In the U.S., part time usually means fewer than 35 hours a week and full time 35 hours or more: that is how the Bureau of Labor Statistics counts workers. For health coverage the line is lower: under the Affordable Care Act, the IRS treats someone as full time at 30 hours a week on average, or 130 hours a month. Federal wage law sets no number at all, so your employer's definition decides most other things. In the UK, full time is usually 35 hours or more a week, with no legal minimum.
So "how many hours is part time" has three honest answers, depending on why you ask. The table below puts them side by side, and the rest of the page shows how each one works with real hours.
Who draws the line where
| Who | Full time | Part time | What it is used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | 35 hours a week or more | under 35 hours | official labor statistics |
| IRS, Affordable Care Act | 30 hours a week on average, or 130 hours a month | under 30 hours | employer health coverage rules |
| U.S. Department of Labor, FLSA | not defined | not defined | minimum wage and overtime apply either way |
| UK government guidance | usually 35 hours or more | fewer hours than a full time worker | equal treatment of part time workers |
| Your employer | its own policy | its own policy | benefits, paid time off, scheduling |
The BLS definitions describe full time workers as those who "usually work 35 or more hours per week". The word "usually" matters: one short week does not turn a full time worker into a part time one in the statistics.
The U.S. Department of Labor says the Fair Labor Standards Act "does not define full-time employment or part-time employment", and that the question is generally one for the employer. It also says the status does not change how the FLSA applies, which is the point many people miss: a part time worker has the same minimum wage and overtime rights as a full time one.
How many hours a week is part time?
Anything under the full time line, so under 35 hours by the BLS definition and under 30 for ACA purposes. In practice part time schedules cluster in a few patterns. Here is what each one adds up to:
| Hours per week | Per day (5 days) | Per month (x 52 ÷ 12) | Per year (x 52) | BLS | ACA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 3.0 | 65.00 | 780 | part time | part time |
| 20 | 4.0 | 86.67 | 1,040 | part time | part time |
| 24 | 4.8 | 104.00 | 1,248 | part time | part time |
| 25 | 5.0 | 108.33 | 1,300 | part time | part time |
| 29 | 5.8 | 125.67 | 1,508 | part time | part time |
| 30 | 6.0 | 130.00 | 1,560 | part time | full time |
| 32 | 6.4 | 138.67 | 1,664 | part time | full time |
| 34 | 6.8 | 147.33 | 1,768 | part time | full time |
| 35 | 7.0 | 151.67 | 1,820 | full time | full time |
| 37.5 | 7.5 | 162.50 | 1,950 | full time | full time |
| 40 | 8.0 | 173.33 | 2,080 | full time | full time |
The band from 30 to 34 hours is where the definitions disagree. Someone on 32 hours a week is part time in the labor statistics, may be part time under their employer's policy, and still counts as full time for the employer's health coverage obligations.
How many hours is part time a day?
There is no daily rule. Part time is defined by the week, so 20 hours can be five days of 4 hours, four days of 5, or two days of 10. Most part time shifts fall between 3 and 6 hours, which is simply 15 to 30 weekly hours spread over five days.
The daily figure that does matter is the length of each shift after the unpaid break. A shift from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM with a 30 minute lunch is 5 hours, not 5.5. The work hours calculator handles one shift at a time, including shifts that end after midnight.
How many hours is full time?
In the U.S., 35 to 40 hours a week covers almost every full time job. 40 hours is the most common schedule and also the point where federal overtime starts: hours over 40 in a workweek are paid at 1.5 times the regular rate under 29 U.S.C. § 207(a)(1). That rule counts hours, not status, so a part time worker who picks up extra shifts and passes 40 hours in one week is owed overtime too.
A 40 hour week is 2,080 hours a year, and a 37.5 hour week is 1,950. The guide to work hours in a year explains why 2026 actually has 2,088 weekday hours and how holidays change the count.
Is 30 hours full time?
For health coverage, yes. For almost everything else, it depends on your employer. 30 hours is below the BLS line of 35 and below most employers' full time policies, but it meets the IRS test for the Affordable Care Act.
Is 32 hours full time?
Usually not, outside the ACA. Some employers run a 32 hour week as full time, which they are free to do because federal law does not define the term. If your offer letter or handbook says full time at 32 hours, that is the definition that controls your benefits.
The ACA rule in detail: 30 a week or 130 a month
The IRS page on identifying full time employees defines a full time employee as one "employed on average at least 30 hours of service per week, or 130 hours of service per month". The two numbers match: 30 hours x 52 weeks ÷ 12 months = 130.
Two details change the result more than people expect:
- Paid time off counts. An hour of service includes each hour the employee is paid for but does no work because of vacation, holiday or illness. A week of paid vacation at 30 hours counts as 30 hours of service.
- Months are not equal. Under the monthly measurement method, the test is 130 hours of service in that calendar month. Someone working 6 hours every weekday reaches 120 hours in a month with 20 weekdays and 138 in a month with 23, so the same schedule can fail the test in one month and pass it in the next.
Worked example: a schedule of Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM with a 30 minute unpaid lunch, plus Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM with no break.
| Days | Shift | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Mon, Wed, Fri | 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM minus 0:30 | 3 x 5:00 = 15:00 |
| Tue, Thu | 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM | 2 x 4:00 = 8:00 |
| Week | 23:00 |
23 hours a week is 1,196 hours a year and 99.67 hours in an average month, part time by every definition above. Add two hours to each of the five days and the week becomes 33 hours, 143 a month on average: still part time for the BLS, but full time for the ACA.
Employers can also use a look back method that measures hours over a past period and fixes the status for a later one. The rules for it are on the same IRS page; this is a calculation, not legal advice.
Full time hours in the UK
UK law does not set a number of hours for full time work. Government guidance on part time worker rights says "a full-time worker will usually work 35 hours or more a week", and a part time worker is simply someone who works fewer hours than a full time worker. Contracts usually say 35, 37.5 or 40 hours.
What the law does set:
| UK rule | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average weekly maximum | 48 hours, normally averaged over 17 weeks, with an opt out | GOV.UK, maximum weekly working hours |
| Workers under 18 | no more than 8 hours a day or 40 a week | same page |
| Paid holiday | 5.6 weeks a year, 28 days for a 5 day week | GOV.UK, holiday entitlement |
| Part time holiday | 5.6 x days worked per week, so 16.8 days for 3 days a week | same page |
Part time workers in the UK must not be treated less favourably than comparable full time workers on pay, holidays, pensions, training or promotion. One consequence worth knowing: an overtime premium generally only starts once a part time worker goes past the normal hours of a full time worker, not past their own contract hours. The UK has no statutory overtime premium at all; any premium comes from the contract.
What changes between part time and full time
Hours decide more than the paycheck. The differences that usually come with the line between the two:
- Health coverage. Employers subject to the ACA employer rules look at the 30 hour or 130 hour test.
- Benefits and paid time off. Set by employer policy in the U.S., often with a full time threshold written in the handbook. In the UK they are pro rata by law.
- Overtime. No difference. Overtime depends on hours in the workweek (U.S.) or the contract (UK), never on the label.
- Hours per year. 20 hours a week is 1,040 hours a year; 40 hours is 2,080. Annual figures like these are what employers use to compare roles or turn a salary into an hourly rate.
How to check your own hours
Definitions use averages, but pay is calculated from the hours you actually worked. To see where you stand, add up real weeks:
- Enter each day's start, end and unpaid break in the time card calculator. Times like 9:30, 930 or 9:30 PM all work.
- Read the weekly total in hours and minutes and in decimal hours. 23:30 is 23.50 hours; hours to decimal converts any total.
- Switch the period to Month to compare a calendar month against the 130 hour ACA figure.
- If any week passes 40 hours, the overtime calculator shows the overtime and gross pay for that week.
For people paid every other week, the guide to pay periods shows how many hours fall in each pay period of 2026.
If you track hours for several part time staff, the team plan keeps each person's time cards in one account with a monthly timesheet per person.
FAQ
How many hours is part time?
Usually fewer than 35 hours a week, which is the Bureau of Labor Statistics definition. For employer health coverage under the ACA, part time means averaging under 30 hours a week or under 130 hours a month. There is no definition in federal wage law, so employers set their own.
How many hours is full time?
35 hours a week or more by the BLS definition, 30 or more for ACA health coverage, and 40 in most job offers. In the UK, full time is usually 35 hours or more a week.
Is 35 hours a week full time?
Yes, by the BLS definition and by UK guidance, both of which use 35 hours as the usual starting point. An employer can still require more for its own full time benefits.
How many hours a month is full time?
130 hours of service a month for ACA purposes. A 40 hour week averages 173.33 hours a month and a 35 hour week 151.67.
Do part time workers get overtime?
Yes, in the U.S. Overtime is paid for hours over 40 in a workweek regardless of status, so a part time worker who works 42 hours in one week gets 2 hours at time and a half. In the UK, overtime pay depends on the contract.
How many hours is part time in the UK?
Anything below the employer's full time hours, which are usually 35 or more a week. There is no legal minimum or maximum for part time work, though the 48 hour average weekly limit applies to everyone.
Does paid vacation count toward 30 hours for the ACA?
Yes. Hours of service include hours paid for vacation, holidays and sick leave, even though no work was done.