Labor Law · Article explainers

The Saudi Labor Law, article by article

I explain the Labor Law articles that matter most to employees and establishments, as they stand today after the amendments of Royal Decree M/44, with a quote from each article and a link to the official text.

Labor Law issued by Royal Decree M/51 dated 23/8/1426H · as amended, in force since 19 February 2025 · Official text on the Bureau of Experts website (Arabic)

Labor Law amendments

What changed on 19 February 2025?

Royal Decree M/44 dated 8/2/1446H amended the Labor Law, and the amendments apply from 20/8/1446H, which is 19 February 2025. According to the Bureau of Experts notes on the text, 38 articles were amended, 7 were deleted and 2 were added.

Changed

Articles the amendments changed

Probation: capped at 180 days in total (Article 53).
Notice period: at least 30 days from the worker and at least 60 days from the employer in an open-ended contract for monthly-paid workers, and at least 30 days from either party where the wage is not paid monthly (Article 75).
Resignation: a new definition in Article 2 that refers to a fixed-term contract, and a new article that sets the procedure, including that a request is deemed accepted if 30 days pass without a response from the employer (Article 79 bis).
Contract documentation: the employment contract must be documented under the relevant statutory provisions (Article 51).
Discipline: deadlines for a grievance to the employer and an objection before the labor courts (Article 72).
Overtime: with the worker's consent, paid compensatory leave days may replace overtime pay (Article 107).
Special leave: 3 days added for the death of a brother or sister, and the 3 days for a new baby must now fall within 7 days of the birth (Article 113).
Maternity leave: 12 weeks on full pay, up from 10 weeks (Article 151).

Unchanged

Articles that stayed the same

The 2025 amendments did not touch these articles, so what was written about them before still matches their text:

The end-of-service award, Articles 84 to 88, read with the new definition of resignation (below).
Compensation for termination for an illegitimate reason, Article 77, and pay in lieu of notice, Article 76.
Termination without award, Article 80, and leaving work without notice, Article 81.
Annual leave and leave pay, Articles 109 to 111.
Sick leave, Article 117.

Resignation and the award shares after the amendments

Since 19 February 2025, Article 2 defines resignation as the worker's written disclosure, without coercion, of the wish to end a fixed-term employment contract, not made subject to any restriction or condition, and the employer's acceptance of it. The Article 85 shares (nothing under 2 consecutive years, one third from 2 to 5 years, two thirds above 5 and under 10, the full award at 10 years or more) therefore apply to resignation from a fixed-term contract.

A worker ending an open-ended contract with notice under Article 75 is not called a resignation in the text, and the site calculator shows the full Article 84 award for this case, which is what the Qiwa calculator returned in a check on 28 September 2026. This is a reading of the text, not an express rule in it; to confirm, check the Qiwa calculator and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. Details on the end-of-service page.

Explained articles

Choose a topic

Each page opens with a short answer, then explains the article, who it applies to, a hypothetical example, common questions and a link to the official text.

Starting work and working hours

Article 53

Probation

It must be stated expressly in the contract, it cannot exceed 180 days in total, and either party may end the contract during it.

Read the explainer Article 98

Working hours and Ramadan hours

At most eight hours a day or 48 hours a week, and in Ramadan, for Muslims, six hours a day or 36 hours a week.

Read the explainer Article 107

Overtime

The hourly wage plus 50% of the basic wage, or paid compensatory leave days with the worker's consent.

Read the explainer

Leave

Articles 109 to 111

Annual leave

At least 21 days, and at least 30 days after five continuous years, with pay for unused days on leaving work.

Read the explainer Articles 113 and 117

Special and sick leave

Leave for marriage, bereavement and a new baby, and sick leave on full pay, then three quarters of the wage, then unpaid.

Read the explainer Article 151

Maternity leave

Twelve weeks on full pay, six of them mandatory after delivery, and extra leave to care for a sick newborn or a newborn with a disability.

Read the explainer

Ending the contract

Article 55

Fixed-term contracts: end and renewal

When a fixed-term contract ends, and when renewal or continued performance turns it into an open-ended contract.

Read the explainer Article 74

How an employment contract ends

Mutual agreement, end of term, resignation, retirement age, force majeure, closure of the establishment and other cases.

Read the explainer Articles 75 and 76

Notice period

Notice periods for open-ended contracts after the 2025 amendments, and what is due when the notice is not observed.

Read the explainer Article 77

Compensation for termination without a legitimate reason

Unless the contract sets an amount: 15 days' wage per year, or the wage for the remaining term, with a minimum of two months' wage.

Read the explainer Article 80

Termination without award, notice or compensation

The nine cases in which the employer may terminate, provided the worker is given the chance to state objections.

Read the explainer Article 81

Leaving without notice, keeping all rights

The seven cases in which the worker may leave work without notice while keeping all statutory rights.

Read the explainer

Entitlements after the contract ends

Articles 84 to 88

End-of-service award

How it is calculated, the resignation fractions, when the full award is due, and the deadline to pay final entitlements.

Read the explainer Article 234

Deadline for a labor claim

A claim is not accepted by the labor courts after 12 months from the end of the employment relationship, unless the court accepts an excuse or the defendant acknowledges the right.

Read the explainer Guidance tool

End-of-service calculator

A private-sector guidance estimate under Articles 84 to 88 that runs in your browser.

Open the calculator

Women at work

Rules for working women on one page

Maternity leave, the full award after marriage or childbirth, protection from dismissal during pregnancy, nursing breaks and 'iddah leave, plus the Anti-Harassment Law.

Women at work

Scope

Who the Labor Law covers, and who it does not

Article 5 sets out who the Law applies to, and Article 7 lists the groups excluded from it.

Article 5

The Law applies to

Every employment contract under which a person works for an employer, under the employer's management or supervision, for a wage.
Workers of the government and of public authorities and institutions, including those working in pastures or agriculture.
Workers of charitable institutions.
Qualification and training contracts with people who are not the employer's employees, within the special provisions of the Law.
Part-time workers, as far as occupational safety and health, work injuries and what the Minister decides are concerned.

Article 7

Excluded from the Law

Members of the employer's family (spouse, ascendants and descendants) who work in an establishment that employs no one else.
Players and coaches of sports clubs and federations.
Domestic workers and those in a similar position.
Agricultural workers, private shepherds and those in a similar position.
Non-Saudi workers who come to perform a specific task for no more than two months.

The Minister issues regulations setting the rights and duties of some of these groups, including domestic workers (Article 7(2)). Since the 2025 amendments, the article no longer lists seafarers on ships under 500 tons among the exclusions.

This site focuses on private-sector employment contracts. If your job is governed by another law, such as the civil service or military service rules, the provisions explained here may not apply to you.

How the explainers work

How to read these pages

Official text first

Each page quotes the key sentence of the article and links to its text on the Bureau of Experts website, which prevails in case of any difference. English quotes are unofficial translations.

Status today

Each page says whether the 2025 amendments changed the article or left its earlier text in place.

Hypothetical examples

Examples use round numbers to show how a rule works. They do not describe any real person's case.

General awareness only

I do not give an opinion on individual cases. For a specific case, please contact a licensed lawyer through the Najiz lawyers directory.

Frequently asked questions

When did the latest Labor Law amendments take effect?

On 20/8/1446H, which is 19 February 2025, under Royal Decree M/44 dated 8/2/1446H.

Did the 2025 amendments change how the end-of-service award is calculated?

The amendments did not change the text of Articles 84 to 88 on the award, so the calculation method and the resignation fractions stay the same. They did add to Article 2 a definition of resignation that refers to a fixed-term contract, so the Article 85 shares now apply to resignation from a fixed-term contract, and they set the resignation procedure in Article 79 bis. The changes also covered the notice period (Article 75) and probation (Article 53).

Does the Labor Law apply to domestic workers?

No. Article 7 excludes domestic workers and those in a similar position from the Law, and the Minister issues one or more regulations setting their rights and duties.

Is an unwritten employment contract valid?

Yes. Article 51 says the contract is deemed to exist even if it is not written. In that case the worker alone may prove the contract and the rights arising from it by all means of proof, and either party may ask at any time for it to be put in writing. Even so, the text requires the contract to be written in two copies and documented under the relevant statutory provisions.

General awareness, not legal advice. The text published on the Bureau of Experts website is the official reference for the Labor Law.

Guidance tools

Related tools

Guidance estimate only, not a legal opinion · Private sector under the Saudi Labor Law only · Official reference: Qiwa calculator