Working Hours and Overtime for Workers in KSA, Explained

A. Working Hours

• The required working hours is only 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week (1 day off per week).
• It can be raised to 9 hours a day for non-continuous type of work (broken time).
• Prayer time is not included in the working hours..
• The maximum number of hours per week is 60 (10 hours a day) for the types of work mentioned in article 106 of the Saudi Labor Law;  which are the following:

1. Annual inventory activities, budgeting, liquidation, closing of accounts and preparations for discount and seasonal sales, subject to the condition that the number of the days during which the workmen work shall not exceed thirty days a year.
2. If the work is intended to prevent occurrence of a hazardous accident, mitigate its impacts or avoid imminent losses in perishable materials.
3. If the operation is meant to confront extraordinary work pressures.
4. ‘Eids, other seasons, occasions and seasonal activities defined by a Minister’s decision. In all of the above cases, the actual working hours shall not exceed ten hours a day or sixty hour a week. The maximum limit of overtime hours allowed per year shall be determined by a decision of the Minister.

For more information about Working Hours, please check articles 98 to 106 of the Saudi Labor Law.

B. Overtime

Every excess hour of work is considered an overtime and you are entitled to additional pay equivalent to 150% of your hourly rate.

How to compute the hourly rate ?

annual basic salary = monthly basic pay X  12

daily wage = annual basic salary / 365.25 (since there are 365.25 days in a year)

hourly wage – daily wage / 8  ( or up to 10 hours as explained above re working hours)

How to compute the overtime rate per hour?

hourly overtime rate = hourly wage X  1.5

How to compute the overtime pay ?

OVERTIME PAY = number of excess hours X hourly overtime rate

the overtime pay will be an additional amount to be added to your monthly salary.

Note : overtime pay is not applicable to the following types of work

1. Persons filling high ranking posts responsible for management and direction of the work if the incumbents of such jobs enjoy the employer’s authority over the workmen.
2. Preparatory or supplemental works which must be completed before or after commencement of work.
3. Work that is intermittent by necessity.
4. Guards and janitors, excluding civil security guards.

For more information about Overtime, please check articles 107 and 108 of the Saudi Labor Law

Note: Make sure that you always have the copies of the following:

1. Attendance
2. Payslips

Occupations not covered as per Article 7 of the Saudi Labor Law

The following shall be exempted from the implementation of the provisions of this Law:

1. The employer’s family members, namely, the spouse, the ascendants and descendants who constitute the only workers of the firm.
2. Domestic helpers and the like.
3.  Sea workers working on board of vessels with a load of less than five hundred tons.
4. Agricultural workers other than the categories stated in Article (5) of this Law.
5. Non-Saudi workers entering the Kingdom to perform a specific task for a period not exceeding two months.
6. Players and coaches of sports clubs and federations.

The Ministry shall, in coordination with the competent authorities, draft regulations for domestic helpers and the like to govern their relations with their employers and specify the rights and duties of each party and submit the same to the Council of Ministers.

Hope this helps and God bless,
Tasio Espiritu
Drafted: 11/18/2006

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