Leaves in Saudi Arabia KSA: Annual, Sick, Maternity, and More

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has emerged as a rapidly growing economy with a staggering GDP of 1,109.5 billion USD in 2024. This figure is projected to reach 1,276.03 billion USD by 2028, which goes to show how much potential it has for businesses looking to expand and for individuals looking to advance professionally with lucrative career opportunities.

The workforce of KSA comprises millions of local and skilled expatriate workers and there are robust laws in place to safeguard their rights. One such law is the statutory leave policy of the KSA, which outlines the regulations for leave in the region.

This blog gives you detailed insights into the leave entitlements in Saudi Arabia under the Saudi Labor Law. It covers conditions and rules for different types of leaves in the KSA, like sick leave, paternity leave, annual leave, and more, so keep on reading till the end.

• Annual Leave

• Official Public Holidays

• Sick Leave

• Maternity Leave

• Marriage Leave

• Paternity Leave

• Disability Leave 

• Examination Leave

• Iddah Leaves

• Hajj Leave

• Bereavement or Compassionate Leave

• Annual Leave

Every employee is entitled to a specific number of annual or earned leaves in the KSA under Article 109 of the KSA labor law. Following is a detailed account of these leaves to give you a better picture.

1. Employees who have served an organization for more than five years are entitled to 30 days of paid annual leave. The workers with less than 5 years of service time at a certain business entity get 21 days of fully paid annual leave.
2. The annual leaves are determined based on the number of calendar days. However, consequent to the approval of the employer, the employees can postpone their leaves to the next year if they wish to do so.
3. Article 110 of the labor code gives employers the full authority to decide when employees can take their paid annual leave. However, they cannot delay annual leave more than 90 days after the end of the year.
4. In case the work conditions demand a delay in the vacation leave, the employer must obtain written consent from the employee. It is worth noting that the postponement cannot be extended beyond the following year from the time when the leave was initially due. 
5. Article 111 of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia labor law suggests that employees have the right to claim their accrued leave balance if they are leaving the job without utilizing their annual leave period.
6. Employees on annual leave are prohibited from working for any other employer as it is considered a serious offense. If found guilty of this crime, the employer has the right to deny their pay for the paid leaves for that period. They can also demand payment for earnings given to them.  
7. The employer has the right to terminate an employee without pay if they take leave for 15 consecutive days without approval from the relevant department. The same rule applies if they take 30 days of unapproved leave in a year. In the former case, the employer must give a warning preferably written to the employee following 20 days of non-consecutive absence. In the latter case, following 10 days of consecutive absence the employer must issue a warning of termination.    
8. The employer cannot terminate the worker while they are on paid annual leave in any case.

• Official Public Holidays

The labor laws in the KSA clearly specify public paid holidays as well. Following are some key official public holidays in the KSA you need to look out for 

• Eid Al Fitr
• Eid Al Adha
• National Day: 23rd September
• Foundation Day – February 22
• Saudi Flag Day
• Government Holiday

Employees working on public holidays must get proper overtime pay from their employers according to the rules specified under the labor law. The employer must pay the hourly salary along with 50% of the basic pay as overtime pay to their employees if they are working on these days to make sure they are fully compensated for their time.

• Sick Leave

The employees can take sick leave in Saudi Arabia continuously or intermittently for 120 days every year. Here are some important considerations 

1. The employees get fully paid sick leave for the first 30 days. 
2. After the first 60 days of sick leave, they get 75% or three-quarters of their total monthly pay.
3. After 90 days the remaining leaves are unpaid.
4. Employees during the probation period cannot get sick leave in the KSA unless they meet a specific criterion. They can get sick leave after completing a 90-day probation period.
5. Article 82 of the KSA labor law establishes that the employer has no right to terminate an employee while they are on approved sick leave. 
6. The sick leave after 90 days falls into the unpaid sick leave category, which is different from regular unpaid leaves. These leaves are counted when figuring out the service time of the employee in their organization.
7. This leave has no bearing on the calculation of end of service benefits, gratuity, payroll accrual, and overdue vacation calculations.

• Maternity Leave

• The approved duration for this leave​ is about ten weeks in KSA. The exact dates are decided as per the discretion of the female employee. The leaves may begin 4 weeks before the expected date of delivery.

1. Female employees also get six weeks of paid leave after the delivery date of the child. They can extend this leave for two months without pay.
2. Employees can get one month’s leave with pay at the end of the maternity leave if their child is sick and needs proper attention from the mother. The employees are free to extend this leave to an additional month with no pay.
3. If you are on maternity leave, you are allowed to combine it with your annual leave to get a maximum of 180 days of leave to rest and recuperate better.
4. The unpaid maternity leaves are a part of the calculations when it comes to the service period or gratuity of the said employee.
5. An employer has no power to terminate someone on maternity leave or when they face complications during pregnancy or following the delivery.
6. Additionally, new mothers also get an additional one-hour nursing break for the first year after the delivery. These nursing breaks are a part of the working hours of the employee who has just had a baby.

• Marriage Leave

According to Article 113 of the labor law, employees getting married are entitled to 5 days of paid marriage leave in Saudi Arabia to celebrate this important milestone in their lives. 

• Paternity Leave

The male employees expecting a baby are entitled to 3 days of paid paternity leave in Saudi Arabia after the birth of their baby.

• Disability Leave 

The KSA labor law suggests that employees injured will get 30 days of emergency leave. The leave of the next 60 days will be with 75% pay. The leaves after 90 days will be unpaid according to the law.

• Examination Leave

The employees pursuing education are entitled to leave during exams, the exact number of which depends on the number of papers they have to take to pass the courses.

• Iddah Leaves

After the death of their husband, Muslim women must complete the Iddah period, which is about 4 months and 10 days. The KSA labor code suggests Muslim women are entitled to paid leave for this period.

Non-Muslim female employees are entitled to 15 days of paid leave to mourn the loss of their spouse. 

• Hajj Leave

Muslim employees are entitled to 10 to 15 days of paid Hajj leaves including the Eid Al Adha holidays. The employees cannot take a hajj leave more than once during the service within a company. Additionally, this leave is given only when the employee has not already performed Hajj before.

Moreover, employees who have been with a company for more than two consecutive years are the only ones who can qualify for this leave.

• Bereavement or Compassionate Leave

Employees are also entitled to paid leave in the case of the death of their first- or second-degree relatives, like spouses, parents, grandparents, children, and other ascendants or descendants.

In this case, such employees are granted 5 days of paid leave to mourn the loss of their loved ones.

Conclusion

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has well-established laws to protect the rights of its workforce. The workers in the region are entitled to annual, public, and additional holidays such as Sick, Maternity, Iddah, Hajj, and Marriage Leave. If an employer fails to comply with these regulations under the KSA labor law, they will have to face serious financial and legal consequences.

Employees must familiarize themselves with the leave rules in the KSA to make sure their rights are protected, and employers must do so to streamline operations and tasks like payroll calculation and employee management.

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