New working hours and service at the central Government
The Resolution of 14 April 2026, published in the Official State Bulletin (BOE) on 15 April, establishes a new regulatory framework governing working hours and the hours of work for employees of the General Administration of the State (AGE) and its public bodies, thereby fully replacing the Resolution of 28 February 2019. The regulation is issued in accordance with the competencies established in the Basic Statute of Public Employees (TREBEP) and following the relevant negotiations within the General Committee of the AGE, with the aim of updating and strengthening the organization of working time, expressly incorporating the standard 35-hour work week and expanding measures for the reconciliation of work and personal life.
The Resolution applies to civil servants and labor personnel of the General Administration of the State, management bodies, and common services of Social Security, as well as autonomous agencies, agencies, and other entities of public law linked to or dependent on the General Administration of the State to which these instructions are applicable. Military personnel and the personnel of the State Security Forces and Corps are expressly excluded; however, specific adjustments are foreseen for certain sectors with unique labor regimes (prisons, healthcare, education, or other special services).
One of the central pillars of the regulation is the establishment of a standard work week of 35 effective working hours, equivalent to 1,533 hours per year, which must be respected in all cases on an annual basis. The Resolution details the different work models (morning, morning and afternoon, afternoon, and special dedication), fixed attention hours, and flexible periods, allowing certain adjustments based on the needs of service and public opening times.
The special service regime is maintained, with a work week of 37.5 hours, as well as the possibility of requesting a reduction in working hours for personal reasons, with a proportional reduction in salary, for certain jobs and as long as it is compatible with the nature of the service. Similarly, cases of special working hours and calendars are regulated, subject to negotiation and prior authorization, and the regime of intensive summer hours is established, with special attention to cases of work-life reconciliation for the care of minors or people with disabilities.
The Resolution significantly strengthens measures to reconcile personal, family, and work life, expressly incorporating the role of the caregiver, according to article 47.2 of TREBEP and Directive (EU) 2019/1158. In this regard, it recognizes the right to flexible working hours, expands the protected circumstances, and introduces additional measures such as the gradual adjustment of working hours after particularly serious medical treatment, a bank of recoverable hours for the care of relatives, and various justified absences related to family and health responsibilities.
The regulation also comprehensively regulates the system of annual holidays, permissions, and personal matters, maintaining the general framework of 22 working days of annual holidays, with improvements linked to seniority, as well as additional holidays for public holidays that fall on working days, office closures on specific dates, and priority in taking holidays for those with dependent children. The system for calculating holidays is clarified and the applicable regulations are systematized according to the type of working hours of the civil servant.
Regarding the monitoring of working hours, the Resolution strengthens obligations related to time registration, justification of absences, and monitoring of absenteeism, establishing monitoring mechanisms and economic consequences in case of unjustified noncompliance, without prejudice to any disciplinary responsibilities that may arise.
As for its entry into force, the Resolution comes into effect the day after its publication in the Official State Bulletin (BOE) and grants affected departments and bodies a deadline of one month to adapt working calendars and time registration systems to the new regulations. It also repeals previous regulations and establishes the supplementary nature of the state regime in relation to other public administrations.
Overall, this Resolution represents a comprehensive restructuring of the regime of work hours and calendars within the General Administration of the State, consolidating the 35-hour work week and strengthening work-life reconciliation policies, with a direct impact on work planning, human resource management, and the organization of public services.
Article from the Labor Law department of ECIJA Madrid.
