The working day in Justice drops to 35 hours per week

The Official State Gazette publishes this Monday, September 21, 2026, the two resolutions that establish the new working day for personnel in the service of the Administration of Justice: 35 hours of effective work per week, equivalent to 1,512 annual hours. The measure was decided by the Directorate General for the Efficiency of the Public Justice Service and the General Secretariat for Innovation and Quality of the Public Justice Service, in BOE no. 233, section I, with references BOE-A-2026-19524 and BOE-A-2026-19525. Both regulations enter into force the day following their publication, that is, September 22, 2026.

The Resolution of September 15, 2026, signed by Director General Verónica Ollé Sesé, regulates the working day of the personnel in the service of the Administration of Justice contemplated in article 470 of Organic Law 6/1985, of July 1, of the Judiciary. The Resolution of September 17, 2026, signed by General Secretary Sofía Puente Santiago, does the same for the Corps of Lawyers of the Administration of Justice.

The two texts develop the mandate of article 500 of the LOPJ and adapt the working day to the framework established by the Resolution of April 14, 2026, of the Secretary of State for Public Function, which established 35 weekly hours for the General State Administration and 37.5 hours under a special dedication regime. Until now, the working day in Justice was 37.5 weekly hours and 1,625 annual hours. The resolutions were reported by the autonomous communities with assumed competencies and negotiated with trade union organizations in the Sectoral Table of the Administration of Justice; in the case of the lawyers, also by the Secretariat Council.

General working day and special dedication

The third point of both resolutions sets the duration of the general working day at 35 hours of effective work per week on average in annual terms, equivalent to 1,512 annual hours. Those under a special dedication regime will perform a maximum working day of 37.5 weekly hours.

It is the responsibility of the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts and the autonomous communities with assumed competencies to distribute that working day and set the schedules, following a report from the General Council of the Judiciary and negotiation with trade union organizations. These same bodies are responsible for determining which services or positions in the Job Position List must be provided under a special dedication regime.

Summer, reduced working day and compensations

• Summer schedule: between June 16 and September 15, both inclusive, an intensive schedule of 32.5 hours per week may be established for personnel with a general schedule.
• Reduced schedule for personal interest: five hours of uninterrupted effective work from Monday to Friday, with 75% of the full-time remuneration.
• This reduction may not be granted to those who must provide services under a special dedication regime and is incompatible with the reductions in articles 48 and 49 of the Basic Statute of Public Employees.
• Hourly compensation: each hour worked between 17:00 and 22:00, Monday to Friday, counts as two effective hours; each hour between 22:00 and 7:30 the following day, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, counts as two and a half hours.
• These do not apply during on-call service nor when the extension derives from special schedules or working days, paid extension agreements, or the voluntary flexible part of the schedule.
• Excess over the monthly schedule is compensated in the flexible schedule of the following month or with leave days, and the calculation is performed by calendar months.

Labor Calendar and On-Call Shifts

The annual labor calendar shall be approved before January 1 of each year and must state the direct citizen service hours, the number of hours to be completed each month, and the summer schedule. Flexible entry and exit times may be established, guaranteeing a number of mandatory continuous attendance hours, and schedules must respect public hearings and the provisions of article 135 of the Law 1/2000, of January 7, on Civil Procedure.

The working day during traditional festivities may not exceed a maximum of five days per year in the same locality. On-call services will continue to be governed by the Resolution of December 5, 1996, of the Secretary of State for Justice, with the right to rest under the same terms regulated therein.

The change affects thousands of public employees of the Administration of Justice throughout Spain and reduces the work week by 2.5 hours and the annual total by 113 hours compared to the previous regime, in addition to homogenizing the schedule with the General State Administration. The entry into force, on September 22, requires the competent bodies to readjust calendars and schedules.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 233, of September 21, 2026, Sec. I. General Provisions, pages 124121-124128 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-19524 and BOE-A-2026-19525).