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Leave Entitlements in Qatar's Private Sector: An Employer's Guide
Qatar's Labour Law No. 14 of 2004 (Articles 79-82 and 96-98) sets the private-sector minimums: employees who complete 1 continuous year of service get at least 3 weeks (21 days) of paid annual leave if they have under 5 years' service, rising to 4 weeks (28 days) once past 5 years (Article 79). Sick leave (Article 82) kicks in after 3 months' service - full pay for the first 2 weeks, half pay for the next 4 weeks, then unpaid up to a 12-week yearly cap, with a medical certificate required throughout. Maternity leave (Article 96) is 50 days on full pay after 1 year of continuous service, of which at least 35 days must fall after delivery, plus a paid daily nursing hour for one year starting once that 50-day maternity leave ends (Article 97) - not from the birth date itself. The Ministry of Labour (MOL) enforces the mainland law; companies registered in the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) instead follow the separate QFC Employment Regulations.
Steps
- Confirm which regime covers the employee - Check whether the entity is registered under mainland Labour Law No. 14 of 2004 or the separate QFC Employment Regulations (Regulation No. 10 of 2006, as amended), since leave rules differ between the two.
- Track continuous-service milestones - Record each employee's continuous-service start date: annual leave (Article 79) and maternity leave (Article 96) rights vest at 1 full year of service; sick leave (Article 82) rights vest at 3 months.
- Apply the tiered annual leave entitlement - Grant 21 days (3 weeks) of paid annual leave for staff under 5 years' service, or 28 days (4 weeks) once past 5 years; pro-rate for partial years and pay out unused leave on termination since it cannot be waived (Article 81).
- Administer sick leave on the statutory pay tiers - On receipt of a medical certificate, pay full salary for the first 2 weeks of sick leave in the service year, half salary for the next 4 weeks, then no pay for any remainder up to the 12-week cap.
- Process maternity leave and the nursing break - Once an employee has 1 year of service, grant 50 days of fully paid maternity leave (at least 35 days after delivery) and, for one year starting once that 50-day maternity leave ends, a paid one-hour daily nursing break (Article 97); dismissal during maternity leave is prohibited.
- Keep leave records and resolve disputes through MOL - Maintain leave records for inspection/WPS purposes; if a dispute arises, either party can file a free complaint with the Ministry of Labour, which refers unresolved cases to the Labour Dispute Settlement Committee.
Timeline
Eligibility is automatic, not application-based: annual and maternity leave rights trigger at 1 year of continuous service, sick leave at 3 months. If a leave dispute is escalated, either party can file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour, which may refer unresolved cases to a Labour Dispute Settlement Committee; the statute itself does not publish a fixed processing timeline, and specific turnaround figures circulated by some secondary sources (roughly a week for MOL review, roughly 3 weeks for a Committee judgment) could not be independently corroborated this session - treat those durations as unverified rather than fact.
Cost & fees
No government fee applies to granting statutory leave itself - the employer's cost is the employee's paid salary during the leave (full pay for annual and maternity leave; full pay for the first 2 weeks and half pay for the next 4 weeks of sick leave). Filing a leave-related complaint with the Ministry of Labour is described by secondary sources as free of charge.
Some figures on this page vary by jurisdiction, zone or nationality, or could not be independently confirmed from a public source at time of writing - confirm the current figure with the regulator before relying on it.
Sources
- Mondaq (legal-industry publisher) - "All Work and No Play: Workplace Leave in Qatar"
- Al Meezan - Qatar's official legal portal - Law No. 14 of 2004 (Labour Law)
- ILO NATLEX - official text of Qatar Labour Law No. 14 of 2004
- Cercli - Qatar Labour Law Annual Leave Guide for Compliant Employers
- Cercli - Maternity Leave in Qatar: Laws, Pay, and Employee Rights
Frequently asked
How many days of annual leave must we give employees in Qatar?
Under Article 79 of Labour Law No. 14 of 2004, an employee who completes 1 year of continuous service is entitled to at least 3 weeks (21 days) of paid annual leave if they have under 5 years' service, rising to 4 weeks (28 days) after 5 years. The right cannot be waived (Article 81), and accrued but untaken leave must be paid out if the contract ends first.
How is sick pay calculated under Qatar labour law?
Article 82 entitles an employee with at least 3 months' service, and a medical certificate, to full pay for the first 2 weeks of sick leave in a service year, half pay for the next 4 weeks, and no pay beyond that up to a 12-week ceiling - after which the employer may end the contract if a physician certifies the employee cannot resume work.
What maternity leave must private-sector employers provide in Qatar?
Article 96 grants a female employee with 1 year of continuous service 50 days of fully paid maternity leave, with at least 35 days required after delivery. Article 97 adds a daily one-hour paid nursing break running for one year starting once that 50-day maternity leave ends (so it runs somewhat later than a flat 12 months from the birth date), and employers may not dismiss or serve termination notice during the maternity leave period.
Do these leave rules apply the same way to a company registered in the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC)?
No. QFC-registered entities are governed by the separate QFC Employment Regulations rather than Labour Law No. 14 of 2004, so leave entitlements can differ. Employers should confirm which legal regime covers their registration before applying the mainland figures above.