Sick Leave Under Saudi Labour Law: Durations and Pay Rates
Sick leave in Saudi Arabia runs in three stages, each with a different pay rate. Here are the durations and rates, how the year is counted, the rule on dismissal during illness, and the other statutory leaves.
سامي الحيدري
Sick leave under the Saudi Labour Law is not a single period at a single rate. It runs in three stages: 30 days on full pay, then 60 days on three-quarters pay, then 30 days unpaid. All three are counted within one year that starts from the employee's first sick leave.
Businesses that treat sick leave as one line item get it wrong twice, once in the payroll run and again in how they deal with the employee.
What are the three stages of sick leave?
| Stage | Duration | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| First | First 30 days | Full |
| Second | Next 60 days | Three-quarters of pay |
| Third | Next 30 days | Unpaid |
| Total | 120 days a year | — |
The "year" here is neither the calendar year nor the financial year. It is a year that starts on the date of the first sick leave, and that detail changes the whole calculation.
How is the sick-leave year counted? An example
An employee takes their first sick leave on 10 March. Their sick-leave year runs until 9 March of the following year, and every sick day within that period accumulates across the three stages.
If they take 20 days in March and then 15 days in September, the first 10 days of the September leave fall in the first stage on full pay. The remaining 5 days move into the second stage at three-quarters pay.
The common mistake is resetting the counter to zero at the start of each calendar year. The result is full pay for days that should be paid at three-quarters.
Can an employee be dismissed while on sick leave?
An employer may not end the contract because of illness before the statutory periods have been used up. The employee may also ask to add their annual leave to their sick leave.
This is a protective rule that cannot be waived. Terminating an employee on day 40 of their illness because they are "absent too often" is an unlawful termination that carries compensation.
What other statutory leaves are there?
Sick leave is one of a set of separate leave types, and none of them is deducted from the annual leave balance:
| Leave | Duration | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Maternity | 12 weeks, 6 of them mandatory after birth | Full |
| Newborn needing a carer | One additional month | Full, extendable by one unpaid month |
| Nursing hour | Up to one hour a day | Counted as working time |
| Paternity (father) | 3 days within 7 days of birth | Full |
| Marriage | 5 days | Full |
| Death of a spouse, parent, grandparent, child or grandchild | 5 days | Full |
| Death of a brother or sister | 3 days | Full |
| Iddah (Muslim widow) | At least 4 months and 10 days | Full |
| Iddah (non-Muslim widow) | 15 days | Full |
| Hajj | 10 to 15 days, once, after two continuous years of service | Full |
| Exams | Actual exam days | Full for a year not being repeated |
Iddah is the mandatory waiting period a widow observes after her husband's death.
What must you get right about maternity leave?
Maternity leave is 12 weeks on full pay, of which 6 weeks after the birth are mandatory, and the employee may not be put to work during them. She can distribute the rest as she chooses, provided it does not start more than 4 weeks before the expected delivery date stated in a medical certificate.
If the newborn needs a permanent carer because of illness or disability, she is entitled to one additional month on full pay, extendable by one month unpaid.
After returning, she has the right to a nursing hour each day that counts as working time, with nothing deducted from her pay, in addition to the usual rest breaks.
She may not be dismissed or warned of dismissal during pregnancy or maternity leave, including any period of illness arising from either, as confirmed by a medical certificate.
Which leaves were recently changed?
Some of these leaves did not look like this before the latest amendments to the Labour Law. Leave for the death of a brother or sister was added, the length of maternity leave was increased, and paternity leave now has a defined window of 7 days from the birth.
That is why internal policies written two years ago may be incomplete today. Reviewing them is a necessary step, not an optional one.
How do you set this up in your system?
- Classify leave by type, rather than lumping it into one line item.
- Link each type to its pay rule automatically: full, three-quarters or unpaid.
- Calculate the sick-leave year from each employee's first leave date, individually.
- Require the supporting document and attach it to the request.
- Show employees their balance so they know where they stand before they have to ask.
A manual spreadsheet fails on step 3 in particular, because it needs a different start date for every employee. See annual leave balance and employee self-service. In SmartPro, leave sits inside the Human Resources system alongside employee files, attendance and payroll.
How does sick leave affect payroll?
Each stage has a different effect on the payroll run. Full-pay days change nothing, three-quarters-pay days reduce the day's pay by a quarter, and unpaid days remove the day's pay entirely.
Importantly, the wage subject to GOSI contributions changes accordingly, which flows into the monthly contribution and the Wage Protection file. GOSI is the General Organization for Social Insurance, which collects social insurance contributions. See payroll run guide.
Where is the official reference?
Leave durations, pay rates and the rules on dismissal during illness are set out in the Labour Law published by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. It is the reference whenever it differs from a company's internal policy.
Key takeaway: Sick leave is 30 days on full pay, 60 on three-quarters and 30 unpaid, counted from each employee's first sick day, and no statutory leave comes out of the annual balance.
Read also
- Annual leave balance: carry-over and payment in lieu
- Payroll run: how to prepare it step by step
- Employee self-service
To see leave types, pay rules and payroll working together, start a free SmartPro trial.
Frequently asked questions
How much paid sick leave do employees get in Saudi Arabia?
Thirty days on full pay, then sixty days on three-quarters pay, then thirty days unpaid, for a total of 120 days. These periods are counted within a year that starts on the date of the first sick leave, not from the start of the calendar year.
Can an employee be dismissed while sick?
An employer may not end the contract because of illness before the statutory sick-leave periods have been used up, and the employee may ask to add their annual leave to their sick leave. Terminating an employee during their sick-leave entitlement is an unlawful termination that carries compensation.
How long is maternity leave under the Saudi Labour Law?
Twelve weeks on full pay, of which six weeks after the birth are mandatory, and it cannot start more than four weeks before the expected delivery date stated in a medical certificate. If the newborn needs a permanent carer, the mother is entitled to an additional month on full pay, extendable by one unpaid month.
Are other types of leave deducted from the annual leave balance?
No. Sick, maternity, marriage, bereavement, paternity, Hajj and exam leave are all separate entitlements that are not deducted from the annual balance. Deducting them is a frequent mistake in businesses that manage all leave in one spreadsheet without classifying it.