Georgian Labor Code · 12 articles
Georgian Labor Code — a practical reference
A plain-language guide to the Georgian Labor Code — contracts, wages, leave, termination, and dispute resolution. Written for employers and employees, not lawyers. Each article cites the specific Code provision it covers and points to the relevant calculator where one exists.
Overview
2- Full CodeGeorgian Labor Code — practical overview for employers and employeesThe Georgian Labor Code (in force since 2010, materially amended in 2020) is the primary statute governing employment relationships in Georgia — covering contract formation, working hours, leave, wages, termination, and dispute resolution. It applies to all private-sector employment regardless of the employer's nationality or the employee's residency status, with limited exceptions for public-service workers governed by separate statutes.
- Articles 12-14Employment contract requirements under Georgian Labor Code Articles 12-14Articles 12-14 of the Georgian Labor Code govern how an employment contract is made: it can be oral or written, but must be in writing whenever the relationship lasts longer than one month (Article 12(2)), and a written contract must be in a language both parties understand (Article 13). Article 14(1) lists the essential terms — the parties, start date and duration, working and rest time, workplace, position and duties, pay, overtime pay, paid and unpaid leave, the termination procedure, and any collective-agreement terms that apply differently.
Leave & time
5- Article 30Georgian public holidays 2027: full calendar and labor-law impactGeorgia has 18 statutory public holidays in 2027 under Article 30 of the Labor Code, and the Government can add more by resolution. Work performed on one of these holidays counts as overtime under Article 27: it is paid at an increased hourly rate agreed by the parties, or offset with proportionate extra rest time if both sides agree.
- Articles 31-36Annual leave under Georgian Labor Code (Articles 31-36)Under Article 31 of the Georgian Labor Code, every employee is entitled to at least 24 working days of paid leave and at least 15 calendar days of unpaid leave per year, plus 10 extra calendar days of paid leave for heavy, harmful or hazardous work. Articles 32-36 govern when leave can be requested (after 11 months of work), how it is scheduled and carried over, and how holiday pay is calculated — from the employee's average pay over the 3 months before the leave.
- Articles 24-27Working hours and overtime under Georgian Labor Code (Articles 24-27)Article 24 of the Georgian Labor Code caps normal working time at 40 hours a week (48 hours in enterprises with a continuous work process longer than 8 hours, on a list set by the Government). Article 27 defines overtime as work beyond normal hours by agreement of the parties and requires it to be paid at an increased hourly rate the parties agree — the Code names no percentage and sets no weekly overtime cap for adults.
- Articles 37-40Maternity and parental leave under Georgian Labor Code (Articles 37-40)Article 37 of the Georgian Labor Code grants 126 calendar days of paid pregnancy and childbirth leave (143 for a complicated birth or twins) plus 604 calendar days of childcare leave (587 in those cases), of which 57 days are paid — 183 (or 200) paid days in a row and up to 730 calendar days per child, with the employment relationship suspended, not ended, throughout. The leave is paid from the state budget in an amount set by Government resolution (Article 39); employer and employee may agree on extra pay on top.
- Article 46Sick leave (temporary incapacity) under Georgian Labor Code Article 46The Georgian Labor Code has no separate sick-leave entitlement and no annual quota of sick days: illness is temporary incapacity, which suspends the employment relationship (Article 46(2)(i)) while it lasts no more than 40 consecutive calendar days or 60 calendar days in total within 6 months. The employee is not paid during suspension unless legislation or the employment contract provides otherwise (Article 46(4)), sick days do not count as annual leave (Article 32(4)), and incapacity beyond those limits can become a termination ground (Article 47(1)(i)).
Wages & payment
1Termination
2- Articles 47-48Severance pay under Georgian Labor Code (Articles 47-48)When an employer ends an employment contract for redundancy, a skills mismatch, long-term incapacity or another objective circumstance (Article 47(1)(a), (f), (i) or (n)), Article 48 gives it two routes: at least 30 calendar days' written notice plus compensation of at least one month's pay, or at least 3 calendar days' written notice plus compensation of at least two months' pay. The employer picks one route; the amounts are never added together and do not grow with length of service.
- Articles 47-48Termination procedure under Georgian Labor Code Articles 47-48Article 47 of the Georgian Labor Code lists the only grounds on which an employment contract may end, and Article 48 sets the procedure: for redundancy, a skills mismatch, long-term incapacity or another objective circumstance, the employer gives at least 30 calendar days' written notice plus compensation of at least one month's pay, or at least 3 calendar days' notice plus at least two months' pay — alternatives, never added up. The employee may request written reasons within 30 days (the employer must answer within 7), and dismissal is banned from notification of pregnancy through maternity and childcare leave, except on limited grounds (Article 47(5)).
Special situations
2- Article 17Probationary period under Georgian Labor Code Article 17Article 17 of the Georgian Labor Code lets the parties agree, only once and only in writing, a probationary employment contract of up to six months to test whether a person suits the work. Unless the probationary contract says otherwise, Article 48's notice and compensation rules do not apply when it ends (Article 17(4)), and the employee is paid for the time worked.
- Articles 14, 20, 24Remote work under the Georgian Labor CodeThe Georgian Labor Code has no remote-work article: remote and hybrid work are agreed through the ordinary rules, under which the place of work is an essential term of the employment contract (Article 14(1)(d)) that can change only by agreement (Article 20(2)). All other Code protections — working time (Article 24), overtime (Article 27), annual leave (Article 31), termination (Articles 47-48) — apply to remote employees exactly as to office staff, and working from home does NOT change the employer's obligation to respect working-time limits and pay for overtime.
Ready when you are
Run HR yourself with HourSquare.
Sign up yourself, no demo needed. Free forever for teams of up to 10 people, and free for now for larger teams.
Free forever up to 10 people · GDPR-native · EU-hosted