Telework in Peru: what your employer owes you and when you can go back to the office
Under Law 31572, telework (teletrabajo) is voluntary and reversible: you can request to return to in-person work, your employer has 10 business days to respond, and silence counts as approval. Your employer must give you equipment and internet, or pay you for providing them yourself, plus your electricity costs. You also have a right to disconnect outside your working hours.
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Congress of Peru
Checked 1 Oct 2026Next review 20 Mar 2027
What telework actually is
Law 31572 defines telework as “a special form of work performance, of a regular or habitual nature,” characterized by “the subordinate performance of duties without the worker’s or civil servant’s physical presence at the workplace” (Article 3.1). It’s a subordinate employment relationship like any other — only the physical location where the service is provided changes.
It’s not the same as “remote work”
It’s common to hear “remote work” and “telework” used as synonyms, but legally they aren’t. “Remote work” (trabajo remoto) was the term used by the pandemic-era health emergency rules, which are no longer in force. Law 31572, which replaced the earlier Law 30036, only regulates and defines telework. If your employer talks about “remote work” as if it were a separate, permanent legal category, they’re actually using a term that no longer has that status — the category currently in force is telework.
Voluntary and reversible: the two key words
Article 3.2 describes telework as “voluntary and reversible in nature.” Voluntary means it generally can’t be imposed on you without your agreement. Reversible means the change isn’t final — it can be undone.
Article 9.3 gives the concrete mechanism for that return: you can request to be moved back to in-person work, and your employer has 10 business days to respond to your request. If they don’t respond within that period, the silence is deemed an approval — not a rejection and not a request left pending.
Who pays for equipment, internet, and electricity
Article 8.4 places the obligation on the employer: they must provide “equipment and internet access,” or failing that, “assign economic compensation for providing these to the teleworker,” and additionally compensate “the electricity consumption” generated by working from home. It isn’t an expense the worker is meant to absorb by default.
The right to disconnect
Article 22.1 recognizes the “right to disconnect digitally during hours that do not correspond to their working hours,” including rest periods. For those with flexible schedules or management positions — where the line between working hours and free time is blurrier — Article 22.3 requires a minimum disconnection of “at least twelve continuous hours in a twenty-four-hour period.”
What to do if this isn’t being respected
If your employer isn’t giving you the equipment or compensation for internet and electricity, or is denying your return to in-person work without responding within the deadline, that’s a violation of Law 31572. Document the request you made (date, ideally in writing) and the deadline that passed without a response, and consider filing a complaint with Sunafil, which enforces compliance with labor regulations.
How to file
- Confirm you're actually on telework, not another arrangementTelework is the subordinate, regular performance of your duties without physical presence at the workplace (Article 3.1). If your situation doesn't fit that definition, a different rule may apply instead.
- Check what your employer is giving you for equipment, internet, and electricityArticle 8.4 doesn't leave this to the employer's discretion: they must give you the equipment and internet, or pay you for providing them yourself, plus your electricity use. If they're giving you neither, that's a violation.
- If you want to return to in-person work, request it formallyArticle 9.3 puts the deadline in your favor: your employer has 10 business days to respond to your reversibility request. If they don't respond, the silence is deemed an approval.
- Exercise your right to disconnectOutside your working hours, you're not required to answer work messages or calls (Article 22.1). If you have a flexible schedule or a management role, you're guaranteed at least 12 continuous hours without connection in every 24-hour period (Article 22.3).
- If they don't comply, consider filing a complaint with SunafilSunafil enforces compliance with labor regulations, and Law 31572 is one of them. If they aren't giving you the equipment or the compensation for internet and electricity, or they let the 10 business days lapse without answering your reversibility request, you can file a complaint attaching the date you made the request and the deadline that passed without a response.
What most people believe — and what the law says
Telework and remote work are the same legal category.
Law 31572 only defines and regulates "teletrabajo." It doesn't create or maintain a separate legal category called "trabajo remoto" (remote work) — that term became popular during the pandemic's emergency rules, which are no longer in force. Today, the legal category in force for working outside the workplace on a regular basis is teletrabajo under Law 31572.
If your employer put you on telework, you can never go back to the office.
Article 3.2 expressly states that telework is reversible. Article 9.3 gives the mechanism: you can request a return to in-person work, your employer has 10 business days to respond, and if they don't respond within that period, your request is deemed approved.
You have to pay for your own internet and electricity to work from home.
Article 8.4 requires the employer to give you equipment and internet access, or to compensate you economically for providing them yourself, and additionally to compensate you for the electricity you consume because of telework.
You can answer work messages at any hour since you're home anyway.
Article 22.1 recognizes your right to disconnect digitally outside your working hours. If you have a flexible schedule or a management position, Article 22.3 requires at least 12 continuous hours of disconnection in a 24-hour period.
Frequently asked questions
Can my employer force me into telework without my consent?
No, generally not. Article 3.2 of Law 31572 describes telework as "voluntary and reversible in nature," which means it normally requires your agreement to be implemented.
What happens if my employer doesn't respond to my request to return to in-person work within the deadline?
If they don't respond within the 10 business days set by Article 9.3, the silence is understood as approval of your request, not as a rejection or as the request remaining pending.
Which agency can I file a complaint with if my employer doesn't comply with the Telework Law?
You can consider filing a complaint with Sunafil, which enforces compliance with labor regulations, documenting the date you made the request and the deadline that passed without a response.
What law currently regulates telework in Peru, and since when?
Telework is currently regulated by Law No. 31572, published on September 5, 2022, which replaced the earlier Law 30036. It is the law in force that defines telework and sets its rules on voluntariness, reversibility, provision of equipment, and the right to digital disconnection.
The exact law
Law No. 31572, Telework LawArticle 3, item 3.1read
Definition of telework — subordinate work performed without physical presence at the workplace
«El teletrabajo es una modalidad especial de prestación de labores, de condición regular o habitual. Se caracteriza por el desempeño subordinado de aquellas sin presencia física del trabajador o servidor civil en el centro de trabajo.»
↳Article 3, item 3.2read
Voluntary and reversible nature of telework
«de carácter voluntario y reversible»
↳Article 9, item 9.3read
Mechanism to request a return to in-person work — 10-business-day deadline and positive silence
↳Article 8, item 8.4read
Obligation to provide equipment and internet, or economically compensate, plus electricity costs
«equipos y el servicio de acceso a internet o asignar las compensaciones económicas por la provisión de estos al teletrabajador, además de la compensación del consumo de energía eléctrica»
↳Article 22, item 22.1read
Right to digital disconnection outside working hours
«derecho a desconectarse digitalmente durante las horas que no correspondan a su jornada de trabajo»
↳Article 22, item 22.3read
Minimum 12 continuous hours of disconnection for workers with flexible schedules or management roles
«al menos, doce horas continuas en un período de veinticuatro horas»
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