent years under a phased legal reform, moving toward a 42-hour standard workweek; the exact applicable limit depends on the effective date of that phase-in, worth confirming for the current year. Overtime (Articles 159-168) is generally compensated at a 25% surcharge for daytime overtime and 75% for nighttime overtime, on top of the ordinary hourly rate, with additional surcharges for work on Sundays and holidays. Colombia's minimum wage (salario mínimo mensual legal vigente, SMMLV) is set annually by the national government, typically effective each January 1, and is paired with a separate mandatory transportation allowance (auxilio de transporte) for lower-earning workers.
Argentina
Argentina's Ley de Contrato de Trabajo, together with Ley 11.544 (the jornada de trabajo law), sets a standard workday of 8 hours and workweek of 48 hours. Overtime is compensated at a 50% surcharge on ordinary days and a 100% surcharge for work on weekends or holidays. Argentina's minimum wage (Salario Mínimo, Vital y Móvil, SMVM) is set by the Consejo Nacional del Empleo, la Productividad y el Salario Mínimo, Vital y Móvil and adjusted periodically given the country's inflationary environment, more frequently than an annual cycle in many recent years. Many roles are also governed by a sector-specific collective bargaining agreement that can set higher minimums than the SMVM floor.
Brazil
Brazil's CLT sets a standard workday of 8 hours and workweek of 44 hours (Article 58), with overtime (Article 59) generally compensated at a minimum 50% surcharge over the normal hourly rate, though many collective agreements set a higher rate. Brazil's national minimum wage (salário mínimo) is set by federal law or decree, typically effective each January 1, and functions as a floor beneath which no formal wage may fall nationally, though many roles and regions pay well above it.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica's Código de Trabajo sets a standard workday of 8 hours for daytime work and a 48-hour standard workweek, with overtime compensated at a 50% surcharge over the ordinary hourly rate. Costa Rica's minimum wage structure is unusual in the region for how granular it is: the Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social (MTSS) publishes a detailed list of minimum wages by specific occupational category, not just a single national floor, and revises it periodically.
Why the Overtime Multiplier Matters More Than the Headline Wage
For most professional and technical nearshore roles, the base salary sits comfortably above the local minimum wage, so the overtime rules end up mattering more day-to-day than the wage floor itself. Mexico's tiered double-then-triple overtime rate, in particular, makes an informal "just work through it" expectation for occasional after-hours work a real cost and compliance issue if it becomes a regular pattern rather than a rare exception. Scheduling roles within standard hours, and treating routine overtime as an exception requiring approval and correct payment rather than an unstated norm, keeps this from becoming a liability. RapiStaffing's payroll management services handle this calculation as part of ongoing compliance rather than leaving it to be reconstructed after the fact. See our payroll tax and withholding basics for how overtime pay factors into broader payroll compliance.
FAQ
Can a salaried employee in these countries be exempt from overtime, the way some U.S. roles are?
Exemptions exist in some countries for certain managerial or trust-based roles, but they're narrower and more specifically defined than the U.S. FLSA exemption categories, this isn't a detail to assume by analogy to U.S. practice.
Does time-zone-overlap scheduling with U.S. business hours create overtime issues?
Not inherently, if the schedule fits within the local standard workday and workweek. It becomes an overtime question only when actual hours worked exceed those local limits, which is worth tracking explicitly rather than assuming alignment with U.S. hours is automatically compliant.
Who's responsible for calculating overtime correctly, us or an EOR?
Through an EOR structure, the EOR as legal employer typically manages the statutory overtime calculation and payment as part of payroll; direct employment through your own entity puts that responsibility on your own payroll process.
