Part-time work: is it possible to officially work in two places

Can you officially work in two places at the same time? Explore the legality, practical considerations, and benefits of juggling multiple jobs.

Sometimes it happens that you need to take on a part-time job and want to formalize everything according to the law. In such cases, part-time work will do. Let’s figure out what it is, how the salary is calculated and how to go on vacation or sick leave.

What is part-time work and how does it differ from combining jobs?

Part -time work is paid work in free time from the main employment. In this case, places of work are divided into the main one – the one where the person got a job earlier, and additional – the one where he works part-time before or after the working day at the main place of employment. 

When an employee combines two positions at his main job, this is called internal part-time work, and when he performs tasks in another organization, this is external part-time work. The Labor Code does not prohibit having several part-time jobs at once. But if a person does not have a main job that is officially registered, then he cannot get a part-time job .

Part-time work is not the same as combining jobs. When combining jobs, an employee in the same organization, along with his main job, performs additional tasks during the working day and receives additional pay for this. 

When combining jobs, the employee must give written consent that he is ready to take on additional responsibilities, and this does not need to be noted in the work record book.

How many hours a day can you work part-time?

The duration of working hours for a part-time job cannot exceed four hours per day and must be within half the norm for this position for a month or other accounting period. For example, if the weekly standard of working hours is 40 hours, then a person who works part-time works no more than 20 hours. 

However, there are situations when an employee can work part-time for a full day:

• If he is free from work duties at his main place. But the total duration of working hours on a part-time basis should not exceed half of the monthly norm.
• If he has suspended work at his main place of work because he is not being paid there. In this case, the restrictions on working hours do not apply .
• If an employee is suspended from work at their main place of work because, according to a medical report, they need to be transferred to another job, but there are no suitable options in the company. The limit on the number of hours they can work part-time does not apply in this case.

Who is not allowed to work part-time?

The Labor Code prohibits part-time work in the following cases:

•  if the employee is not yet 18 years old;
•  if both jobs involve harmful or dangerous working conditions.

In addition, there are a number of situations when it will not be possible to combine two jobs. For example, if an employee works as a lawyer, judge or head of a government organization in his main job, he cannot formalize part-time work on the side.

For some professions, part-time work is permitted with additional conditions . Thus, if a doctor or pharmacist works 40 hours a week at their first place, then they should not work more than 20 hours a week at another institution. If at their main place half of the monthly working time is less than 16 hours a week, then they can work up to 16 hours a week at another organization. 

Drivers cannot work part-time if the additional work is also related to driving. For example, a bus driver cannot work part-time as a personal chauffeur in his free time. 

Athletes and coaches have the right to work part-time as an athlete or coach only with the permission of the main employer.

How is part-time employment formalized?

The employment contract at the additional place of work must necessarily specify that the work is part-time. At the employee’s request, the main employer can make a note of this in the work record book: it is necessary to present him with a certified copy of the order on hiring for part-time work or a certificate of hiring for part-time work with the details of this order.

As a rule, you do not need to present your work record book at an additional place . However, a part-time worker may be required to provide a passport, an education document, and a certificate of working conditions at the main place. 

How is salary calculated when working part-time?

A part-time worker receives either piecework pay — for the volume of work done — or time-based pay — for the time worked. The employee negotiates the nature of the salary with the employer, and the chosen option must be recorded in the employment contract.

Personal income tax is withheld from both salaries – both at the main and additional positions. Insurance contributions are also charged by both employers. People working part-time in regions of Russia where regional coefficients and allowances are established are paid taking into account these bonuses.

How to go on vacation, maternity leave and sick leave if you work part-time

Annual paid leave at an additional job can be received simultaneously with leave at the main place of employment. If the employee has not yet worked six months at the part-time job, then he is given leave in advance. Vacation pay must be paid at both jobs.

In cases where the duration of paid leave at a part-time job is shorter than at the main place of work, the employer, at the employee’s request, grants him leave for these days without pay.

For those who work in the Far North or combine work with study in correspondence or part-time and part-time forms, there are restrictions . For example, only the main employer is obliged to provide additional days off or vacation to pass exams.   

Maternity leave for a part-time worker is issued in the usual manner in two or more organizations where she works. Maternity benefits can be received from both employers, provided that the woman has worked at an additional place for at least two years. Child care benefits are assigned only at one place of work, at the woman’s choice.

A part-time worker goes on sick leave at all of his jobs at the same time. The mechanism for paying disability benefits depends on how long a person has worked at their current jobs:

• Two years or more. Sick leave must be paid by both employers. 
• Less than two years. Only one employer pays. You can estimate the amount of payments and choose the one whose payment may be higher. 
• At one place for two years or more, and at another for less than two years. In this case, you can claim payment from both employers, or from one of your choice. If the sick leave is paid by one employer, when calculating the amount of the benefit, he must include all “white” payments at the employee’s official jobs, and if all employers, then each of them takes into account only their own payments.