Employment rules · 11 min read · Updated October 2026
Leave and overtime in the Gulf and Egypt: seven countries compared, and what two hours of overtime earn
Annual, sick, maternity and paternity leave, working hours and overtime in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Egypt, side by side, with one case of overtime worked through in each.
How do leave and overtime differ across the Gulf and Egypt?
Each country sets its own. Annual leave is at least 30 days in the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. Saudi Arabia starts at 21 days, Qatar at three weeks and Egypt at 15. Sick pay comes in bands, each at its own share. Overtime by day earns at least 25% more in five countries, and 35% more in Egypt. Saudi Arabia adds 50% of the basic hourly wage. The UAE, Qatar and Oman work overtime on basic pay.
See the leave each country gives, side by side
Every country here sets annual leave, maternity leave and, in most, paternity leave in its labour law. Each sets its own length.
| Country | Annual leave | Maternity leave | Paternity leave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 21 days, and 30 after five years in a row with the same employer | 12 weeks on full pay | Three days on full pay, within seven days of the birth |
| The UAE | 30 days after a year's service, and two days a month from six months | 60 days: 45 on full pay and 15 on half pay | Five working days on full pay, for either parent, within six months of the birth |
| Qatar | Three weeks after a full year's service, and four from five years | 50 days on full pay, after a year's service | None in the Labour Law |
| Kuwait | 30 working days | 70 days on full pay | None in the Labour Law |
| Bahrain | 30 days, building up at two and a half days a month | 60 days on full pay | A day on full pay |
| Oman | 30 days, from six months' service | 98 days on full pay | Seven days on full pay |
| Egypt | 15 days in the first year and 21 from the second. 30 after ten years' service, or over the age of 50 | Four months on full pay, up to three times | A day on full pay, up to three times |
Kuwait counts annual leave in working days, so rest days and official holidays inside it do not use it up.
Public holidays are paid at the full wage in every country here. What happens when a holiday falls on a rest day, or during annual leave, is in the guide to Ramadan and Eid in payroll.
Each country's hiring guide sets out the rest of its leave.
Pay sick leave in the right band
Every country here pays sick leave in bands, each at a share of the wage. In the Gulf, the first days are paid in full, and the share falls as the days go on. In Egypt, it rises after the first 90 days.
| Country | Sick leave, each year |
|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 30 days on full pay, 60 at three quarters of the wage, then 30 unpaid. The year runs from the first sick day |
| The UAE | After the trial period, up to 90 days: 15 on full pay, 30 on half pay, then 45 unpaid. None is paid during the trial period |
| Qatar | From three months' service: two weeks on full pay, four on half pay, then unpaid |
| Kuwait | 15 days on full pay, 10 at three quarters, 10 at half, 10 at a quarter, then 30 unpaid |
| Bahrain | After three months' service: 15 days on full pay, 20 on half pay and 20 unpaid. Unused days on full or half pay build up to 240 |
| Oman | Up to 182 days, on the full wage: full pay for the first 21 days, then 75% to day 35, 50% to day 70 and 35% to day 182 |
| Egypt | As long as the medical authority sets. Pay is replaced at 75% of the insured daily wage for 90 days, then 85%, for up to 180 days in a calendar year, and never below the minimum wage |
In the Gulf, a sick day changes the month's pay once the full-pay days are used. From then, each day falls in a band, and the month's pay depends on which band it is.
The bands count days in the year, not in the month. A sick day in March can move a day in November into a different band.
Set the working week before you count overtime
Overtime is any time past the normal hours. Each country sets those hours, and a limit on how far overtime can take them.
| Country | Normal hours | The limit with overtime |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 8 a day, or 48 a week where the employer works to a weekly standard | 720 hours of overtime a year, unless the employee agrees to more |
| The UAE | 8 a day and 48 a week | Two hours of overtime a day, and 144 hours in all every three weeks |
| Qatar | 8 a day and 48 a week | 10 hours a day, normal and overtime together, unless the work prevents a serious loss or a dangerous accident |
| Kuwait | 8 a day and 48 a week | Two hours of overtime a day and 180 a year, on no more than three days a week or 90 days a year |
| Bahrain | 8 a day, unless agreed otherwise, and 48 a week | 10 hours of actual work a day |
| Oman | 8 a day and 40 a week | 12 hours a day, normal and overtime together |
| Egypt | 8 a day and 48 a week | 12 hours at the workplace a day |
Oman's week is the shortest, at 40 hours, with at least two rest days.
Ramadan shortens normal hours in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. The guide to Ramadan and Eid in payroll sets out each country's Ramadan hours, and who they cover.
See what two hours of overtime earn in each country
Take an employee who works two hours of overtime after a full working day. Here is what those hours earn in each country, counted in hours' pay on the pay the law names. Two hours is the most overtime the UAE and Kuwait allow in a day.
| Country | Worked on | Two hours by day | Two hours at night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | The hourly wage, plus 50% of the basic hourly wage | Two hours' wage, plus an hour's basic pay | The same: the law sets one rate |
| The UAE | Basic pay | At least 25% more: two and a half hours' basic pay | At least 50% more, between 10 pm and 4 am: three hours' basic pay |
| Qatar | Basic pay | At least 25% more: two and a half hours' basic pay | At least 50% more, between 9 pm and 3 am: three hours' basic pay |
| Kuwait | The wage, with the allowances paid regularly | 25% more: two and a half hours' wage | The same: the law sets one rate |
| Bahrain | The wage, allowances included | At least 25% more: two and a half hours' wage | At least 50% more: three hours' wage |
| Oman | Basic pay | At least 25% more: two and a half hours' basic pay | At least 50% more: three hours' basic pay |
| Egypt | The wage, everything paid for the work | At least 35% more: 2.7 hours' wage | At least 70% more: 3.4 hours' wage |
In the UAE and Qatar, the night rate does not apply to shift workers.
The same hours earn more on a wage with housing and transport in it than on basic pay alone. In Saudi Arabia, the hours themselves are paid on the full hourly wage, and only the extra on basic pay.
In Kuwait, a day's pay is the month's wage divided by its working days, with rest days left out.
Pay work on the weekly rest day at its own rate
Work on the weekly rest day earns its own rate in most countries here. In some, a day off can take the place of the extra pay.
| Country | Work on the weekly rest day |
|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | The Labour Law sets no rate of its own. The rest day itself may not be replaced by pay |
| The UAE | Another day off, or the day's wage plus at least 50% of its basic wage |
| Qatar | Another rest day, and either the pay for an ordinary rest day or basic pay plus at least 150% |
| Kuwait | The day's wage plus at least 50%, and another day off |
| Bahrain | The day's wage plus 150% of it, or another day off, as the worker chooses |
| Oman | The day's wage plus 100% of the daily basic wage, or a day off for each day worked |
| Egypt | A further day's wage, and another day off in the following week |
Where the worker chooses between pay and a day off, as in Bahrain, the choice decides the month's pay.
Work on a public holiday earns each country's holiday rate. The guide to Ramadan and Eid in payroll sets out each rate for the Eid days, and the same rate applies to every public holiday. Each country's payroll guide lists its public holidays.
Pay unused leave on the pay the law names
Unused annual leave is paid out when employment ends, in every country here. The pay it is worked on differs.
The UAE and Qatar pay it on basic pay. Bahrain pays it on basic pay plus any social allowance. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Egypt pay it on the full wage, allowances included.
How long leave can wait before it is taken or paid differs too.
| Country | Leave not yet taken |
|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | Taken, never paid in cash, while employment lasts. The employee can postpone it to the next year, with the employer's approval |
| The UAE | Carried into the next year with the employer's approval, on the terms the Executive Regulations set |
| Qatar | The employer can let up to half move to the next year, at the employee's written request |
| Kuwait | Up to two years' leave carried forward, and more by agreement |
| Bahrain | Settled, with its pay, at least every two years |
| Oman | A balance of up to 30 days kept, and more where the work kept it untaken |
| Egypt | Settled, or paid, at least every three years. At least 15 days are taken each year, six of them in a row |
A leave balance is a sum owed, and it grows each month it goes untaken.
Know who pays maternity leave before it starts
In Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt, social insurance pays some or all of maternity pay. Payroll needs to know before the month the leave starts.
| Country | What social insurance pays |
|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | For a birth from July 2025, GOSI pays maternity compensation on the employer's behalf: three months at her average insured wage. It needs 12 months of contributions in the 36 before the birth, and covers Saudi and non-Saudi women alike. It is not paid together with her wage |
| Oman | The Social Protection Fund pays an allowance for the 98 days of maternity leave, and for the seven days of paternity leave, from its maternity insurance |
| Egypt | 75% of her insured wage, where she has ten months of contributions. The employer pays the rest of her full wage |
In the UAE, the last 15 days of maternity leave are on half pay. A month that runs across the change is paid partly in full and partly at half.
Agree overtime the way each law asks
Overtime is not only a rate. Some laws also set who agrees to it, who is told and what is kept.
In Saudi Arabia, overtime past 720 hours a year needs the employee's agreement. With their consent, paid time off can replace overtime pay: at least 1.5 hours off for each hour worked. It is taken within 60 days unless both agree otherwise, and comes to no more than 30 days in a year. Time off still owed when someone leaves is paid out.
In Oman, overtime needs the worker's agreement. The employer can give time off in place of the hours, instead of paying them.
In Kuwait, overtime needs the employer's written order, where the work requires it. The employer keeps a record of each employee's overtime: the dates, the hours and the pay.
In Egypt, overtime is for unusual work needs or exceptional circumstances. The labour authority is told within seven days.
In Qatar, the rules on hours do not cover senior staff who hold the employer's authority over other workers.
Bring leave and overtime into the month before the cut-off
Leave and overtime are the parts of pay that change every month. A sick day can fall in a lower band. Unpaid leave comes off the wage. Overtime is paid on basic pay in one country and on the full wage in the next. Each needs the right record, in the right month.
On our payroll, hours, overtime and unpaid days come in the month's input file, by a cut-off agreed before the month starts. Each month's inputs are checked before anything is calculated.
Where your people work in the platform, they request leave on the web or the mobile app, and see the leave they have left. Leave and timesheets are approved and locked before payroll reads them. Approved unpaid leave comes off pay.
You approve the month's outputs before anything is delivered. Your entity pays its people.
Common questions.
Is overtime worked out on basic pay or the full wage?
Is unused annual leave paid out when someone leaves?
Can time off replace overtime pay?
Running payroll in the region? Book a Demo. Hiring without an entity? Get an EOR quote.
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