How long do you have to file a labor claim?

What the article says

Paragraph (a) of Article 234 sets a time limit for claims before the labor courts: twelve months from the date the employment relationship ended, for any claim about a right set out in the Labor Law or arising from the employment contract. The text makes two exceptions: the claimant presents an excuse the court accepts, or the defendant acknowledges the right. Paragraph (b) says labor claims are heard on an urgent basis.

"No claim relating to a demand for any right provided for in this Law or arising from the employment contract is accepted before the labor courts after twelve months have passed from the date the employment relationship ended, unless the claimant presents an excuse the court accepts, or the defendant acknowledges the right."

Labor Law, Article 234, paragraph (a). Unofficial translation; the Arabic text published by the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers is the authoritative version.

Why this page does not rely on Article 222

Some sources still cite Article 222 for the twelve-month limit. That article sat in Part 14 (labor dispute settlement bodies), which was repealed by Royal Decree M/1 dated 22/1/1435H (25 November 2013). The rule in force today is Article 234. The third paragraph of the repealed article set a time limit for complaints about violations; the published text in force has no equivalent of that rule.

Who it applies to

It applies to claims before the labor courts about rights set out in the Labor Law or arising from the employment contract, whether the worker or the employer files them, on the plain wording of the text, which speaks of "the claimant" and "the defendant" without distinction.

This explainer covers the private sector under the Labor Law. It does not cover the groups excluded by Article 7, which include domestic workers, agricultural workers and private shepherds, nor jobs under the civil service or a military system, each of which has its own rules.

A general example with hypothetical dates

Suppose an employment relationship ended at the end of March 2026. The twelve months run from that date, so a claim filed at the labor court after roughly the end of March 2027 would face the Article 234 bar, unless one of the two exceptions applies. The text does not say how the days are counted, nor how the amicable settlement stage affects the limit, so it is safer not to wait until the final weeks.

A hypothetical example for illustration only. It does not describe any real person.

Common misconceptions

• "Article 222 is the reference." It was repealed with Part 14 in 2013. Article 234 is the rule in force.
• "The limit runs from the date of the unpaid salary." Article 234 ties the limit to the date the employment relationship ended.
• "After 12 months nothing can be done, in every case." The text makes two exceptions: an excuse the court accepts, or the defendant's acknowledgement of the right.
• "Starting amicable settlement stops the clock." The article does not address how amicable settlement affects the limit, so do not build on that assumption.
• "Amicable settlement costs money." The ministry lists it as a free service.

Related articles

• Article 235: while a claim is being heard before the labor courts, the employer may not change the employment conditions in force before the proceedings began in a way that harms the worker's position in the claim.
• Article 88: the employer must pay the worker's wage and settle the worker's entitlements within one week at most from the end of the contractual relationship, or within two weeks if the worker ended the contract. See the end-of-service page.
• Article 8: any release or settlement of the worker's rights under the Law made while the employment contract is in force is void, unless it is more beneficial to the worker.

Official sources

• The Labor Law on the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers website (Arabic), for Articles 234, 235, 88 and 8, and the status of Articles 220 and 222.
• The amicable settlement service for labor disputes on the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development website.
• Ministerial Decision No. 91285 adopting the rules and procedures for amicable settlement of labor disputes, on the ministry website (Arabic text).

Texts reviewed on 28 September 2026.