Since 18 January 2026, an employee in Hong Kong is on a “continuous contract” after four weeks or more with the same employer if they work at least 17 hours in each week. A week under 17 hours still counts if that week and the three weeks before it add up to 68 hours or more. This is the “468 rule”. [1][2][5]
Every employee covered by the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57) gets basic protection whatever their hours, such as payment of wages, limits on deductions and statutory holidays. An employee on a continuous contract is also entitled to benefits such as rest days, paid annual leave, sickness allowance, severance payment and long service payment. [3]
What Changed From the 418 Rule to the 468 Rule?
- Before 18 January 2026 (“418”): four weeks or more with the same employer and at least 18 hours in every week. One short week broke the count. [1][2]
- From 18 January 2026 (“468”): the weekly bar is 17 hours, and a short week can still count through the 68-hour, four-week total. [1][2]
- Not retrospective. If service straddles the date, judge weeks before 18 January 2026 against 18 hours and weeks from that date against the new test. [2]
How Do You Count the 4 Weeks Under the 468 Rule?
A “week” for this test ends on Saturday, so count hours Sunday to Saturday. [6] Then check each week on its own:
- 17 hours or more that week: the week counts.
- Under 17 hours: add that week to the three weeks just before it. If the total is 68 hours or more, the week still counts. The window looks back only, not forward. [1][2]
- New hires: the employee must have worked for you throughout the four-week window, so the 68-hour route is not available in the first three weeks of a new job. Each of those weeks needs 17 hours on its own. [4]
- Leave: hours of absence on statutory leave, or on leave agreed between you and the employee (such as agreed unpaid leave), count as hours worked. [4]
| Example (illustrative) | Weekly hours, weeks 1 to 4 | Does week 4 (or the short week) count? |
|---|---|---|
| Part-timer with one quiet week | 18, 18, 18, 14 | Yes: week 4 is under 17, but the four-week total is 68 |
| Steady short hours | 16, 16, 16, 16 | No: every week is under 17 and the total is 64 |
| New hire, short second week | 20, 12, 20, 20 | No for week 2: it falls in the first three weeks, so the 68-hour route is not available |
Our own arithmetic on the official test [1][4]. Not real employees.
To test one employee, the Labour Department’s Education Tool on New “Continuous Contract” Requirement takes up to ten consecutive weeks of hours. It illustrates the test; it does not rule on a real case. [4] To track a whole roster week by week, use our Hong Kong 468 Rule Tracker.
Which Benefits Depend on a Continuous Contract?
The 468 rule did not change any benefit’s own conditions. Meeting the test does not by itself give paid leave: holiday pay, for example, still needs a continuous contract for at least three months immediately before the statutory holiday. [1][2]
Main conditions for key benefits
| Benefit | Main condition besides a continuous contract |
|---|---|
| Rest days | None: at least one rest day in every seven days. Whether rest days are paid is for employer and employee to agree |
| Statutory holiday pay | A continuous contract for at least three months immediately before the holiday |
| Paid annual leave | Every 12 months of continuous contract; 7 days a year, rising to 14 with service |
| Sickness allowance | Enough accumulated paid sickness days (2 per completed month in the first 12 months, then 4, up to 120), sick leave of at least four consecutive days (pregnancy-related exceptions apply) and a medical certificate |
| Maternity and paternity leave pay | A continuous contract for at least 40 weeks, plus notice or the required documents |
| Severance payment | At least 24 months of continuous contract and a qualifying dismissal, such as redundancy |
| Long service payment | At least 5 years of continuous contract and a qualifying termination |
Main conditions only, not every rule. Source: Labour Department, A Concise Guide to the Employment Ordinance [3].
What Should HR Do About the 468 Rule Now?
In a dispute, the employer has to prove that a contract is not continuous. [1][3] Your hours records are the evidence.
- Keep weekly hours. The statutory wage and employment record covers the past 12 months and, where applicable, hours per wage period, not per week. [3] Keeping Sunday-to-Saturday totals for anyone who works under 17 hours in a week makes the test easy to show.
- Re-check part-timers. Review any week under 18 hours since 18 January 2026 against the new test. A week that now counts can affect holiday pay, annual leave and other benefits.
- Correct how documents describe the law. Where handbooks or offer letters state the statutory test as “18 hours a week”, update it to the 468 test. This corrects the description only; it does not reduce any benefit already agreed in a contract.
For a specific case, call the Labour Department enquiry hotline on 2717 1771 (handled by 1823). [2]
Sources (accessed 9 Nov 2026, UTC+8)
- Labour Department, “Revise the ‘Continuous Contract’ Requirement under the Employment Ordinance”. https://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/news/EAO2025.htm
- Labour Department, “Frequently Asked Questions” on the Employment (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 (09/2025), Q1–Q4. https://www.labour.gov.hk/common/public/lrd/Frequently_asked_questions_with_answers_EAO2025_en.pdf
- Labour Department, A Concise Guide to the Employment Ordinance (December 2025 version), Chapters 1, 2, 4 to 7 and 11. https://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/wcp/ConciseGuide/EO_guide_full.pdf
- Labour Department, “Education Tool on New ‘Continuous Contract’ Requirement” (Notes 1 and 2, and leave note). https://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/labour/Continuous_Contract_EduTool.htm
- 1823, “What is the new requirement (‘468 Rule’)?” (last reviewed 13 Oct 2026). https://www.1823.gov.hk/en/faq/about-eo-continuous-contract
- Hong Kong e-Legislation, Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57), First Schedule, paragraphs 2A and 7. https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap57!en
This Senior HR Forum article is based on public Labour Department material. It is general information, not legal advice. The Employment Ordinance is the sole authority for the law it explains; check the Labour Department’s guidance or a qualified adviser for your situation.