Half-time remote work: what the Labour Code allows and where to look for such work

“Half-time remote work” is searched for about 110 times a month in Lithuania, and “half-time work from home” – about another 70. Those searching are students, parents raising small children, and people who have another job or their own business. The good news: legally these are two separate and well-regulated things – part-time work and remote work – and the two can be combined.

In this part of the guide: what the Labour Code says about this, to whom the employer must allow shorter hours or work from home, how pay is calculated and where such positions actually occur.

Part-time work: what the Labour Code says

Part-time work is regulated by Article 40 of the Labour Code. The main rules:

When you are already working and want shorter hours

An employee whose employment relationship with the employer has lasted at least three years has the right to request in writing to work part-time temporarily. A request to shorten the working day to four hours or to work up to three days a week is granted if it is submitted at least thirty days in advance and the shorter hours will last no longer than a year. The employer may refuse only for important reasons.

Who these restrictions do not apply to

The restrictions of three years' service, thirty days and one year do not apply if part-time work is required by:

• a pregnant employee, or one who has recently given birth or is breastfeeding;
• an employee raising a child under eight;
• an employee raising a child under fourteen alone or a child with a disability under eighteen;
• an employee whose request, according to a conclusion from a healthcare institution, is based on their state of health, a disability or the need to nurse or care for a family member.

These employees can return to full-time by giving the employer two weeks' written notice.

Remote work: what is added

Remote work is regulated by Article 52 of the Labour Code. When combining it with part-time work, the most important things to know are:

• How it is assigned. At the employee's request or by agreement between the parties. The employer must grant the request of employees from the same groups (parents raising a child under eight and the others listed above), unless it proves that, because of production necessity or the specifics of how work is organised, this would cause excessive costs.
• What is put in writing. The workplace requirements, if there are any, the work equipment provided and who you report to for your work.
• Expenses. Additional work-related expenses – acquiring, installing and using equipment – must be compensated; the amount and conditions are set by agreement between the parties.
• Working time. It is calculated in the manner set by the employer; you allocate the time yourself, without breaching the maximum working time and minimum rest time requirements.

What a “free schedule” means

In ads, a “free schedule” means very different things. The Labour Code contains several working time arrangements, and it is worth asking which one will apply:

If a “free schedule” means that there is no contract at all and you are paid for results, that is no longer an employment relationship but self-employed activity – with different taxes and without an employee's guarantees.

How much half-time work pays

Pay is in proportion to the time worked. The lowest limit is the minimum hourly wage, which from 2026 is 7.05 € (the minimum monthly wage for a full-time position is 1 153 €). Working half-time for the minimum wage, that would come to half of this amount – about 576.50 € before tax; this is our arithmetic, not an official figure.

In ads, compare the hourly rate, not the monthly amount: that way you can see straight away whether two positions of different lengths are paid the same.

In which positions such work is most common

• Customer service – shifts in a chat window, by email or by phone, often in the evenings and at weekends.
• Accounting and administration – small companies do not need a full-time accountant or administrator.
• Content and social media – texts, account management, translation.
• IT and design – support, testing, small projects.
• Teaching – remote lessons, tutoring.

This is a general summary by type of work, not statistics. When searching on job boards, use the “remote work” and “part-time” filters together, and if the ad for a suitable position states full-time, ask: small companies often agree to shorter hours if the person is a good fit.

If half-time is not enough

Half-time is often chosen so that time is left for another activity. The second source of income does not have to be a job: services, selling your own products or an affiliate partnership, where you recommend products and receive a commission on sales.

Frequently asked questions