Reduced weekly rest: how to calculate the compensation

A reduced weekly rest lasts at least 24 hours and less than 45. The missing hours are paid back in one block, attached to another rest of at least 9 hours, by the end of the third week after. That is Article 8 of Regulation (EC) 561/2006. A 30-hour reduced rest means 15 hours to pay back.

What counts as reduced

Regular weekly rest is at least 45 hours. Anything from 24 to under 45 hours is reduced (Article 4(h)). Under 24 hours it is no weekly rest at all.

The basic rule works over two consecutive weeks. In that time the driver takes two regular rests, or one regular and one reduced (Article 8(6)). In every case the weekly rest starts no later than the end of six 24-hour periods from the end of the previous one.

Type of weekly rest	Length	Compensation
Regular	45 hours or more	none
Reduced	24 to under 45 hours	45 minus the length, by the end of the third week after
Under 24 hours	less than 24 hours	not a weekly rest

The calculation with dates

Take week A, Monday 2 to Sunday 8 November 2026. The driver rests from Saturday 7 at 06:00 to Sunday 8 at 12:00. Thirty hours.

Thirty is less than 45 and more than 24. Reduced rest. Hours to compensate: 45 − 30 = 15.

Week B runs from 9 to 15 November. Weeks A and B together need at least one regular rest, so the weekly rest in week B must last at least 45 hours. It also has to start within six 24-hour periods of the end of the reduced rest: Sunday 8 at 12:00 plus 144 hours gives Saturday 14 November at 12:00.

Compensation is due by the end of the third week after week A. Those three weeks are 9-15, 16-22 and 23-29 November. Deadline: Sunday 29 November 2026 at 24:00.

Step	Calculation	Result
Length of rest	Saturday 7, 06:00 → Sunday 8, 12:00	30 h, reduced
Hours to pay back	45 − 30	15 h
Start of week B rest	Sunday 8, 12:00 + 6 × 24 h	by Saturday 14, 12:00
Minimum length in week B	one regular rest in the two weeks	45 h
Compensation deadline	end of the third week after week A	Sunday 29 November, 24:00

Where to attach the 15 hours

The compensation block goes next to another rest of at least 9 hours (Article 8(7)). Two ways to do it.

Attach it to a regular daily rest of 11 hours: 15 + 11 = 26 hours straight.

Attach it to the 45-hour regular weekly rest: 45 + 15 = 60 hours. That makes it a rest over 45 hours taken as compensation, and it cannot be spent in the cab. It needs suitable accommodation, with the cost paid by the employer (Article 8(8)).

For an owner-driver who gets home at the weekend, the second route is the easy one, since the hours stack on a rest he would take anyway. For a driver abroad with the artic, the first avoids a hotel bill.

Watch the daily rests in the next week

Between two weekly rests a driver may take no more than three reduced daily rests (Article 8(4)). If in week B the driver rests 9 hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, all three are gone. Until the weekly rest, every daily rest must be 11 hours, or 3 + 9.

Two reduced rests in a row, international only

A goods driver in international transport may take two consecutive reduced weekly rests. Two conditions apply. The reduced rests start outside the member state where the employer is established and outside the driver’s country of residence. And within four consecutive weeks the driver takes at least four weekly rests, at least two of them regular (Article 8(6), third and fourth subparagraphs).

After two reduced rests in a row, the next weekly rest must be preceded by compensation for both (Article 8(6b)). The operator has to organise work so that the driver is able to get back to base or home before the regular rest taken as compensation (Article 8(8a)).

More moving parts here. We will cover it separately, with dates.

Rest that spans two weeks

A weekly rest that starts on a Sunday and ends on Monday counts in one of the two weeks, not both (Article 8(9)). Decide which week it belongs to and put it in the traffic office plan.

What to do in practice

As soon as a reduced rest ends, work out the missing hours and the Sunday they are due by, and put both in the diary. Plan next week’s rest at 45 hours or more. If the payback goes on top of the weekly rest, book accommodation: the cab is off limits. The general rules are in our guide to EU driving hours rules, and daily breaks in the one on the 45-minute break. The driving time calculator does these sums for you.

What this article does not cover. A dated example with two consecutive reduced rests in international transport. Rules for occasional passenger services (the 12-day derogation). National derogations under Article 13 and national penalties. We read the consolidated text of 31.12.2024 on the EU Publications Office site. General information, not legal advice.