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Working Hours & Overtime in Saudi Arabia: An Employer's Guide (2025-2026)

Under Article 98 of the Saudi Labor Law (Royal Decree M/51 of 2005), standard working hours are capped at 8 actual hours per day or 48 hours per week, and actual hours for Muslim employees must be reduced during Ramadan to no more than 6 hours per day or 36 hours per week (non-Muslim staff are not automatically covered by this reduction). Article 106 caps total hours worked - including overtime, in limited exceptional circumstances the law allows (annual inventory/budget-preparation/accounts-closing/seasonal-work-preparation, which is capped at 30 days per year; accident prevention; unusual work pressure; or holidays and seasonal work designated by a separate Minister decision, which carries no stated day-cap in the article itself) - at 10 hours per day or 60 hours per week, while Article 107 sets overtime pay at the worker's hourly wage plus 50% of basic wage (i.e., 150% of normal hourly pay), a flat rate with no day/night differential. Following the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's amendments announced 6 August 2024 (effective February 2025, 180 days after publication), employers may instead grant paid compensatory leave in lieu of overtime wages, but only with the employee's consent. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) administers these rules, with unresolved disputes going to the Labor Courts.

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Steps

Set the baseline working-hours standard - Fix each role's schedule at no more than 8 actual hours/day or 48 hours/week (Article 98), or use the daily/weekly standard consistently - Article 99 allows extension to 9 hours/day for certain non-continuous jobs, or a reduction to 7 hours/day for hazardous work, by ministerial decision.
Apply the Ramadan reduction to Muslim staff - During the month of Ramadan, cut actual working hours for Muslim employees to a maximum of 6 hours/day or 36 hours/week (Article 98); update shift rosters and payroll systems each year since Ramadan's Gregorian dates shift annually.
Get Ministry approval for shift-based averaging - If operating shift patterns that exceed 8 hours/day or 48 hours/week on some days, obtain HRSD approval and average hours over a period of three weeks or less so the average stays within the standard (Article 100).
Cap total hours and document any exceptional overtime - Even under the exceptional cases in Article 106 - (1) annual inventory, budget preparation, accounts-closing, or seasonal-work preparation, limited to 30 days/year; (2) accident prevention; (3) unusual work pressure; or (4) Minister-designated holidays/seasons/seasonal work - total hours may not exceed 10/day or 60/week, and the Minister separately sets the maximum overtime hours permitted per year by decision.
Pay overtime correctly or substitute compensatory leave - Pay overtime at the hourly wage plus 50% of basic wage for every hour beyond the standard, and treat all hours worked on official holidays as overtime (Article 107); alternatively, with the employee's written consent, grant paid compensatory leave instead - a route added by the 2024 amendments, with mechanics to be detailed in Implementing Regulations.
Honor rest-period and weekly-rest rules - Ensure no employee works more than 5 consecutive hours without a break of at least 30 minutes for rest, prayer, and meals - Article 102 excludes this time from 'actual working hours' and states the worker is not under the employer's authority during it, so unlike the weekly rest day it is not expressly stated as paid in the law itself; also cap workplace presence at 12 hours/day, and provide a fully-paid weekly rest day of at least 24 consecutive hours (Friday by default, substitutable after notifying the Labor Office) (Articles 101-104).
Keep payroll and timesheet records inspection-ready - Maintain overtime and working-hours records reconcilable through Qiwa, since underpaid or delayed wages can be challenged before the Labor Court, which may fine the employer up to double the shortfall (Article 94).

Timeline

Working-hours and overtime compliance is a continuous payroll-cycle obligation, not a one-off filing: overtime must be settled on the same cadence as ordinary wages (weekly for daily-rated workers, monthly for salaried workers, per Article 90), and Ramadan-hour adjustments apply only for the Hijri month of Ramadan each year. The most recent Labor Law amendments were announced 6 August 2024 and took effect 180 days later, in February 2025, so employer policies and contracts should already reflect them.

Cost & fees

There is no government fee to comply with the working-hours/overtime rules themselves; the employer's cost is the overtime wage liability (150% of the hourly basic wage per extra hour, or equivalent paid leave) plus potential Labor Court penalties - up to double the underpaid or delayed amount - for non-compliance (Articles 94 and 107).

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

HRSD official Labor Law text, Article 106 (fetched directly, confirming the 30-day cap belongs to the annual-inventory/accounts-closing/seasonal-prep clause, not the Minister-designated seasonal work clause)

Frequently asked

What are the standard working hours in Saudi Arabia?

Article 98 of the Saudi Labor Law limits employees to 8 actual working hours per day (daily standard) or 48 hours per week (weekly standard), whichever standard the employer adopts.

Do working hours change during Ramadan?

Yes. Article 98 requires actual working hours for Muslim employees to be reduced during Ramadan to no more than 6 hours per day or 36 hours per week. The law's reduction applies specifically to Muslim staff; it does not automatically extend the same cut to non-Muslim employees.

How is overtime pay calculated?

Under Article 107, overtime is paid at the employee's hourly wage plus 50% of their basic wage (150% of normal hourly pay) for each extra hour, and any work performed on official holidays counts as overtime. Since the August 2024 amendments, employers may instead offer paid compensatory leave in place of overtime wages, but only with the employee's consent.

Is there a legal cap on overtime hours?

Yes. Article 106 caps total hours worked - including overtime under the law's listed exceptional circumstances - at 10 hours per day or 60 hours per week. Those exceptions are: (1) annual inventory, budget preparation, accounts-closing, or seasonal-work preparation, capped at 30 days of use per year; (2) accident prevention or loss avoidance; (3) coping with unusual work pressure; and (4) holidays, seasons, and seasonal work designated by a separate Minister decision, which Article 106 itself does not subject to a 30-day cap. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development separately fixes the maximum overtime hours allowed per year by ministerial decision (the specific annual figure was not confirmed in this research).